Viva Vivienne!

This is a story about one of the UAE's oldest residents. Vivienne turned a 100 years old on October 31, 2007. One hundred years? Well, actually, Vivienne turned 21 calendar years but that would be 100 as far as Vivienne is concerned because, you see, Vivienne is ... a cat.

Vivienne was born in Tucson, Arizona, on October 31, 1986. Her mother was a tortoise-shell domestic short-haired feline named Charmaine, and her father was a red tabby tomcat who was, well, you know, just visiting.

I am sure he had a lot of kids in that South Tucson neighbourhood, says Dr Kimberly Lund.

"I was in graduate school when I picked out Vivienne from the litter of four. Cats have always been my favourite animals and when I entered the room where Vivienne and her four siblings were, this little fur ball ran up to me and did all sorts of very clever things. She was the cutest little puff ball ever."

Dr Lund still remembers the first night Vivienne crept into her bed and confidently draped herself across her neck and slept peacefully till dawn.

"It was a sleeping position she always favoured."

So passionate is Dr Lund about cats that the next day after she picked up Vivienne, she returned to adopt her brother - a red tabby. "I named him Michael Tangelo, who grew to be enormous!"

Why did she name the cat Vivienne?
The reason, says Dr Lund, is that she is, like the word Vivienne, "full of life''.

Vivienne's first year was spent living in an artist's studio on Congress Street in downtown Tucson. Lund was a budding artist at the time, and Vivienne and Michael Tangelo would constantly run around, getting into mischief and into Lund's work, sometimes causing havoc.

"We later moved to a flat next to a small farm where a man raised sheep. Those were some of Vivienne's best days. She loved to go over to the farm and play in the barn, and I often had to go over there and get her out from under the barn floor where she would hide to stalk the packrats," recounts Dr Lund.

"From the small flat we moved to a friend's cottage on what was one of the more beautiful plots in old town Tucson. There she enjoyed the dense vegetation, the pool and all the wonders of home.

"Although Vivienne loved the place, there was one snag - the place had plenty of feral raccoons that would eat all of Vivienne's cat food. Also, Vivienne had to be very cautious not to get in their path as they weighed 20 kilos and were ferocious!"

Over the years, Lund moved several times until she settled in a cottage in the Alta Mira neighbourhood of Tucson by the convent.

"This is where Vivienne spent many great years sitting in the garden and spending her nights on the roof to avoid the coyotes that prowled the area.''

In 1996, at the age of 10, she came to the UAE along with Dr Lund.

Vivienne took to the UAE well as she was born and raised in the Sonoran desert and the heat was not a problem for her.

"My first assignment was at AUS (American University of Sharjah) where I stayed for five years. During the years, as she grew older, Vivienne spent most of her time contently sleeping on the bed or sleeping among the potted plants in the front and back gardens.''

As the years rolled by, the bond between cat and her owner grew stronger. As with most felines, Vivienne possessed a strong sixth sense. "She would know when I would be back from work and wait for me," says Lund.

The cat would sense a sandstorm before it set in and would stay quietly inside indicating Lund do the same; she slept with Lund, always on her left side with her head resting on Lund's heart for 16 years ...

As Vivienne aged, it became more difficult for her to walk due to arthritis. "The day came when she could no longer walk up the stairs to the bedroom," says Lund.

After spending many days worrying about the condition, Lund came up with the idea of Puff - a staircase made of pillows and cushions for Vivienne to climb onto the sofa.
Over the years, Vivienne also had no less than 40 kittens!

"Vivienne was always fat and used to be the object of much attention at the veterinarian's office. She was once denied a flight to the US because she was too fat and exceeded the weight allowance for cabin animals.''

All relationships though must come to an end some day. Last May, Vivienne and Lund had to part.

Lund was returning to America. Vivienne was 21 calendar years - too old, said the vet, to travel long distances."It was heartbreaking when I learnt that I could not take Viv back with me," said Lund.

As Lund parted with tears, Vivienne was handed over to a Sri Lankan family in Sharjah, whose teenage daughter Sheryl takes care of her. An American expat cat from the Mexican suburb of South Tucson now purrs away happily in a Sri Lankan home.