Goodbye, Sweetness

It was a sad night for us at our house. Our dear sweet kitty, Midnight left us and went on to be with his little brother in heaven. He came to live with us (along with his brother Bootsy) 17 years ago when my husband found the 2 newborn kittens abandoned near his workplace. They were so tiny, their eyes barely open. We had to feed them with bottles of cat formula and train them to eat and drink from a bowl. It was quite an exciting experience for our daughter, who was 9 years old at the time. Midnight was her favorite and he loved lying on her pink robe on her bed. (Midnight was always partial to the color pink.)

Midnight's decline started on Saturday when he didn't eat as much food as he usually does. Then on Monday he started walking strangely and held his head at an odd angle. We thought he must have had a mini stroke. He continued to eat small amounts of food and lap up his favorite delicacy - a scoop of fresh snow.

Somehow he always knew when it had snowed and he would run to the front door when he heard it opening hoping to get a handout of few snowflakes. As the days passed this week Midnight grew weaker and had trouble walking. He stopped eating completely, but his bowl of snow kept him hydrated. But on Thursday night he lost his fight, took his final breath and passed away right in my arms. Although he was my constant companion, Midnight never was a lap cat-type. But in the end I hope he found some comfort snuggled peacefully in his mama's loving arms. We miss you Midnight.