A Tribute To A Black Cat

As you may know if you follow this blog, my old cat, Snoozey, has been failing for some time but he continued eating and purring, so I considered him OK. Eventually he quit purring but still ate with gusto. Then one evening, he wouldn't eat and seemed confused. I thought he was dying and said goodbye to him before I went to bed, but he was still alive the next morning. I had hope, but he wouldn't eat and had lost all control of his bowels. I had to take him to the vet and have him put to sleep. I found some unfrozen ground beneath the stored hay bales and buried him there. Then I began looking for old photos of my Snoozey:

I adopted Snoozey in 2004, an adult cat with a hernia. He required two hernia operations:

I was volunteering at the local shelter at the time and was fostering lots of animals, both dogs and cats. Here is Snoozey with one kitten, Bramble, who stayed with me - and is still here:

Snoozey loved to show off and had a fondness for sinks:

And a fondness for snoozing on soft places (thus the name, I'm sure, though he was named when I got him):

Snoozey was always a floor cat and not much of a climber, though he loved this spot at the top of the stairs. Perhaps it helped him to feel as if he was up in a tree - but with a much easier climb up the carpeted stairs:

He had a thick, shiny coat which he gradually lost in old age. I had forgotten how beautiful he used to be until I found these old photos:

This spot was only about a foot off the floor, about as high as Snoozey wanted to be:

Again, only about a foot off the floor. That was enough for Snoozey:

Snoozey was a pudgy little elf, a totally unique cat and a friend to Clover when she was a puppy. In fact, Snoozey was a friend to everyone:

And he was always affectionate:

Snoozey on the rug, displaying his glistening coat and sparkling eyes:

He used to like to curl up in small baskets, as if he wanted to be an "Easter Kitty." I'm sure glad I looked up these old photos to remind me of his vibrant, former days and to create this blog post to honor him. Good bye Snoozey, my old friend: