Vinnie came to us from the Humane Society of Bexar County after being rescued from the streets. He had been at the shelter only two days when we found him and decided to adopt. So far, he has passed all of his health checkups, but to be safe we are taking him to our regular veterinarian at the Alamo Feline Health Center.

Of course, he is already running us ragged. As I figure it, he sleeps for 3 minute periods every two or three hours, while bouncing off of the walls the rest of the time. One nice thing is that he appears to be box trained already. Also, he has started to take a real liking to both of us.

Getting over Ernie’s passing was never going to be easy; however Vinnie is making it easier just by being here and being himself.

So much more than just a cat or family pet, Ernie was a family member and trusted friend. For over 19 years, he was a loving companion who was always ready to give you attention and ignore you to his heart’s content.

I met Ernie when he was about to turn five years old. This was about the time that Rene and I were starting to get serious about one another, and there is no doubt in my mind that I was being brought before him for approval. I don’t remember if I was more nervous about meeting Ernie or my soon-to-be-wife’s family. Ernie was a little timid with me at first, if only because he was looking out for Rene. Rene had nursed Ernie from just a couple weeks after birth, and I do not believe it to be any exageration to say that Ernie treated Rene like his mother.

After a few years, Ernie warmed up to me enough that if he wanted to take a nap, he would seek me out and then do anything he could to get me to sit down in my recliner. Once seated, he stretched out across my upper chest and placed his head next to my left ear and fell asleep. This almost always led to me falling asleep, and I used call Ernie my “furry, gray sleeping pill.”

These past few years were rough on Ernie. He had numerous gastrointestinal problems, which put him on the surgeon’s table a few times. He always seemed to come right back after a procedure, but after his last procedure he just didn’t seem to recover like he used to. He didn’t seem to have any fight left in him; he just looked tired and each and every time he looked at me it broke my heart. I knew it was time to let him go, and that letting him go was unquestionably the right thing to do, but that sure didn’t make it any easier. I fear that Rene may not recover for a long, long time.

So, my friend and late-night TV buddy has gone on to a better place, and Rene and I are left to deal with an afterimage of his life. We are undoubtedly better off for having known and loved him, which makes this all-the-more difficult to cope and deal with. If you have a feline family member, please take the time to pick them up and let them know that you love them. Spend a little time Sunday morning in bed with them, play with them or simply take a nap with them. Rene and I did this often with Ernie, and our lives are the richer for it.

If you see this guy on the road, you might want to pull off to the side!

The poor kitten only lived a single day before it died. Here’s the story from Yahoo News:

Cy, short for Cyclopes, a kitten born with only one eye and no nose, is shown in this photo provided by its owner in Redmond, Oregon, on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005. The kitten, a ragdoll breed, which died after living for one day, was one of two in the litter. Its sibling was born normal and healthy. (AP Photo/Traci Allen)

Sometimes you just have to thank God for what you have.

UPDATE: This story has been confirmed true by Snoopes.com.

First up is his usual position for about two-thirds of the day:

At the time this was taken, he had tired of giving me advice about what tweaks I should make to the WordPress blogging software. For a cat, he is amazingly well-informed about such things.

This next picture is what I see every morning before I leave for either work or dialysis:

The only difference is usually his mouth is wide open with a lot of noise coming out of it!