Annie went to the rainbow bridge today at 10:26 a.m      .
I felt that it was time, her quality of life had really gone down.
Her left eye was getting milky and the vet verified that the cancer
was spreading.

When I went home to get her, she was resting next to her brother with
her head on his back.  I wrapped her in a towel and told the dogs to
say goodbye.  They were very respectful and just sniffed her a
little.  I think they knew what was going on.  Chyna, my husky mix,
looked concerned.

She used to come into the hall when I came home from work but lately
she just stayed asleep on the bed.  For the past few days, there had
been dried blood around her mouth, though I never saw the actual
bleeding.  Her tongue was sticking farther out the side of her mouth,
so I assumed the tumor had grown larger.

Yesterday was a pretty nice day.  I took her outside and we sat in the
sun and dozed.  The dogs were out with us.  Kodi, my chow mix, had
become fixated on Annie, constantly sniffing her whenever they were in
the same room.  I assume he smelled the cancer.  When we were outside,
he kept wanting to lick her.  She wasn't too crazy about a big wet dog
tongue being in her face.

I got Annie and her brother Jake from my brother's barn cat in Aug.
1995.  They were the first pets that were actually mine.  I didn't
know too much about cats.  Looking back, I wish I had handled them
more.  Annie pretty much kept to herself, she was a very timid girl.
She could usually be found under the bedspread.

I had a canary when I got them.  One day he got out and the cats had a
field day chasing him around the room.  Finally he landed behind a
chair.  When I went to get him, Annie had her paw on him, holding him
for me.  What a good girl!

I told her to look for Smokey, who just passed on Friday.

Thanks for all the purrs and warm wishes over the past month and a
half.

Theresa