Minnesota Spats, a.k.a. Mr. So, a tuxedo cat with emerald-hued eyes, aged nineteen, left this world peacefully on December 7, 2015, in New Orleans.
Mr. So was born in New Orleans in early August 1996. Errol Fouquet and Kristin Mott, of New Orleans, adopted Mr. So, along with a blue-eyed Tabanese female cat, Mata Hari, on September 5, 1996.
While technically an indoor cat, Mr. So was permitted a nomadic existence, which sometimes afforded some outdoor time on balconies and screened-in porches. Over the years, he dwelled in five apartments and six houses. Like many inhabitants of the Gulf region, Mr. So tolerated hurricane evacuations in several cities and in many hotels. He was in exile in North Carolina for one year and nine months following Hurricane Katrina and the resulting levee breaches, which flooded his home.
Akin to most native New Orleanians, Mr. So savored seafood gumbo and spicy crawfish with gusto. When the occasion allowed, he enjoyed lobster and caviar. His music preferences veered toward jazz, especially female vocalists. He hosted countless intimate soirées, known simply as So Nights, and welcomed guests like the Frights of North Carolina for Mardi Gras.
Although he sidestepped fatherhood, Mr. So assured his immortality by inspiring others to write about him in short story and song. Always the charismatic and dapper character, he even had a cocktail named after him: Mr. So’s Cocoa. His spirit continues to prompt creativity.
Mata Hari preceded him in death in 2003. Mr. So is survived by his family: Errol, Kristin, Oliver, and Jean Fouquet, and his feline sister, Stella M. Fouquet.
Special thanks goes out to friends, Chris Sauer, Christine Ciarmello, and James Thiebaud, for consorting with Mr. So when the family was away on vacations.
There Will Never Be Another You: https://youtu.be/3xpcBx1Gm-c
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