I lost a friend...

We had to put Casper down yesterday. He was my wonderful pure white cat.

Casper was 22 years old, and he had a great life, once he adopted us 14
years ago in Florida.

He belonged, sort of, to a neighbor across a backyard fence who provided
him with a mean existence. The neighbor left him outside, day and night,
winter and summer, and sometimes without water or food. Casper was big
and tough, an alpha male, and he was frequently challenged by other
outdoor cats. He usually won the fights.

He wandered into our yard at one point, and came to the back door. My
wife gave him a meal and some water, which he wolfed down. A few days
latter, he saved the life of a kitten we were trying to get inside to
rescue. Another cat was about to kill the kitten. Casper drove the
attacker off.

Casper wandered into our garage. We set up a bed for him there, and
provided food and water, but left the garage door open a little so he
could come and go as he pleased. He seemed to be an outdoor cat and we
didn't want to change his life.

One day, the neighbor came looking for Casper, saw him sleeping in our
garage, and took him "home."

Twenty minutes later, Casper was back in our garage. I guess the
neighbor gave up, because we never saw him look for "his" cat again.
I felt no guilt at our "alienating the affections" of someone else's
cat. My feeling is that if you don't take proper care of your pets, you
don't deserve to have their presence.

The seasons were changing, it was getting cold, so we took Casper to the
vet for a checkup and shots. The vet said he was seven or eight years
old at that time. Casper moved indoors with us and lost all interest in
going outside. As with our other pets, the only time he was "outside"
was when he was taken to the vet for an annual checkup.

He was a wonderful, loving cat, a "great kisser," according to all the
ladies, a good companion and a loyal friend.

Casper had a good life. He lived a heck of a long time for a cat, and
really enjoyed his life of ease and comfort. At the end his liver
failed, the vet said there was nothing more to be done, so, to prevent
further suffering, we had him put to sleep.

I think the only thing worse than losing a spouse or a child is losing a
pet you loved.

If there is a cat heaven, Casper is up there, selecting his harem.


Here's a snap of my three guys, Casper on the left, on their catbed
couch, now, sadly, down to two guys:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...0/62082de8.jpg