This morning, our beloved cat lost his life after a very short illness. He was originally my mother's cat and after her passing in 2005, he became my responsibility as I was asked to take care of him. He lived a good life with our family. He was treated like a family member. He had an ID card and a medical card. While I couldn't claim him on my taxes, we kept up with his needs including his shots and checkups. Yes our "Papa Gennaro" was a very loved feline. As a kitten, he was very playful and used to love to run and jump up on you. As he grew older, he grew into a lovable and snuggly cat. He seemed to know after my mother's death when I needed him to just snuggle with me in an effort to comfort me. If I was sick, he was there. When I had my stroke in August last year, he was sitting right by me, meowing and yelping to get the attention of my daughter. Over the last few months' he began to show signs of age have arthritis in his legs. He suffered from a bout of bronchitis and we thought he pulled through, however, it seems it was a bit more than we expected and this morning, April 17, 2010 @ 12:10AM, he passed away on his favorite pillow with my grand-daughter and daughter at his side. He will be missed.
My grand-daughter says that her grandmother has come to get her "baby"... We don't know what goes on but it's a lovely thought. Mom, you are always in my heart and thoughts... Papa, thank you for being such a caring pet.