RIP Jack (4/1/96-6/15/09)

(above and below) Jack, Spring '08
(above and below) Jack, today
My sweet (ha!) cat has lost an alarming amount of weight in the last year. In fact, he's gone from a lifetime high of 16+ pounds about 4 years ago to less than 8 today.
In April, at his annual check up, the vet told me that he either had advanced diabetes or was in kidney failure and that it would cost around $1,000+ to diagnose him, another $1,000+ to treat him, and it would involve (best case scenerio) a couple of shots a day, which might buy him (again, best case scenerio) another year.

We decided to let him live out the rest of whatever life he had with as much dignity as we could and that whenever he seemed to be uncomfortable, we'd make that decision then.
This morning, Wes told me that he had been up for two seizures that Jack had in the night and that it was time for me to make that decision.
So, this afternoon, Jack and I went to visit a member of our church that happens to be a veterenarian, specializing in the feline persuasion. She cleared out the office for me and we took a long, slow time of it, and I was able to hold my longest and most faithful of companions while he took his last breath.

I'll miss him coming out from his cave under Callie's crib to pet himself on my foot tonight during our 3 am nursing.