July 15, 1999 - May 18, 2010
NAME ORIGIN

From the constellation.  She didn't in the least resemble the mythological figure for whom the constellation was named.
Other given names considered:  Chris suggested Wendigo, which would have suited her well.  It was, however, already in use by one of my sister's cats.
NICKNAME(S)

*Square*, Peeve.  The first nickname was due to her boxy Manx-like physique and the second to her often crabby little personality and querulous-sounding meow.
We were quite amused to find that some folks at the oncology clinic had a tough time pronouncing and remembering the name Andromeda, so she went by Armadillo there.
DATE OF BIRTH
July 15 (?), 1999
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Compact, petite, and attractive.  She weighed a little over 8.0 pounds (3.6 kg) - much less than her brother Orion.  Physically, she reminded me a little bit of Blue Moon, the only purebred cat I've ever had.  There were striking differences in size and body type between Andromeda and Orion, despite the fact they were from the same litter.
Her fur was fine, silky, and very soft and was longer than most short-hairs but not long enough to make her a long-hair.  Because of its texture, her fur tended to stick out in little tufts, giving her a windblown, somewhat disheveled appearance.
She was quite athletic, especially for a small, stocky cat.  When she was around 9 weeks old, I found her on top of the iguana cage, 7 feet off the ground.  Chris and I accused each other of putting her up there as a joke and then forgetting about her, but ultimately, we realized she was getting between the cage and the wall and climbing up the pegboard cage back like a little bug.  
MEOW
Andromeda had quite the vocabulary and tended to be fairly loud. Her meow was slightly quieter and more hoarse after her radiation treatment (see the Medical Conditions section), but she was still quite a talker. Here are the meows she used:
Greeting.  A chirpy, friendly "Mmmrrr?" noise she used to greet us and the other cats.
Demand.  A series of loud, anxious-sounding meows which were clearly followed by exclamation points.  She used the Demand meows when she wanted something she couldn't get, such as a spider on the ceiling, and every so often when she was lonely in the middle of the night or wasn't sure where we were. 
Yowl.  This often followed the demand meow and was the noise a lot of cats make when they catch prey and want to tell people about it.  She frequently yowled while carrying her favorite toy in her mouth and if my husband and I both took naps at the same time, she sometimes yowled until one of us woke up and paid attention to her.
Pre-Peeve.  This consisted of one or two very irritated-sounding meows accompanied by a frown.  She sometimes used it as a warning before going into a full Peeve.
Peeve.  This sounded very much like the noises a lot of cats make just prior to a cat fight and was loud, querulous, and angry.  Andromeda hated to be picked up, hugged, squeezed, or restrained in any way and if we did any of the above, she was guaranteed to peeve.  Often, instead of peeving, we'd hear a second or so of silence followed by a loud hissss. She was the only cat I've had who hissed at people routinely.
She was as cute as they come, so picking her up and squeezing her was sometimes impossible to resist  - plus, she was mostly bark and very little bite.  I have to admit that we tended to pick her up now and again just to hear her peeve, since it was so crabby-sounding it was amusing - especially since she often forgot to quit purring before she began peeving.
PURR / BISCUITS

Purr:  Very loud and nearly constant when she was in the presence of people.
Biscuits:  She sometimes made a few biscuits when very happy.
HISTORY
See Orion's History section.
PERSONALITY
Andromeda was a small cat with a very large personality.  Eccentric and mercurial, she went from crabby to extravagantly affectionate in a split second.  She was the only cat I've ever heard hiss and purr simultaneously.  Her likes and dislikes were very definite and she was never shy about expressing them. 
She was frequently gooey-sweet and loved to sit on people and have her little face rubbed.  As a joke one day, Chris snapped his fingers and told her to "come here" like he would command a dog, and she ran right over at full speed.   We quickly discovered that she would do that every time.
She was a Daddy's Girl and often got very clingy and demanding with Chris.  Sadly, she died on his birthday. Though she was very affectionate with me, she wasn't quite as demanding. 
Andromeda was very outgoing, but became more shy about meeting people as she got older.  As temperamental as she was, we thought she'd have a fit when we acquired kittens, but she surprised us by getting along with them quite well when they were little.  Apparently she just liked kittens.  She didn't do as well with juvenile and adult cats, however, and tended to pick fights.

She did not tolerate any disrespect from anyone and every so often, found it necessary to remind us of that. Click here to read about the infamous Bacon Incident.
MEDICAL CONDITIONS
Chronic upper respiratory infection as a kitten; adenocarcinoma.   See Details.
HOBBIES / INTERESTS
Watching the gliders, the skink, and the outside birds; hunting bugs; licking plastic bags (she'd do this continuously for long periods of time); playing in the yard; and ricocheting off the back of the sofa (she would jump up, hit the sofa back with all four feet, and launch herself quite a ways across the room).
FRIENDS
Like her brother, she tended to pick fights and didn't seek out other cats.  She mostly tolerated her brother and didn't mind Molly Maguire too much.
SCARED OF THE VACUUM CLEANER?

Wary, but felt compelled to supervise me when I used it.