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I am overwhelmed with the responses from everyone.

Thank you so much. Musica thanks you, too!

I just had a good talk with her and told her she needs to get that thyroid under control.

She gave me a standard cat answer :)

Mrs. FR also sends her thanks

Prayers going up for you, your wife, and your precious kitty

We have two cats now, but I still miss my beloved tabby Thomas, who we had to put down 8 years ago. He was my buddy during my life as a single.

I do not post very often any more; however, I wanted you to know how much you are all in my thoughts and prayers. Musica is blessed to have had such a loving home ... and you are blessed to have had Musica.

In January 2005 we lost our beloved Camelot at the age of 20+. It was one of the hardest times we have ever gone through. There is such an empty spot, still, in our life.

Several months before Cammie died, a friend who breeds Maine Coon cats asked us to take one of her kittens who was very shy and easily frightened. She said she wanted him to go to a special home where he would be allowed to develop at his own pace. Reluctantly, we took him.

Over the next few months, the last months of our beloved Cammie's life, the kitten often made us smile through our tears.

Cammie was the consummate gentleman who was sensitive to our ever mood. He was the greatest comfort in my life. He was a brilliant "conversationalist" who understood every word we said to him. Cammie was self-effacing and clung to me as though his life depended on it.

This goofy kitten is a jerk who always makes an ass of himself. He has become a self-indulgent spoiled brat; however, if I have been out of the room he runs to greet me. The kitten will never be Camelot but he has great potential to become one of the best cats we have ever had. He made the transition that I had dreaded for years a little easier.

I have tears in my eyes as I type this. I cannot go to our little pet cemetery on the other side of the pond, shaded by a dogwood tree, without weeping.

We did not have Camelot euthanized. He had subcu fluids daily for six months and died in his little bed between our pillows where he always slept. He simply did not wake up one morning. Our vet and one of his vet techs [who came faithfully to see Cammie every day for six months] supported our decision.

I will not engage in any discussion about euthasia v. non-euthanasia. That is a very personal decision. You will know what is right for you and for Musica. We did what was right for us and for Camelot.

I did not want another cat, much less a kitten. I realize now that our kind friend did us a huge favor. The kitten did not replace Camelot ... and was never intended to do so. No other cat will ever replace, or mean as much to me as, our singular Camelot. Our hearts, though heavy, were big enough to take in a very needy kitten and we have been delighted with him.

During the final stages of my mother's Alzheimers, she asked me one day if I thought there would be cats and dogs in heaven. All I could think to tell her was ... "Of course, Mamma. Otherwise, how could it be 'raining cats and dogs'?"

You are in good company as you go through these end times with Musica. All I can think is what an extraordinary blessing it would have been for us to have had four more years with our Cammie. Bless you.