05/27/2026
A beautiful tribute to handsome Milton, written by his family:
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Milton was born into tragedy, nobly rescued, lovingly raised and revered.
Milton was the lone survivor of his litter, having escaped the blades of a cemetery lawnmower. Rescued and being cared for temporarily by a friend, Marcy brought the tiny kitten home to be bottle-fed around the clock. Through our love and handling and the examples set by our older cats Sam and Louis, he grew into a formidable presence in our home. Precious and handsome, he was comfortable in front of the camera and it's anyone's best guess at just how many photos there are of him.
From about ten days old into his 17th year, he was loved deeply and was such a large presence in our lives. He loved fresh greens, particularly Swiss chard, which he would grab with his paw and shred and chew with fervor. In the summer, he enjoyed having watermelon, making quick work of the cut ends. We made sure this was one of his final treats, and when we said goodbye, his chin was still pink from the juice.
Milton was rambunctious in his youth and quite often was referred to as Crazy Train as he tore around the house doing his parkour. We could always tell when the seasons brought cooler weather, as he became more snuggly and sought us out for cuddles. Otherwise, he was very independent, happy to be on top of a cabinet or refrigerator to look down upon his kingdom. Only a few times did he try to drop a bottle of wine on an unsuspecting passerby.
Milton AKA MiltoriousCAT, grew a following, in real life, on his page, even on Twitter and Instagram. He has stickers which have been shared and adhered all over, from San Juan to Seattle and many places in between. He ran several campaigns, for president or mayor, and collected several official votes over the years. His campaign posters simply stated, he just likes to run.
He always took his cat duties very seriously, shredding toilet paper and paper towels, terrifying large dogs, and attacking Q-Tips. He was the very best boy and scratched only on his scratching post and condos. His favorite toys in his later years were regularly refreshed with catnip, his kicker sticks, carrot, and beavers were no match for his back legs and bites.
Milton was no stranger to Zoom calls, whether for business or pleasure, he extended his reach by walking through many calls to say hello, occasionally he would perch on a lap, place his paws on the desk and stay for a bit.
As he got older, Milton had regular visits to Hillside Animal Hospital and always looked forward to seeing them for his care. On his most recent visit, he proudly inspected every inch of the cat room and seemed to be very at ease, even happy there.
His presence was so great, what is left, outside of memories, seems empty and cold right now. Coming home and not seeing him in the window, and not seeing him in his usual places is so difficult. To say he is missed is an understatement.
It is comforting to know he is no longer in any pain or discomfort and is at rest. We made our promise to him and however painful it is, we kept up our end of the deal. We will miss you and keep you forever in our hearts, our sweet boy.
