People say its "just" an animal...but people do not understand.

My Dad called me today and asked me to take one of our cats to the vet. Tiger is our gray tabby adopted neighborhood stray. He and his brother have been with us since they were kittens. They showed up in our back yard screaming for food and neither of them ever left.

Punkin has always been pretty healthy...I think he is a wimp and pretty much tries to stay away from trouble, but Tiger is the neighborhood badass. He is huge and often comes home with battle scars. His ear is all flopped over from an infection he had and he has FIV, but he is the sweetest cat, he has a Hemi for a purr motor and he will sit in your lap and knead and drool whenever you will let him.

Well, our big Tiger has turned into a skin and bones Tiger in a matter of weeks. My Dad thinks its worms...and I can only hope so.

This past year has been pretty trying on the cat front for me and my family. I adopted an adorable little orange and white stray who I named Dunkin. He lived with me and my Siamese Daisy for a little while, but he was too wild to be an indoor kitty so he went to live at my Dad's shop and be a mouser. He disappeared for a few weeks over there and then came limping home...apparently he hurt his shoulder/arm/leg. He healed okay but still limps around.

Then my very first cat Spikey had to be put to sleep. He was very very old...in his 20's...and it was his time to go, but that made it no easier. I carried him to the Vet, barely breathing and watched as he passed over the rainbow bridge. That was a very sad day.

Then a friend of mine called, she had some stray kittens she picked up...I can never resist a kitten so I adopted one and named her Sassy, as a tribute to another Sassy we had who was hit by a car. They looked just alike! Sassy was the sweetest cat on this earth, no doubt. I loved her dearly, but just a few months in, she swallowed an Excedrin Migraine I had on my nightstand and I had to have her put down. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Sweet little baby Sassy.

I am taking Tiger to the Vet that treated Sassy when she was sick and I know it will be a hard thing to walk in there again. The folks were so sweet, and even sent a sympathy card when they heard I had to take her to an Emergency hospital over the night and have her put to sleep.

The bright spots are...I still have my Baby Boo Daisy and I adopted a new kitty. She was at a rescue shelter for Siamese. She is actually a Balinese which is a long hair version of the Siamese. The lady at the rescue said they thought she had been abused, because she was so skittish and afraid of human touch. When I first got her, I could see why they thought that. She is such a sweet baby and you can tell she wants love and attention but she always flinches when you reach to touch her. It breaks my heart! Now, many months down the road after much love and patience she has grown to love and trust me. It was a great accomplishment.

I am rambling about this cause it feels good to get it off my chest. Thanks for listening.