This is a new post that I am introducing. I plan on sharing heartwarming, inspiring stories about our furry felines, but this first one is personal. If you have ever been a cat owner you probably have, at one time or another, experienced the loss of a feline companion. I acquired my first cat, Gatsby, in 1986. He was part of a mix of black and white kittens. He was a cute little white kitten and also, I believe, the runt of the litter. Gatsby was not the "sociable lap cat". You may have had cats like Gatsby. He would come to "say hi" when he felt like it. As time when on, we acquired one female black labrador retriever, Misty. In 1993 my daughter, Melissa, was born. Gatsby literally became transformed from the "unsociable lap cat" to the "hugs and kisses kitty" overnight!! He suddenly realized that he was no longer king of the household and now had to compete for attention and affection. Gatsby lived to be a ripe old age of 17 (almost 18!!)before his little lungs started to fail. My daughter and I ended up taking him to the local Pet ER early one morning and we said our final goodbyes there that day. Gatsby was my "four-legged feline child". Seeing him for the last time was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. We acquire pets knowing that someday they will leave us. I think, at first, we don't really think about our little kitten or puppy passing away one day. As time goes on, we watch them grow and make our lives brighter and happier. Then one day, we notice that they walk a little slower, lose interest in playing and eating. We may try to deny that anything is wrong, but deep down we know that their time with us is nearing its end. Gatsby lived a very long, healthy life. I still have old pictures of him that I pull out sometimes. It's been a few years since he passed away, but I still have a twinge of sadness when I look at those pictures. I wish I had one to download to my blog.
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