Charlie showed up in our front yard about 5 years ago- a sweet little brown-tabby Maine-coon type girl, not young, but very hungry and a little disheviled. She never left. After a few days of feeding her and making much of her outside, and asking all over for any info (unsuccessfully), we brought her in to stay.
She was a totally sweet girl, never gave anyone any problems- she loved to sleep on my head at night and purr, and would sit on my chest for hours as well. For 5 years she did very well, providing only a few slight reminders of her age by showing not-great kidney values and getting some sub-cu fluids from time to time- but she was happy, healthy and very sweet......
Until early this week, when she ate her breakfast but refused dinner. A trip to the vets showed alarming kidney values and she went on IV fluids for 3 days- the values came down some, but not enough, and she still wasn't herself at all- and she still hadn't eaten by this morning...... probably the building toxins in her blood from the renal failure were making her feel too sick to eat.... so this morning we let Charlie go to Rainbow Bridge. VERY sad...... such a sweet cat, even at the end she was happy to see me and purred and head-butted me, as sick as she obviously was....... goodbye, sweet Charlie- play hard at the bridge and say hi to your many departed brothers and sisters there..... we'll see you again.....

And typically-- Angel, a 3 year old rescue from a local Arby's, who's never slept with us EVER, has slept on my head the last 4 nights, starting the night after Charlie went to the vet's- and Etta, a black kitten, has been parking on my chest and purring...... they know, they see the need and they try to fill in........

Not the way to start the Christmas holidays, losing another fur-child.... but for the time she lived with us, she lived a VERY good, happy life........ and she knew how much she was loved, and paid back a hundredfold.....

Bowlkat