Bad news

I haven't really been around for a few days... My oldest cat, kyoki, has been on a slow decline that suddenly began to accelerate. Sadly, today, I had to make the decision to have her put to sleep. It wasn't an easy decision to make, but it was something I had to do to end her suffering.
So let me tell you a bit about kyoki... She came to me as a 6 month old kitten from my husband's niece only a few weeks after I had had to make the decision to have my previous cat, Brandy, put to sleep. From day one, kyoki was full of mischief... She was forever getting into things she shouldn't have, would wake me up at night with her crazy antics. She had a weird lazy eye (I didn't even know a cat could have such a thing). She used to love to stick the tip of her tail in the tub when I was taking a bath as if the thing was a thermometer. When she would see a light being shone on the ceiling, she would look up at it and make a chattering noise that made her sound like a defective typewriter. She was very soft spoken, but that didn't mean she didn't like to make noise. She was my companion, my furry baby, my friend... For 12 years she was with me and my family, making herself a part of our strange little clan.
Her illness had been going on for months and today it had finally beaten her to the point that we knew it was time... I had to say goodbye to my little girl. The vet wrapped her in a blanket and I held her like a baby as my dear friend left this world and my life. It was heartbreaking and precious at the same time. We'll all miss her dearly (even her furry siblings).
And as a tribute, I thought I'd share some pictures of kyoki back when she was in good health.

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Awww, sweet kitty... I know it is hard to lose a furry family member! So sorry! *hugs*

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There is no problem that cannot be solved with time, patience, and a judicious amount of high explosives.

There's a special place in Heaven for pets, and she's waiting there, waiting to dip her tail in your bath when you join her.

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“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." --Ray Bradbury

She was beautiful. I'm sorry for you loss, Kitsu.

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I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers so far...

Sorry to read this, Kitsu. She was indeed a beauty.
At least you know she's not suffering any more.

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They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally, they became heroes -- Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan.

I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty, Kitsu. Even though she is no longer with you, she will always be in your heart.

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"It is a rare man that is taken for what he truly is...We are not always what we seem, and hardly ever what we dream...." Peter S. Beagle