R.I.P. Rascal Holmes, 1995 - 2010

The last several days have been very draining on Vicki and I, as the older of our two cats, Rascal, went quickly downhill in terms of health. He had been losing weight for awhile, but more recently he'd stopped eating entirely and started becoming listless and confused quite often, crying whenever we touched him, and generally seeming very miserable. For a cat who had always been as sweet as honey and as even-tempered as they come, these were very bad signs indeed.

Tammy made the decision to make a spur-of-the-moment, 24-hour trip home over the weekend seconds after we told her that it was looking like it would be her last chance to see him. She and Rascal had been roommates in Tammy's first apartment during her last two years of university, and so it was really fitting that he got to see her one last time near the end.

Today, amid many tears on both our parts', we took our faithful feline friend of the past 15 and a half years to the vet to be euthanized. It's ridiculous how attached we all become to our pets, but that's also part of the reason why we bring them into our homes in the first place, I suppose. It's just too bad that it always has to end so badly.

Lucy (age 8) is now on her own in the Holmes household. Neither one of us wants to go back to two cats anytime soon, especially after the emotional toll of the last few days. Rascal will most certainly be missed (he is already); but he won't be replaced.