Hedgewatch

End Of Watch #Hedgewatch

/ rachelgoes262 / 4 Comments

Jude Raymond Anderson passed away on July 21, 2025, in his loving mom’s arms after a brief but brave fight with cancer. Jude was born February 14, 2012, and his Gotcha Day was February 14, 2014. Jude was adopted from the Humane Society of Rome in Rome, NY. 

Jude is survived by his mom, Rachel, siblings: Simon Freckles Anderson, Jolene Mamba Anderson and Flower Sunday Anderson. Jude is predeceased by Kitty Molecule Anderson and Kip Quark Anderson.

Jude truly embodied his name and “took a sad dong and made it better.” He came into our lives after the passing of Kip to be Kitty’s companion. Jude was with Kitty for three years, and for most of those, Kitty fought his own cancer battle. Jude was strongly bonded with Kitty. I know Kitty is welcoming him in Heaven and they are cuddling in the sun.

While Jude is loving and accepting of everyone, (even winning over poor traumatized Flower!), Jude’s strongest bond in his life was his time with Kitty. To Simon, Jude was a mentor and an amazing big brother. Jolene is in charge but would still let Jude be man of the house. Flower accepted Jude as her protector, and he was the first of the trio to win her over.

In his Hedgewatch duties, Jude was head coworker. He helped his mom through grad school and supervised writing of the thesis. He would sit in the cat bed in front of the window next to the desk for the past six years of coworker duty. Jude made friends all over the world as part of Hedgewatch. The family would like to especially thank our Hedgewatch family in the UK for your love and support during Jude’s illness. 

Jude loved to talk. He always wanted treats and would often get his siblings to join in his shenanigans to try to push up dinner time and get more treats throughout the day. Jude was extremely intelligent and easily trained. He was carrier trained for all meals and was also well trained in the tornado safety plan.

In the apartment, Jude would cling to the screen on the sliding glass door, earning the nickname “Spider Cat.” Jude would go out on the porch to look at birds and could be trusted to not jump off the porch. We were going to travel the world together. 

Jude slept in the bed with me every night. 

Jude was my best friend. He was there for me at the worst times of my life. He was there for me at the best times of my life. Jude was so full of love and life. He genuinely had an easy-going personality. He never met a stranger. Jude won hearts – everyone he met and everywhere he went. 

All you need is love and a cat. Jude was more than a cat. He was a beautiful soul. He gave me so much more than I deserved. It was an honor to be his mom for the time we had. Jude will always be my valentine. 

The family would like to thank the staff at Adana Veterinary Clinic for their compassionate and expert care over the years. They are truly the best cat hospital around. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please donate to your local no-kill animal rescue In Memory of Jude. Or, if you prefer, save your donations for when we can move to a safe location and are able to accept help with the move. 

If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever. 

Happy 9th Birthday, Jolene!

/ rachelgoes262 / Leave a comment

Happy 9th Birthday, Jolene! Today, the Queen of our household and our lead Hedgewatch’er turns 9. Jolene is so loved. She brings life and love into our home. 

Jolene was 5 years old when she was adopted, after having watched all her kittens be adopted. Jolene has a genetic disorder that affects her mouth and only has four teeth. She gives so much love. I can’t believe she waited in the shelter for so long watching her kittens be adopted first.

Please remember when adopting that the moms, the older cats, and the cats with special needs all need loving homes too. They have so much love to give. They give as much love and joy as a kitten. 

While Jolene is much smaller than Simon and Jude, she is the queen of our household. She keeps both boys in line. Simon is younger, but bigger than Jolene. She still treats him like a kitten sometimes. The only thing she does not do is carry him around (he is too big for that!), but she certainly tries. Jude is very respectful of Jolene. He knows she is in charge. He does play wih her, but Jude does not play as rough with Jolene as Simon does.

You can tell sometimes by the look on his face that Jude thinks twice before instigating a play session with Jolene. He allows her to be in charge. Simon would be evenly matched with Jolene except that he is a few pounds bigger than her. She gives as good as she gets, though! Simon and Jolene often chase each other up and down the stairs. 

Jolene follows me everywhere and must always supervise me. She is frequently in the same room as me. If she is not in the same room, she knows where I am. She does get upset when I leave the house. I often come home to her favorite stuffies laying near the door. She piles them all there for me for when I return.

Jolene loves her stuffies and transports them all over the house. She has a toy box full of different stuffies. You never know which one she is going to take out or where she will take it. Her favorite stuffies are carrot and ghost bear. Carrot and ghost bear move every single day, even if the other stuffies do not. 

Jolene sleeps with me every night and I often wake up to find she has put her stuffies in bed with us. She loves both her brothers and can often be found playing, cuddling, or grooming them.

Out of all three cats, Jolene is the one who most loves to bird watch and to Hedgewatch. She takes every opportunity she can to supervise bird flight patterns. She loves when the windows are open so she can both see and hear the birds. She judges the squirrels that steal the bird seed out of the feeders and keeps an eye on all the outside cats and neighbors. 

Jolene will be the first to let you know if something is going on! She is well in tune with the entire neighborhood. She will see an outside cat out the window and knows which window to run to next to track their progress across the yard. 

Jolene knows her name and she answers to it. I have never seen a cat answer to their name as well as she does. She is more like a dog. She will always come when you call her. Unlike most cats, she does not ignore her name. If she hears it, she comes to see what is going on or what you need. 

She is the perfect daughter. Jolene is the first girl cat I have ever had. I could not have asked for a more loving child. I am so glad she picked me out at the shelter years ago (I had gone to adopt a dog!). 

Jolene brings so much love and light and life to our home. She loves everyone she meets. She is the friendliest cat. Jolene is very well behaved at the vet office and takes her medication when mixed in with a treat without fuss. She is the most amazing cat. She is my heart, the love of my life, and my hero. 

Happy 9th Birthday, Jolene! 

Please take time to look at and adopt the older cats, the moms, and those with special needs. Jolene was all of those when I adopted this mama at 5 years old with a genetic disorder. I could not have asked for a more perfect daughter. She is truly an angel from Heaven.