SAD

On Dec. 14, I came home to find Mia soaking wet in her little fleecy bed (I think she'd fallen into her water dish earlier), shaking, and unable to stand.  I kept her in my own bed all night, keeping her warm and petting her, and barely sleeping.  In the morning, I took her to the vet.  She still couldn't stand, and she seemed to have suffered some kind of stroke or other major neurological damage.  I made the sad decision to put her down, and then I held her in my arms as the vet administered first a sedative since she seemed somewhat agitated in the unfamiliar vet office, and then while the vet and her assistant gave Mia a  drug that stopped her heart.  We all cried, but it was clearly the best choice for my dear little cat.

Goodbye, Mia.

I had her exactly a year and three quarters -- March 15, 2010 to Dec. 15, 2011, twenty one months of her sweet affection.

-- Rachel Holmen