It is difficult to convey, in one page of pictures and words, a lifetime of memories. Nissekatt's Regnbue Kriger, affectionately known as "Charlie", "Gnarly", and "(The) Gnar", was our first Forest Cat. Every once in a while, a pet comes along that is such a unique spirit, whether it be a rabbit, bird, dog, goat... or in this case, a cat.

Gnar was full of life. He loved everyone and everything. Even as a kitten, he seemed to possess an unworldly wisdom. He was intelligent, adventurous, stubborn, and completely the extrovert. He loved children, and idolized my daughter, Jaime, who was seven when Gnar came into our lives.

One of the truly unique traits he possessed was his love of motion. When Jaime got a bike for Christmas, Gnar was the first one on it. He enjoyed being wheeled around. Next came a wagon borrowed from a friend. A desk chair with wheels was another preferred vehicle. His love of motion was not limited to objects on wheels, however. A favorite game was for two people to make a hammock out of a bed sheet. Gnar would jump into the middle, and lay on his back with a glazed look in his eyes as he was swung to and fro.

Then came the skateboard, which ultimately became his trademark and spawned new nicknames: Gnashin' Gnar and Gnarly Road Rash. He was so possessive of HIS (formerly Jaime's) board! We kept it down the cellar, which was off-limits to the cats, and when we brought it up, he would jump on it as I was carrying it up the steps.

When we had company, all I had to do was say "On your board, Gnar", and he would hop right on. We attached a leash to pull it, and he would sit or lay on it with that glazed look of sheer pleasure as we paraded him around. He even taught himself how to make it move on his own, by placing his front paws on it and walking with his hind legs.

He also enjoyed car rides and took readily to walking on a leash. Ironically enough, for all of his showmanship, he detested cat shows! He did have several public appearances to his credit - a pet parade where he was featured in a local paper, hosting my vet's new practices' open house, several visits for Show and Tell at school, and mascot for Jaime's soccer games.

In addition to his fun-loving ways, he was also very protective of his family. One foggy night in October 1991, Gnar began racing from room to room, from window to window. Eventually this woke my husband up. At first Dan just thought Gnar was on one of his middle-of-the-night psycho rampages, as cats are known to do. He then realized that Gnar seemed fixated on something outside. Dan peered out the window, but could see nothing in the dense fog.


The early light of the next morning revealed the cause of Gnar's agitation. We had been visited by some less than savory characters. Strewn across the yard was my make-up case and it's contents, which had been in the car. Further investigation revealed that the car had been broken into, and my briefcase had been stolen. The would-be burglars had also pried the screen windows from our next door neighbor's house, but had failed to get in.



Sadly, and far too soon, the Rainbow Bridge was looming on Gnar's horizon, and we lost him to liver failure when he was eight and a half years old. He had always been such a healthy cat, and this was unexpected. Words cannot express how much he is missed. We are grateful, though, for having been blessed with the presence of such a wonderful ambassador for the breed, and he remains, as always, our inspiration to continue.