Tuna's story of cruelty brings to mind a little guy who was in my life for way too short a time...

My sister-in-law's best friend found a little black kitten and named him "Sleeper" because he liked to sleep in her hair. She couldn't keep him, though, and my brother and sister-in-law already had four or five. I only had one, so I got him by default. He had strange knock-knees, and when I took him to the vet the first time, he took x-rays and determined that he had a congenitally deformed hip. The other hip, however, was also severely damaged, and the vet said it looked suspiciously like he'd been kicked. This kitten was less than three months old at the time, and the vet said the injury was several weeks old. The vet said it was a miracle he could even walk. But he had even worse news: he had FIP. The outlook wasn't good. But he was in no current distress, and was such a sweety, I decided to cross any necessary bridges when we came to them. Sleeper lived up to his name - such a cuddler. My son was only a few months old at the time, and Sleeper's favorite place to sleep was Alan's crib. (I certainly was not one of those new parents who got rid of the pets!) My son still had some of his jerky newborn movements and would sometimes hit Sleeper accidently, but he just buzzed louder and burrowed deeper into him. When he wasn't "babysitting" he followed me everywhere, always eager to jump in my lap when I sat down. He didn't play much like most kittens his age, probably because it was too hard for him to get around, or maybe because he didn't feel good. One day I noticed his belly was distended, so I took him to the vet. He aspirated the fluid, but said he probably wasn't in any particular discomfort, so if I wished we could just keep medicating him, keeping him comfortable, and hoping for the best. I took him home, but it was obvious he was going downhill. It was a few days later when I looked up and saw him coming out of the bedroom. His belly was so distended his crippled little legs could not even support it, and he was dragging himself along the floor with his front legs. Even though it was the middle of the night, I couldn't stand to see that little sweety like that, so I bundled my baby up, bundled little Sleeper up, and took him to the emergency vet. He was so sweet he was still purring as he drifted off, only five months old. I drove home crying and shouting to God that I hoped he had a special place in hell for animal abusers. That was 16 years ago and I still can't tell this story out loud without choking up.

It never ceases to amaze me how all the Tunas and Sleepers of the world can still be so loving and forgiving after all the pain and cruelty inflicted upon them. Sometimes I think we don't deserve these precious creatures.