Deborah Posen Hill hadn't lived in Santa Fe for long, but she felt like she'd found her true home.

"She was just jazzed to be here," said her husband, Ben Hill. "When we moved into our house, she said she felt like it could be the last house she ever lived in."

Tragically, Posen Hill, 48, was right. Ben Hill arrived home to the couple's Eldorado residence just before 2 p.m. Sunday and found his wife had drowned trying to save the family kitten, which had fallen into a rain barrel.

Ben Hill told police he'd dragged the 55-gallon barrel inside into the laundry room so the ice would melt. He estimated Monday that it contained about 15 gallons of water.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano said Monday that Posen Hill stood on a foot stool to be able to reach into the barrel and grab the kitten. Investigators believe the kitten might have scratched Posen Hill as she reached for it — the woman had a sizable scratch on her neck — which caused her to lose her balance and fall head-first into the barrel, Solano said. The sheriff said scratches were also found inside the barrel.

Posen Hill's hips then became wedged in the narrow barrel top, he said. She couldn't tip it over because it had been tied to a door so the couple's 4-year-old son wouldn't knock it over, Solano said. When Ben Hill came home and found the body, he couldn't pull his wife out of the barrel and had to cut the tie that kept it upright, knock it over and cut her out, Solano said.

Both Ben Hill and paramedics tried to revive Posen Hill, but could not, he said. No signs of foul play were reported.

"It's just a freak accident," the sheriff said. "I can't imagine anyone ever thinking something like this might happen."

The kitten, named Pilchard, survived. Investigators believe it might have climbed up Posen Hill's body, Solano said. The kitten was completely dry by the time Ben Hill and the couple's son arrived home, Ben Hill said. They had been gone since about 10:30 a.m., he said.

"I keep thinking, 'Why did I not leave that damn frozen rain barrel until spring,' " Ben Hill said. "It just didn't occur to me that it would be a hazard to her."

Posen Hill had lived in Santa Fe for about a year and a half, while Ben Hill only moved to town about six months ago, he said. Before that, the couple, who had been married 15 years, lived in Eugene, Ore., where they met while each was attending the University of Oregon, Ben Hill said.

They came to Santa Fe partially because Posen Hill, a lawyer, got a full-time job as a teacher in the paralegal studies department at Santa Fe Community College, said Ben Hill, a math teacher. However, Posen Hill loved the Santa Fe area, another reason for the move.

"She loved the altitude, which was good for her allergies," Ben Hill said. "She loved the art."

Ben Hill said his wife was an artist who worked in multimedia, including collage and fiber art, and had an art studio at their home. "It wasn't so much a side career as a passion," he said.

Beyond that, Posen Hill enjoyed hiking and traveling. The couple lived and taught in Japan for a time and had traveled together through Asia and Europe, he said. They also taught at a school on the Navajo Reservation in northeastern Arizona.

However, the main thing Ben Hill said he'd remember about his wife was her endless intellectual curiosity. "She was a fantastic lifelong learner," he said. "I loved to talk about books and ideas with her. She was always into something new. It seems like she never stopped taking classes."

At the time of her death, she had been learning Spanish, he said.

Posen Hill also enjoyed spending time with their son, Satchel, who is "mildly autistic," Ben Hill said.

"He doesn't have ... the ability to understand what's going on," he said. "He's asking for his mom. I just feel for him so much. It's heartbreaking."

Ben Hill said he likes Santa Fe, but he isn't sure he'll stick around. One thing he is sure about, however, is that he'll keep the kitten, who's been around their home for only a few weeks. "I think I'm going to be particularly fond of this little cat," he said. "I'll think of him as the cat that Deb saved."

Contact Jason Auslander at 986-3076 or :jauslander@sfnewmexican.com.