From: Jim Adams 

  Just after my future bride & I began living together she suggested we
get a couple of cats. Neither one of us had ever had cats as pets but I
said sure.  I had nothing against cats, even rather liked them.  Just had
never had much contact with them.  Had the usual preconception that they're
aloof, independent, not overly affectionate once past the kitten stage.

So we adopted a couple of cats from a friend at work. Picked 'em up on
Friday and took to the vet for shots and a physical.  Next day get the
call.  They're positive for feline leukemia.  Returned cats to friend for
him to take care of.

A bit gun shy now.  About a month goes by and another friend at work has a
brother who's cat had had a litter.  We go over to inspect.  Three left in
the litter.  One  calico, one all gray, and one gray and white. I decide I
wanted the two gray guys.  Figure she would want the one gray and white and
the calico.  Let the future wife choose first.  Knew she would pick the
gray and white one.  He was the star.  Big head, big white feet, full of
piss and vinegar.  So we take these tow to the vet. Get good news the next
day.  Both are free of feline leukemia.  The gray and white became Ezekiel
and the other fur ball Gideon.

 From the first Zeke, AKA the Big Guy, was a handful.  A big cat (16lbs
at one point), long, wide.  Utterly fearless (except of the vet). Greeted
everyone who came in the house.  Fascinated by anyone wearing a tool belt
(finding plumbers particularly enthralling).  Would get into anything and
everything.  And stubborn.  As part of our training regime we would spray
them with water when we wanted them to stop something and a shout/clap
didn't work.  Which it rarely did with Zeke.  He would stand his ground,
the water dripping off his fur, until you physically removed him.

As they had a habit of waking us in the middle of the night when they
became bored/hungry we decided to lock them out of the bedroom at night.
You could hear Zeke running down the hallway towards the bedroom door. Then
BAM.  A few minutes latter pat-pat-pat-pat-pat BAM.  So we decided it
wasn't worth it.  We were still being disturbed and the Big Guy could
damage himself.  So my wife gave up getting a good night's sleep for the
next 17 years.  Being a sounder sleeper, due no doubt to my clear
conscience, I usually wasn't disturbed.  Except at one point my wife was
taking some new medication and sleeping soundly.  This didn't deter Zeke. 
When he couldn't wake-up either of us with his usual mewling and stomping
around the bed he resorted to extreme action.  He licked my lips.  Tell me
that doesn't freak you out in the middle of the night.

As the years went by Zeke became more my wife's cat and Gideon mine (I
think they knew who picked whom).  He would follow my wife around the house
like a dog.  Although appearing the more robust of the two, Zeke was the
one who usually had us taking him to the vet.  Self-inflicted hematomas on
each ear that needed to be drained and stitched. Projectile omitting.
Dehydration due to said omitting.  But pretty healthy overall. But through
out it all he was a stoic.  Want to give me a pill - go ahead.  Probe the
abdomen - I won't complain.  The Big Guy was always a trooper.

Then came his annual check-up in February.  He had an over-active thyroid. 
We tried medication but it wasn't working.  Decided to go the Iodine 131
route.  Gideon had had the treatment 8 years ago and it worked fine.  Cut
the thyroid down to size and the radioactivity didn't seem to harm him
otherwise.  So two weeks ago last Monday Zeke went in for his treatment. 
When he returned home he seemed rather listless and didn't have much of an
appetite.  Figured he was adjusting to his new hormone levels but took him
back to the cat clinic the following Monday.  They said his blood work was
fine and to keep monitoring him. No improvement.  And he was losing weight.
 In February he was down to 11 lbs., 9 OZ.  So I took him to our regular
vet this past Monday. Weight is down to 9 lbs, 11 oz.  As the doc is
probing him he goes "Oh, no". Zeke had a mass in his abdomen and
was retaining fluid.  Drained the fluid (about 150 mls) from his gut. 
X-ray shows a mass encompassing his liver and both kidneys. Surgery isn't
an option even for a young cat.  Only question now is when.

Brought him home and told the wife.  Decided we would have him put down
last night.  However, he's rallied.  We were giving him pain medication. 
Between that and having the fluid drained his appetite has returned and
he's more active.  But there's no long term, or even much more of a short
term solution.  We're hoping to get him through the weekend - more for our
sakes than his.  Monday will probably be the day.  So we're medicating and
spoiling.  Zeke gets to eat all the chopped liver he can hold.

One of my fondest memories, second only to the lip licking episodes, has do
do with a squirrel.  Neither of the boys were ever outdoor cats. Except for
the rare and brief excursion on the patio they've lived their lives
indoors.  One day I was out looking at the patio and see a squirrel out
there digging away.  I opened the door and yelled. Squirrel ignores.  Zeke
is at my feet.  I open the screen.  Zeke looks up at me. "Get 'em,
Zeke!" and out he tears.  Of course the squirrel runs up the garden
wall leaving Zeke bewildered but exhilarated.  His moment in the sun.

I realize that being childless Ynette & I have probably over-invested
emotionally in our animals.  And have really over anthopormorphized them. 
But looking in their eyes, there may not be a soul, but there is certainly
a spirit.  Whether it's reincarnation, a joining with the great spirit, a
kitty heaven, there's no justice in the 'verse if that spirit doesn't
doesn't go on in some way.

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5