Goodbye, Noah

A couple months ago, we had to have our gentle giant, Noah, put to sleep.  He was truly one of the world's best cats.  The kids could ride him like a horse, pull his tail or sit on his head and he wouldn't bat an eyelash.  He had all of his claws but never used them (except for one unfortunate event when my brother was sleeping on our couch in California and Noah raced across his face, playing chase with Chloe in the middle of the night). 

For years, Noah was frequently seen lying on his back, spread eagle (showing all his glory, or lack thereof) and soaking up the sun through the windows.  In more recent days, Miles could often be heard chasing Noah up the stairs and screaming at the top of his lungs, "I love you, cat!  I love you!" (More like "I wuv yew!")  Though I'm sure the kids were annoying to him at times, I think he realized that they were a part of his family and that he needed to be gentle with them.

Noah was a great companion for our children, and I am sad that he will not be here for many more years of unwanted snuggles from our kids. 

We planted a Japanese andromeda (pieris) over his grave in the back yard so that we always have something to remember him by.

Goodbye, old friend.  We miss you.