Sad Day

We lost a member of our family today after a courageous battle to make a come back from a feline virus but in the end the virus won the day and Claude has gone on to much better things and fields of never-ending catnip.  We are all deeply saddened by the loss.

Claude here was helping me wrap presents before Christmas on Friday and we made a bow for his head out of some fabric that we had left over from the kids blankets.  He wouldn't let me finish making the blankets wanting to lay on the fabric the entire time.

I told Melanie when we were married that we weren't going to have cats around the house but we ended up getting a shelter cat from the Siouxland Humane Society, Cleo (she passed away late summer 2012), and while Cleo was getting surgery Melanie found Claude at the Schaller Vet Clinic.  He was born on Valentines day and they named him cupid.  He was a surprise to me when Melanie brought him home as he met me at the back door that day.  Something Claude would do many more times when I would come home for lunch.  Maybe it was the treat he would get maybe it was he really wanted to see us when we came home - I think it was the later.

So he was cat but only in the animal sense - he was a valued member of the family - always there to rub against you and always wanting to snuggle up on a blanket with you or hog the hot air vent in the living room in the winter.

He fought the last five days to try and regain his energy and will to eat and drink but he didn't make it and this morning he moved on to a new phase in his life.  We all miss him terribly but know that we have great memories of him that we will cherish.