Callie started out as part of a litter of free kittens in 1987.

Here at So Salem, we love birthdays. But we'll confess when we got an e-mail from Katrina White announcing that Callie White had turned 22, well, it didn't strike us as all that unusual.

Until we learned that Callie is, well, a cat.

She was born in 1987, turned 22 in May, and Katrina says the old girl "is still pretty active for her age."

At point, we thought we'd better find out more about the amazing feline, and here's what Katrina told us:

"I picked her out of a large litter of "FREE" kittens because she was the prettiest one. Growing up we always had ole Tom cats, so this would be my first female cat. My Dad is a veterinarian, so I have been around animals all of my life. He wasn't too happy with me for picking a calico, because he said they can be mean and "temperamental."

"Well, she was a feisty kitten and she had a few "run ins" with my son. (My son is 27 so he grew up with Callie.) She got knocked down the basement steps when she was about a year old and bloodied her tiny nose. My son also pulled her out from under the bed one time, by her leg and basically "hyper-extended her leg." Since that episode she never liked anyone to touch that particular leg and she wouldn't hesitate to bite you if you bothered it. I can honestly say that she has not had a "stress-free" life, but she has coped pretty well obviously. In her younger days, if you were petting her and she wasn't in the mood for it, she would turn around and bite you or "hiss" at you to LEAVE HER ALONE.

"She has been both an outdoor and indoor cat......... mainly indoors for the past five years. She lost her hearing about five years ago, so both my husband and I go outside with her now. She gets scared easily and any type of animal (or human) can sneak up on her and she is totally unaware that they are there. Her vision is a little "glassy" but she still can see pretty well and her sense of smell is still excellent. I have always laughed at her little ritual when she goes outside. She leans that head back and "sticks" that nose in the air and you just wonder how many scents she is taking in.

"She still wakes me up around 5:30 in the morning to eat. We fixed up some small steps beside the bed for her to use, since her jumping days are gone. She climbs up and gets that "22-year-old fishy" breath in my face or starts meowing to wake me up.

"We bought a sofa table a LONG time ago just for her. She pulls herself up on a foot stool (also placed there for her) then climbs up on the sofa table.

"It has become a daily ritual for Callie to be waiting on one of us to come home from work. Usually it's my husband, Steve, who has to go over and "notice" her while she seems delighted to see him and even puts her tiny paw up to the window. Sadly, she doesn't meet us at the window everyday lately like she used too. She seems to sleeps almost all day now. She moves slower and I am sure she has some arthritis in her hips. I probably could have put her on medication but we never have. She does take a very concentrated vitamin about twice a week. It's called "nutri-cal" and you have to get it from a Vet. My Dad swears by it and it's good for both cats and dogs. (Their two cats lived to be 24 and 17.)

She still goes up and down the basement steps to use her cat box. I think this has kept her healthy too. She does drink a lot of water and I also give her tuna water on occasion and even "raw" hamburger (not much) if she has a tummy upset. She has never been able to tolerate hard, dry food so she only eats soft, wet food. (Hence her smelly breath!)

"I feel she has lived a very long life for a cat. I have read their life span is not quite like a dogs, but I have also read that a cat's first year is equal to 15 yrs for a human -- then they slow down to possibly 4 years after that. Who knows? Still that would make her over 90 years old. She has been a joy to us. My son thinks we "spoil" her too much-ha! (As if he wasn't!)"

Thanks, Katrina! Do you have a story to share about your Salem pet? Send us a photo at news@sosalem.com and let us know.

Fishing for a cure fall tournament

Taylor Masonic Lodge of Salem is co-hosting the Fishing For a Cure Fall Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Smith Mountain Lake State Park to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The four previous tournaments have been held at Claytor Lake.

Registration starts at 5 a.m. on tournament day at the Smith Mountain Lake State park boat ramp. The cost is $100 per team, two fishermen per boat. The tournament offers a 70 percent payout. A first prize based on a 100 boat field is $2,380. Please come out and fish the tournament and hopefully together we can reel in a cure for cancer.

For any additional info, please contact Thomas Newcomb at 380-4308.

For tournament rules and a sample registration form, see The Notebook on sosalem.com.

Salem woman directs and appears in play at Jefferson Center

Miriam Frazier of Salem both directs and appears in the upcoming Gamut production of "Criminal Minds," which opened at the Jefferson Center on Thursday and continues through Oct. 30.

"Criminal Minds" is a dark comedy involving two escaped convicts who are aided by the girlfriend of one of the convicts. They hide out at a closed-for-the-winter Goofy Golf course in Panama City Beach, Florida. Gamut's Goofy Golf course is populated by a leprechaun, a 6 foot alligator and a group of fantastical characters created by fiberglass artist Mark Cline of Natural Bridge.

Performances are tonight at 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m.

Tickets are available through the Jefferson Center Box Office at 345-2550. For further information please call Miriam Frazier, Artistic Director, at 380-3168.