Hallgerðr Longlegs: An Appreciation

We are grieved to relay the news that longtime Political Rant editor and provocateur Hallgerðr, sometimes known as “Grousy Cat,” passed peacefully Tuesday afternoon in the arms of her human servant and companion of 21 years, following a two-month battle with Squamous Cell Carcinoma. She was 21 years old.

Born in Tucson, Arizona in April, 1992, Hallgerðr Longlegs was named not only for the Icelandic heroine of “The Saga of Burnt Njal” but also for her questing spirit and propensity for skillfully climbing in and out of boxes, cabinets, closets, baskets, etc.

Sarastro and Nirvana watch Hallgerthr
dispense wisdom from on high.

A shy cat, by nature, she preferred to allow others--like her sister, Auðn the Deep-Minded, who predeceased her in the late 90s-- to shine in the spotlight. Hallgerðr was, nonetheless, a quick-witted and astute feline who did not suffer fools gladly. 

Fast on the paw when hunting insects, and yet always ready to radiate sleep rays upon unsuspecting humans, she was a creature of contradictions. To her friends, she could be tolerant and warm—a plushy ball of purr on cold San Francisco nights, tempered by the noblesse oblige of her exalted station—while her adversaries feared the disciplining swat on the nose which she did not hesitate to dispense when provoked.

Grousy Cat & The Magic Shirt
celebrating the Obama win

In politics, though she declined to state an outright affiliation with any party, Hallgerðr’s leanings tended to the Liberal side. Still, she found much to discredit with a sharp barking meow on either end of the political spectrum, and her brief, yet cutting remarks were often a refreshing commentary during campaign speeches and debates in election season. Feisty to the end, she did not hesitate to make known her mind, or to offer her human servants corrective notes when necessary, even if that occurred at 5 a.m.

Throughout her long life, Hallgerðr brought great comfort and also the vaunted “black cat’s gift” of good luck to her chosen humans.

Hallgerðr is survived by her housemate and sometimes foe Nirvana, and her two adoring monkey-servants.