Possum Quatty

Here is our little Possum in his favorite spot. Being the weak technician that I was, I acquired Possum from work (like all the rest of them). He was a kitten when he was brought in because he was sick and the owner wanted to euthanize him. I took him and put him in a cage, spoke with the doctor, and spoke with the owner. Everyone was in agreement that I could nurse him and keep him.
Then, the next problem arose...ummmm, getting home with another living, breathing thing...and still having a place to sleep for the night. Dad wasn't happy, as he generally wasn't when something *else* came trotting in. He quickly warmed up, though, as he always did. As for mom...Nurse Zoe immediately set in. She always helped me at all hours of the night (LOTS of nights) feeding countless litters of puppies and kittens that I volunteered to take care of. After we got Possum all better we needed to amputate his tail. He had a congenital defect that put a large kink at the base of his tail. He never seemed bothered by it, but self-mutilation and compromised bone and tissue was surely close in his future. I was able to help Dr. Walden amputate his tail, worried the whole time about the proximity we were working to his colon. If we perforated that, then there would be BIG problems. So, we worked carefully and diligently and removed his tail. Now, we had a cat named Possum **with no tail**.
Of all of those litters and animals, a few stayed, but most went to other homes, or to heaven.
Possum is in heaven now. He died early Friday and mom buried him. He was a shy little thing, very scrawny and chronically sick. He had his good days and he had his bad days, but he also had his favorite spots... the warm tv and moms computer chair. He liked laying and letting Buddy groom him (for a few seconds), then would very matter-of-factly tell Buddy to STOP. Possum was that little cat that someone could easily overlook or forget about. He always hid and just was kind of in his own little Possum world. HOWEVER, when he came *to you* you should know that you just received a very special treat.
Possum was a very quiet cat and I will miss him dearly. I will miss petting his little bony spine, but I won't miss having to watch him as he gets sick on his food. I know he is hanging out with Tigger and chasing some really big mice. Tigger will watch over and take care of him.
This hurts, but it reminds me how much I love, treasure, and learn from each of my pets that touch my life. They stay too short of a time, but touch our souls forever.

Miss you my little Possy Quatty Boy
gentle hugs and tender kisses~