Enchanté
July 26, 1994 to August 23, 2010
Enchanté died quietly on August 23 rd, 2010 and the house fell silent. She was the boss, the charmer, “the Princess,” “our girl” and, for over 16 years, she filled our lives with her gentleness, excitement, warmth and love; she loved life, she loved us – and we will never cease to love her.
She entered our lives on July 26 th, 1994. The date is easy to remember as it was George’s birthday and our first summer in Scholefield House. Our lovely little tortoiseshell cat, Bruja, had died just a few weeks after we moved into the house and we were feeling sad; so, we decided to go to the Victoria SPCA just to look – with the hope that we might find a little cat to whom we could offer a home. We had in mind the image of a black cat with green eyes and a black nose. But a white kitten with blue eyes and a pink nose enchanted us; she put her paws out and grabbed George, saying “I’m the one;” so, she became his birthday present that year and acquired the name Enchanté. She was about 4 months old; a sign across her cage said “very noisy” - and talkative she was, always letting us know where she was and what she wanted.
Enchanté quickly adapted to her older feline brothers, Spirit and Pilgrim, who gave her space and some indirect affection and she became the official hostess at Scholefield House, our B&B in Victoria, BC. Shy at first, she quickly warmed up to guests, always preferring men and those allergic to cats. Her big blue eyes warmed many a heart and her energy seemed boundless.
We’ll never forget the morning she managed to get beyond the door that separated our part of the house from the B&B area, raced up the stairs and returned carrying a little teddy bear that resided in one of the guest bedrooms. Or the time that she got out the back door and climbed a tree and then, clinging to a high branch, cried for us to come and rescue her. When Tana phoned the fire department for help, she was told: “Lady – we don’t do cats;” so, we had no choice but to wait and, a couple of hours later, she manage to climb down.
In late September, when she’d been with us less than 3 months, Enchante got outside one day and didn’t return at night. We posted signs, searched the neighbourhood and, each day, phoned the SPCA to see if a fluffy white kitty with blue eyes had been found. After five days we were told that – yes – a kitten fitting that description had been found; someone from a place called The Cridge Centre (a former orphanage) had just called in. It wasn’t far from us (only about half a mile) so we rushed up there – sure that it must be Enchanté. What we found was a skinny, flea ridden white male kitten who had walked into a kitchen and stolen a hot dog off the counter. He was a pathetic little guy and, by then, we were coming to accept the horrible thought that Enchanté would never return; so, we adopted him, gave him a flea bath, bought him a tiny brass bed – and named him Galileo. 
The next night – very late - Enchanté returned screaming her complaints and demanding food. She was definitely happy to be home; we fed her, snuggled her and then introduced her to Galileo. The two white kittens, looking like mirror images, sniffed each other, put their “arms” around each other and, in that instant, became best friends – life-long companions.
They lived happily together in their Victoria house (as working B&B cats) for over 13 years; then, retired with us to their Hamilton home.
In the sixteen years since she adopted us, Enchanté remained talkative, demanding & loving. From kittenhood, through her prime, and in her senior years, she enjoyed life to the full, indulging in her favourite foods (tilapia, Dungeness crab, pork tenderloin, cognac pate), snuggling into bed at night with us, strolling in her garden, and looking, always, absolutely gorgeous.
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Hearts ease, Hearts ease
O, an you will have me live,
play Hearts ease.
