GEEE Where to start?? So many special kitties that have been in my life, and many that still are! One of my most special ones that I always will miss was Linus. I was in my late teens at the time, and was living on a small island nearby that's connected to the city I'm in now, by a causeway. Linus had been roaming around the local variety store/small eatery for several months. I was so taken with his looks..he was a black tiger (the best description I can come up with ) who from a distance appeared to be black, but when he walked his fur would ripple exposing a white undercoat! He had huge gorgeous green eyes, and a white bib, and white double-paws. I figured out after a while that no one owned him, so he became mine. I got him neutered etc. Linus totally adored me, and I him. I was young and stupid at the time, and he was an indoor/out cat. I would walk the dogs to the vacant lot up the street when I moved to Lynn, and Linus would follow me gazing up the whole time. He'd go through deep puddles just to be beside me. One day I came home from grocery shopping, and Linus was laying on one of the steps on the first floor (we were on the 3rd). After carrying bags up and down for several trips, I found it strange that Linus didn't get up to greet me. I stopped to pat him, and noticed a lot of flies hanging around and landing on him. I picked him up, and then noticed he had multiple puncture wounds all through his belly area. No blood anywhere in sight. I dropped everything and raced to the vets with him, and found out he had badly damaged intestines etc. requiring emergency surgery. I gave the OK to do whatever they needed to to save my boy. They removed a large portion of his intestines, and started him on massive doses of antibiotics as he was badly infected from intestinal bacteria. Back then pain meds were unheard of, and I went to visit dear Linus a few days after the operation, and he was in unbearable pain. He didn't make it out of there alive. I think the terrible pain killed him. My only guess is that he was jumping over a chain link fence, and got caught up on it. It must have happened while I was shopping as he was fine when I had left not long before. I miss that cat so much.