My kitty boy, you were my Valentines Day present long ago. I already had a cat, Baxter, but I adopted him from the shelter when he was almost a year old, so I never had a kitten. You were adopted from a non-profit group in the tri-cities called H.E.L.P. - Homes for Endangered and Lost Pets. When we were told that the group had a litter of kittens, I was thrilled! You were 2 days old, your eyes weren't even opened when we went to see you and your sisters. Mom was a tiger kitty, as were your sisters. You were the only black kitty in the litter and the only one not spoken for, so you were ours! 8 weeks later we got to pick you up. OMG! You were the ugliest kitten ever!! Your fur was course, you had no fur from your eyes to your ears...UGH, I got an ugly kitten.
Boy, did you show us wrong!! You grew into a beautiful cat who was so loving. You were definitely a lap cat and you always took the opportunity to be loved. You and Baxter were best of friends, always together cuddling. Then we moved into our first house and got our first dog, Andra. Andra was a large Malamute, who also loved you. I would come home and find you cuddled into Andra's long fur. Then, months later, we got another dog...a puppy, Oreo. You and Oreo were became best friends and companions.
When you were nine, the greatest indignity happened...a baby, but you just decided to love on him even more. You endured the toddler years of tail pulling, being carried upside down, sat on, drooled on...etc. AND that wasn't just from David, that was from all the toddlers that came over. I always expected you to jump over the baby gate and escape, but you didn't. You loved the attention. You became David's buddy. Once David moved into a big boy bed, that is where you wanted to sleep at night. You knew the routine, as soon as you heard me reading a story, you'd come running into the room and jump up onto the bed. When David would sit on the couch, within minutes, you would be in his lap.
Which is why it was so hard on David when you died. I knew the time was coming, so I tried to prepare David as best as I could. Oh man, we cried for many nights as we would cuddle you in bed. The past week you quickly declined. I made the decision and the appointment to bring you to the Vet on Thursday, but as of Tuesday night, you could no longer walk. It was time. I brought you to the Vet, pet you, talked to you, stayed with you until you were gone and then some.
Oh Amos, I couldn't have asked for a better kitty. Yes, you were a pest at times, but that loving spirit is so very missed right now. Telling David that you had died was hardest thing I had to do. He cried all afternoon, and bedtime was even worse. I cuddled him as we cried, but I'm a poor substitute for you, buddy. We miss you.
As and addendum - After much thought, I decided not to tell David that I brought Amos to the vet. He is only 7.5 years old, so I do not feel that he has the ability to know that euthanasia is a kind way to help your animal stop suffering. David knows that Amos curled up and died while I was petting him. Which is a version of the truth.
