Farewell, Rascal

I started reading Rascal's blog when I discovered cat blogging.  I read it regularly back in the days where you could get through the entire Cat Blogosphere blog list in a few hours.  Then the Cat Blogosphere expanded exponentially and I found myself reading it less and less, trying to visit more and more blogs.  I regret that.

Rascal has a remarkable gotcha story, which you should really read in its entirety.  It starts here.  Rascal came into his new home as a tiny kitten in 2000 and started off his new life by forgetting where the litter box was and pooping on the carpet his very first day. His Dad had been a cat-hater not long ago and his Mom was afraid that Rascal's time with them was going to be very short, but his Dad laughed and said that he just needed to be shown the litter box again.  That was the start of ten wonderful years.  I wrote a short bio and limerick for Rascal which you can find here.

In February of 2008, Rascal was diagnosed with feline lymphoma and the vet gave him six months to live with chemotherapy.  Rascal was always a fighter and an mighty wrestler.  With the help of the chemo, he wrestled his lymphoma to a standstill and went into remission for two years.  Not long ago the lymphoma came back, but Rascal managed to fight it off for another five months.  He lost weight, but not his zest for life.  The morning of the day he was helped to the Rainbow Bridge, he had been out hunting mice and chipmunks.  When his Mom found him panting on the kitchen floor that afternoon, she knew what had to be done.  The lymphoma was filling his lungs with fluid and it was time to help him to the Bridge.

                                              Rascal had his good days and bad,
                                              Which made his family happy and sad.
                                                         One really bad day
                                                          He just went away
                                               To the Bridge where none of his days are bad.