An Unexpected Good Bye.

Thursday I took Merlin to the vet because we suspected that he had a tapeworm and his lower left canine tooth had come loose. The vet told me that they needed to test him for feline leukemia before they were able to do any dental work. I had no problem with that and figured the results would be negative because he's been an inside cat, except for a few times he had slipped out on us. 

Well, he did not have the feline leukemia, but he had the feline equivalent of HIV. I had never even heard of such a thing. His tooth was loose and he had other dental problems because of the disease. He was in rough shape and would only get worse. And the kittens could get it. 

And so we made one of the hardest decisions ever. I brought him home so that the children and Shawn could say good bye. We gave him lots of catnip and treats. The tooth that had been loose had fallen out at the vets before we left and it was obvious that he was having a hard time eating. 

Friday I took him back to the vet and held him as I said goodbye to our sweet Merlin.

We all miss him so much. Every once in a while I'll catch movement from the corner of my eye and expect to see him there. Saturday evening as I was cutting our pork roast I expected to feel him rub against my leg and meow. 

I know that some may disagree with me on this; however, I believe that we lost our Merlin, but Heaven gained a really special, sweet kitty and we will see him again someday.