I’d like to share my story about my beloved pets who had to be put to sleep.From the time I was born,in 1979,my family always was a family of ‘cat people’, as we always had cats for pets.These cats were regarded so much as members of our family that we gave them human names,like Andrew, Teddy,and Samantha,but the last one we had to put to sleep was a black cat we named Debbie.Debbie or Deborah,was born in the same liter as her brother Teddy,or Theodore,and Samantha.My father brought them home in the summer of 1988.The fourth cat,we named Andrew, came later,in 1995.

We lived with these cats for 10-15 years,until in 2002,we had to start putting the cats down as they were getting old and sick.The first one put down was Theodore, in late 2002.As we put down each one,we all grieved as if we lost a very loved,dear member of our family.Teddy got lung cancer,and actually each cat died of some form of cancer,or another.When we put Andrew down in 2004,he was so sick he could barely walk,or stand on all fours,as he sometimes had to crawl to his dinner-bowl,for example.His passing was the most tragic for us as we all loved Andrew very,
very much,as we loved all the cats,but Andrew was the most beloved for all of us.Samantha was then put down a year later,in the summer of 2005,but the most hurtful for me was the passing of our last cat, Debbie.

Debbie’s passing was the hardest on me because Debbie loved being with me,sleeping on my bed with me at night.
Whenever I sat on the couch,there Debbie would be,jumping up on the couch,and then onto my lap.When I was in bed, she’d plop down onto my bed,jumping up on the bed from the floor below.She’d then walk right to my side, and plop down right next to me,sometimes laying most of her body right on my arm,or on the side of me.

Sometimes she’d go up to where my head is,and start butting her head against mine.Every night I could expect to see Debbie right there,her beautiful yellowish eyes looking right at me,and she had several ways to show me how much she loved me as much as I loved her.She was my own little girl that I loved so much so it was real hard for me to say ‘good-bye’ to her for the last time one year ago this month.Each night,for the past year,I lay on my bed and think of how Debbie would join me on my bed, and would lay right next to me and show her many ways of affection.I really miss my Debbie-girl,and hope that God is taking care of her and all of our beloved cats,and I hope someday I’ll be reunited with them in paradise.

William from NY