A Tribute to Smokey.....

We had to put our oldest cat, Smokey, to sleep today. It's very, very tough to lose a member of the family. He was 15 1/2 years old and had stomach problems his entire life. About 10 years ago he got very sick but between our excellent vet, Dr. B. and some roast beef therapy, Smokey pulled through and brought joy into our hearts for another decade



Cats have individual traits and personalities and Smokey was no different. His two front teeth projected from his mouth like a pair of fangs. Smokey was a gentle and loving cat, who loved to give "kisses" by rubbing your nose with his face. He will always be remembered as the roast beef hound. Once when my wife was preparing a roast she turned her back, leaving the raw roast beef on the table. Smokey, who was only a kitten jumped up and tried to pull the roast to the floor. The meat had to weigh at least as twice as much as he did, but he did his little engine that could impersonation. Fortunately my wife caught him before our dinner disappeared. He had sunk his fangs into the fat, so a little trimming saved our supper.

Smokey had a few nicknames, the most endearing being "Puppy". That's because he would follow my wife around the house like a little puppy dog. Once while getting a check up at the vets he started twisting and squirming and wife said "Stop it Puppy!" Dr. B. looked Smokey right in the eyes and said with great sincerity "You're not a puppy!" We always got a good laugh from that.

Smokey is with his brother Friskers now and I'm sure Smokey is cleaning Friskers ears, something he used to do until Friskers' head was soaked. We shall miss our little guy..................RIP Smokey