Good Night Sweet Prince...

It is with a heavy heart that I report the demise of Toto. When I brought Toto and his brother home almost five years ago, Toto couldn't even stand to look at me. Who knew that he turn out to be a lovable guy. Of course, Toto's brother, Otto, played a big part in helping Toto to come out of his shell and become a member of our family. When Otto disappeared, Toto was very upset. Toto tried to cope with life without his brother, but, Daisy was a poor substitute for Otto. We had hoped that Chris might brighten his spirit and he did seem to be very protective with Chris. Although Chris was more tolerant of Toto than she was of Daisy, Chris was not really interested in hanging out and playing with Toto as his brother once did.

Recently, we discovered Toto in the midst of a dramatic downward spiral. He lost weight and eventually, he stopped eating entirely. After Toto stopped eating, we knew the end was near and decided to take Toto to our regular vet for euthanasia. To look at Toto sitting under the Christmas tree, you might not believe that Toto was already on his last day...

It was a bad day for me and Mom. I had to be up extra early and be prepared to bury Toto in the back yard if he didn't survive the night. But, my guy hung on like a trooper. Early in the morning, I brought out the carrier and put Toto inside. He was barely aware that I was there and just laid on a blanket in the carrier. Mom couldn't sleep and was up extra early.

We made arrangements with Anthony to help Mom with the task of taking to the vet. So, with Mom in good hands, I went off to work. Then, later in the morning, after I was already at work, Anthony decided to be unavailable. Mom was not happy, but, there wasn't much I could do to help her on such short notice. I have an image of Mom walking up a hill with a cane in one hand and a carrier with a nearly dead cat in the other hand. Mom made it safely to the vet and Toto was still clinging to life. Mom was concerned that Toto might die in the car or, even worse, that Toto would die at home while I was at work.

The vet examined Toto and confirmed that there really was nothing to be done to save him at this point. We're not really sure what brought about this dramatic turn of events, but, Mom is of the opinion that Toto died of a broken heart.

Chris and Daisy were well-behaved during Toto's illness. They sensed that he was in distress and kept their distance. Daisy has been through this experience twice before -- once when her owner died and a second time when Charlie died. Chris seemed a bit more unsettled by the experience, but, as near as I can tell, the only thing she really missed were the cat snacks that I used to give Toto. Chris would sneak in after Toto had his fill and grab a few snacks from his food bowl.

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