You will be missed... an amazingly sweet kitty.

Our life has been a crazy roller coaster with adoption tasks, knowing our daughter is waiting for us, having to pull things together for extra paper work for the judge, re-doing medicals (I have over 70 pages of paperwork now, like a dossier 3), however it comes down to the incredible emotional ups and downs that have hit us in between this adventure. Between Michael's father still being in the hospital, doing better though but at 8 weeks still in hospital, it takes a toll on all of the family, poor guy and now we have had to deal with Michael's kitty, who we have had for 11 years together.

His name is Xerxes and I remember him rolling his head around on the open stairway peaking at me through the stairs. He was young then and frisky, most of all one of the sweetest personalities. In fact, he is still this way, except for one factor, due to either being exposed to plastic or ceramic dishes, he has a tumor in his bottom jaw. A tumor that took hold of him only a couple of months ago. We took him into the doctors and they said he is probably allergic to plastic. Okay, well he didn't get any better.

I took him in a couple of weeks later after the previous diagnosis and the vet said, this cat is extremely sick with cancer from the tumor and he will not make it before you leave for Russia. You may want to put him down.

For the last 2 weeks, I have watched Xerxes walk around, eat like crazy and yet the tumor grows literally over night. We have now come to the fact that it is closing up his airways. Most would think why haven't we put him down yet? Well, because you would never know he had cancer if it wasn't for his face and jaw. He is so happy, so lovable, purring and follows us all around. I took a flash light in last night and noticed we had very little time left before he wasn't going to make it and I didn't want to see the tumor close his airways.

I have to pick up Michael from work today, notarize two papers and run him home so he can take Xerxes to be put to sleep. It is a very sad day and incredibly sad when you think you have to put your cat in a carrier to the vet to never return home. The thought of that kills me, however it must be done. Timing is never great as we are trying to keep our strength up and our energy to make it to Russia next week.

Having said this as I go through some of the grieving process today is that, Xerxes, I have never met such an amazingly sweet kitty and although my kitty, your bff died 7 years ago due to be scared to death by a bengal that followed me home, I hope you both can meet up again on the other side. We will miss you but know you will have some peace and I am so very sorry that at this young age, you have had to go through this aggressive cancer and not be ready. As it makes me think about the people we have lost and animals due to similar circumstances.