I have to say that up until 10 years or so ago I never would have thought I could feel the way I do about animals and especially the ones I have today...I was always one who thought that cats were a bother and dogs were something that others had..not until I took in a stray cat who was neglected by neighbors did I form a strong bond and find true unconditional love ...KittyBoy came into our lives one fall night when the trick or treaters were out and he was trying to maneuver around them and avoid getting kicked!!! He was a beautiful Grey cat who would come around and want food..we started innocently enough , giving him food and water and he eventually won our hearts.... he would come bounding down the street when you called for him, never missing a morning, whether it was warm or cold.. we came back from a trip one cold January, 1998 and let him into our home and he's been here ever since...he was eventually followed by a succession of other strays we took in and have loved as well but KittyBoy holds a special place in our hearts... he was our first!!!
KittyBoy is now in the fight of his life....in April of this year during a routine exam the vet discovered a mass which turned out to be a cancerous growth in his abdomen..... while we would have given him all the best care we could had we the monetary means, the diagnosis was that of terminal cancer.... would it have been fair to put such a small innocent creature thru the rigors of chemo and other treatments as we do humans just to have him be sick and not enjoy what time he has left with us... so we decided to bring him home, spoil him and love him to the fullest and when the time comes that he is no longer able to enjoy life we will need to make that horrible decision to let him go... that is what is the most painful and heart-wrenching of all, to watch him everyday knowing that our time with him is limited... but he is a good boy, he still enjoys his saucers of milk, his treats and will come up and sit in my lap and let me enjoy time with him.. what he must be feeling inside I cant imagine... they say that animals, especially cats due to their survival instincts, will camouflage their illnesses and pain and you will never know at times how they are feeling..sometimes I wish KittyBoy could tell us, let us know that he is not himself or is having a bad day... for now we monitor him and give him our unconditional love and devotion.. he is a part of our family and we love him .... he is a wonderful pet and I hope he knows just how much we love him....
