I knew the minute I saw HARRY in the subject line that he had died.
As tears started, I was determined I was not going to start sobbing. So to
ease my grief, I decided to review his life and try to focus on the positive
things-the good things. He did have a good home for several years. He had a
warm place to sleep and good food and loving. Several of the neighbors
thought I was crazy, but I still let him stay. I just want to thank you so
much for taking him and making his last year on earth a good one. … Yes, as
you said, Harry was a special boy — even though we are the only two on earth
who knew that!
Well, there may be more than two now that Harry the Cat has made this
column.
How strange: Harry was always a loner, but he seemed more than content at
the home FuRR provided. As the months passed, and he slowly grew weaker,
Harry seemed to let his guard down. He actually began brushing up against
the human who cared for him.
Toward the end, he must have sensed it coming, because he wouldn’t leave
Susan’s side and spent his last days sleeping in her arms, which is where he
died.
There was something about Harry that sticks in the memory. Especially if
you’re something of a loner by nature, the kind any sentimental display
makes a little queasy. Harry may have been asocial even by the usual feline
standards, yet he inspired a certain fellow feeling.