Mraz Stanton Rocchi

  We said good-bye to our original cat, Mraz, yesterday  He truly was as Mike called him, his "little fat best friend."  Raz was the first thing Mike and I did together as a couple so he's seen it all!!

 The name "Mraz" came from the musician, Jason Mraz.  Mike and I were both really into his music and thought Mraz was just the perfect name.  It didn't hurt that Jason Mraz is also a cat lover!

 Mraz first lived with us in our little apartment in Allentown.  We were reminiscing with the twins yesterday about what Raz was like when he was a kitten.  When Mike and I were sitting on the couch in our living room, Raz would come tearing down the little hallway and launch himself through the air where he would then land on one of our faces.  I'm not kidding, our face.  We used to have to lock him in the bedroom so we could just sit and watch television.

Wild kitty

 The very first night we had him in the apartment, we lost him.  We tore that little apartment apart and finally found him hiding in a little space between a cupboard and the fridge.

  Mike and I went on vacation to Jamaica the first summer we had Raz.  We missed him SO much that as soon as we got in from the airport, we drove directly to Mike's parents (who lived about an hour away) even though it was 1:00 in the morning!!

First day bringing him home!

It was hot.

Our apartment!

At Gammy and Poppy's House....before they were Gammy and Poppy!

 Raz made the first big move from our apartment to our home in Midway Manor.  He was living the good life here as we allowed him to be an outside cat.  He truly was our baby.  When we went away to the Outer Banks for our wedding, he ended up going missing.  I'll never forget when we called home to check on him and our neighbors told us he had been missing for two days.  We were so devastated.  A few hours later they called us, excited and relieved, to let us know that he had come back.  He was limping and a little timid, but he was home.

 Speaking of going missing, Raz would often times go on adventures around the neighborhood. When we called him in around dusk, sometimes he wouldn't show up.  I don't know how many hours Mike and I spent walking around the neighborhood calling, "Raz!!!" and clicking his food dish lid.  He always came home though.

 Raz even considered running for office at one point.

 We got to spend many Christmas seasons with him....and he drank a lot of Christmas tree water.

 Raz was the model for Mike with the nice camera for many years!

What chu lookin' at?

Raz and Toca were best friends...and two of the best cats around.

 Raz's life of bliss came to a sudden screeching halt when we introduced two new humans into our 1200 square foot house.  He did not seem amused.

I just want peace and quiet....

 Raz then made the move from Allentown to Coopersburg.  He was starting to slow down a bit and seemed perfectly content to become an inside cat from that point on.  He spent his days sleeping either on Mike's recliner in the basement or on one of the twins' beds.  He enjoyed having the new kittens come into his life and they would often times be seen all snuggled up sleeping together.

 Raz of course lived through the fire and living in our temporary house.  He took all of this in stride and we were so happy to have him continue being a part of our lives.

Fat cat, little bed

 Raz was never very kind to other people....Mike's uncle has a slash in the sleeve of his leather coat to prove it.  However, Raz loved us and we loved him.  He was a constant in our life over the past 13 years and we will miss him dearly.

Rest in Peace our friend.  We love and miss you.