05/06/2025
Hello all,
I wanted to take this moment to thank ALL of you, who have followed, and many were friends with, Dashiell. Who truly did turn out to be The Star Wars cat.
From the moment he got his Millennium Falcon wand toy, he accomplished the thing that the Empire had failed to do in so many stories. He caught the Millennium Falcon and brought it straight to my feet. From that day on, I woke up with a YT-1300 Corellian Freighter or a BB8 Resistance droid beside my pillow -- and of course, if you bring in the Goods, the Guild pays your Bounty.
He had many toys, but his Stars Wars toys were his favorite, and so SW collars appeared, little cat hats that he hated, and he attended several conventions. We (his staff) favored a particular hotel for San Diego Comic Con (a hometown stop for us) and he simply charmed the staff every year.
We always arrived late evening, their fantastic parking attendants would light up at the sight of our "expensive cat carrier" rolling up. He often rode on the top of the baggage trolley as we checked in, were kind enough to always reserve the same room for us, and word would begin to spread like the Alliance massing on Yavin. "Dashiell is here!." (they even added him to the reservation.) The manager would call, "I have a note that our special guest has arrived.... he's always welcomed downstairs, we're dying to see him." Bell staff would drop by to give him a pet, wrestle with him, and be delighted to ask for 'high fives', 'sit' and 'down' as I coached them and handed them snacks for his 'fee'. He would generally make an appearance in the lobby/lounge area in the later evening, met even more friends, and with the absolute permission of the food and beverage manager, he was welcome in the bar -- he even got a seat. They have a wonderful picture. He stole hearts and "had friends everywhere." And we will thank them forever. (And, of course, he had a costume!)
He was our kid, our hilarious, stubborn, weird kid who never missed an episode of "The Mandalorian"-- no, he really did, he'd leave right after the episode, which always seemed suspicious to us.
Thank you so very much for your comments and well wishes when he became so very ill. It came on very suddenly, without any real time to adjust to accepting the outcome. That day demanded the best from us, and everyone at his vet hospital had known him, loved him, and that room was filled with his family and his friends. I owe them so much. Dashiell was also known by several staff members of Lucasfilm who sent us a very kind note. As a neighbor once said, "He's not a cat, he's a Dashiell." He was, and so much more.
On our wedding day he walked me down the aisle, served as ring bearer and, having given away a bride, he promptly went and grabbed a seat in the front row. My family took 9 photos of our wedding ... we appear in NONE of them -- you can see us in the background of a shot, during the ceremony. He stole the show, he always did.
He watched season one of "Andor" right beside us. Came to me while was I crying over Rix Road -- I had just lost a very good friend, we were on the same playing field with how much we had loved "Rogue One". It was everything we had waited for. He was a writer. A good one. And in the last hours of his life I was able to promise him that I would watch "Andor" and "The Mandalorian" for us both. (he was a great Mandalorian, he could speak and read Mando'a, I can read and write Aurebesh, translate every sign and report when it appears -- annnd get banished from the TV room.) I kept that promise, and had no idea how hard that promise would turn out to be.
Dashiell was there the whole time. Rix Road destroyed me. I had just lost my greatest SW geek pal, as well as close family members. "Stone and Sky." We miss him everyday. He was one in a million.
And now, I am happy to introduce to you all to, Taj -- the Rapidly Expanding Kitten. He is a joy, and yes, a complete comedian. I shared Season 2 of "Andor" with our newest family member, his introduction to a galaxy far, far away. And he watched. He is a rescue cat and we thank his adoption organization for bringing this charming young man into our lives. They work with Chewy pet products, who have a Star Wars line of pet products. They had sent on a 'Hover Pram' cat bed and learning we are SW Turbo Nerds, they were delighted to give it to Taj in his new home.
There will never be another Dashiell, no one could be. He was extraordinary. But Taj loves his Hover Pram, he kicked out the sleeping cushion first thing and it is now known as Fort Ambush. He excels at this.
He has moments of Dashiell, as well as the personality of Dickens, who was Dashiell's predecessor. He is an odd mix of them both, and we know they are always close by. There may be some updates of Taj's journey into Fandom, but this will forever be the page about the antics of Dashiell, the Star Wars cat. And I thank all you who follow it and for the many kind messages we have received, many of you perfect strangers, who understood how very special he was and how difficult it is to say goodbye. We are an outstanding community, and I am reminded of the generosity and kindness of our fandom every time I drop by this page.
Thank you doesn't say enough, but know how much you have helped us with his sudden loss. We know he's still around.
Sagrona Teema, to you all.
