ONE SPECIAL FRIEND

A co-worker/friend of mine recently lost her kitty to a heart condition. "Smudge" was a gorgeous cat - a handsome white/brown tabby with (you guessed it), an adorable smudge on the one side of his face right by his nose. Not only was he lovely to look at, but his tempermant was equally as endearing. A big sweetheart is what I always thought of him as and I was so saddened to learn of his passing.

Smudge's departure had me then thinking about the kitties of my own I've lost over the years: Miss Remy, Martel and Chester. And then I got to thinking about our current boy Rocky who just had a recent annual checkup that confirmed what we already knew was embarking upon us - CRF; Chronic Renal Failure. All the telltale symptons have been showing up for months now, weight loss, increased water intake, vomiting of foamy liquid and alot more urine output. But be that as it may, it's not until someone of the Doctor persuasion, confirms your fears, that it really starts to sink in and has you sit up, realizing that that journey has begun and there will be virtually nothing you can do to stop it.

Rocky is an 11 year old baby/firecracker. I've written about him before countless times, how he's the alpha male in our house, and how he truly hates every foster that passes over the threshold of our home. He gives them the gears like only Rocky can, and regardless of his cerebral hypdisplasia, his epilepsy, his jealous ways, and domineering personality, he is the quintessential tough guy with the softest inside you'll ever see.

We love him dearly and so tonight, I'm going to snuggle him just a little bit deeper in an effort to display my thankfulness to him for all he has overcome, endured, and battled back from. We hope and pray that his days with us will be many more, but regardless of whether it's a month, six months, a year or two years, it has been a pure blessing for us to have him in our lives.

Rocky Rockstar - our little crankmeister.