2008(?) – 6/20/2025
Sigurðr Fáfnisbani “Kartoffel” Steele, 17(?), of Pittsburgh, left this world peacefully on Midsummer, after a sudden decline in his health due to cancer.
Details of Siegfried’s early life were unknown to those who later became his family, but he very clearly selected his person (and not the other way around) as she walked past a wall of adoptable kitties at the Pittsburgh Mills PetSmart in March 2013. If there was ever an instance of love at first sight, that was it – for both parties.
From there, he moved to an apartment in Forest Hills with his person, Alison Steele (from Bethlehem, PA), where they lived quite happily for several years. During that time, he co-founded a homebrewery (Poor Kitty Brewing), cared for a dragon (Lu Cha, a.k.a. “Greenie”), fended off a bad-news boyfriend, and adopted two kittens (Ariel and Puck) before graciously allowing them to go live at his vacation home in Bethlehem, with his “grandparents,” Ralph and Vivien (Leister) Steele.
Siegfried did not immediately reveal his name, so in the interim, his grandma gave him the nickname “Spud,” on account of his round, white appearance. It stuck more surely than any of the numerous monikers he bore during the subsequent 12 years, including the one he eventually requested, as a result of his affinity for the music of Richard Wagner (not, as many assumed, for the Las Vegas show with the white tigers).
Eventually, Spuddy’s family grew when he and Alison moved in with Christian and Pumpkin Korey, of Pleasant Hills. It was at this point that Siegfried, like his eponymous hero, displayed true fearlessness (or, perhaps, naïveté) in the face of his biggest challenge yet: a stubborn warrior of a cat, possibly part valkyrie herself, who regularly made it known that she had not consented to sharing her house.
Nevertheless, all who came to know him (with the exception of Pumpkin) adored him for his handsome appearance, kitten-like playfulness, polite demeanor, and generous affection. “Spuddosaurus Rex” notoriously got his way with cat people, non-cat people, and vet techs alike, many of whom doted on him to excess. He successfully acquired scritches from multiple allergic friends over the years, officially commandeered the water glass on Alison’s bedside table, and once talked his grandma into sleeping on the hall floor with him while she was visiting.
“‘Tato” always said yes to exploring, whether walking outside on a leash or investigating neighbors’ apartments (with or without their permission). He was an easy travel companion, clocking over 1,000 hours in the passenger seat of Alison’s car during regular trips to Bethlehem, occasional visits with friends, and even a week-long excursion to Chicago, where he clearly enjoyed being an only child in a luxurious hotel room.
In his later years, the adventures of “Sir Spudrick” became tamer as he accumulated common ailments of older cats (with impacts to his kidneys, thyroid, and blood pressure), but his doctor always marveled at how good, strong, and healthy he looked. With increasing age, this stately gentleman of leisure enjoyed spending more of his time relaxing on the porch or snuggling on the couch if the weather was inclement, sometimes sharing wisdom with Alison as she wrote her weekly blog.
Finally, blood tests indicated some kind of bone or blood cancer, which would be virtually untreatable, given his other health factors. Alison chose to give him the dignity of a peaceful death before he experienced any suffering. After a week of precious quality time, taking walks through the garden and sampling tasty forbidden food, he went to sleep and breathed his last breaths cradled in Alison’s arms, with the rock-solid support of both Christian and Spuddy’s favorite vet.
There was no funeral pyre for this Siegfried. Instead, on the brightest day of the year, the “Sweetest of Potatoes” was returned to the earth at his home, next to the remains of his dragon friend. He is preceded in death by his grandma Vivien and will be lovingly remembered by his devastated family and all who knew him.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his memory to Humane Animal Rescue: https://humaneanimalrescue.org/