The past year.

I adopted Sanouk. a lilac point siamese kitten for Forrest in July 2010. Forest and I had moved to our very first home of our own. Without the rest of my family nearby, Forest was lonely and I thought our family needed to grow some more. He loved Sanouk very much and loved to learn from his actions and lick him all over. I've never met two cats that liked each other as much as they did. With Sanouk, Forest learned how to stop biting- that biting actually hurts.

The following spring, I went out to dinner with a friend, I was gone an hour and came back to a house that wasn't the same as it was before I left. Forest was crying, loudly, and he never cries, so I knew that something was very wrong. When I found him, he was laying behind the washing machine- trying to hard to get out and his eyes were glued to mine. It was immediately clear to me that he couldn't get out and the machine would need to be moved, my friend moved it, I squeezed into the space and he crawled into my lap... dragging his hindlegs behind him. He had peed on himself With me where he wanted me to be, Forest purred. Heartbreaking when your little boy is in such pain and all he wants is his mom and to feel better.

I told Forrest to the emergency vet hospital where they diagnosed him with massive heart failure and no pulse in his hind legs. There was nothing they could do... and I had to hold his paw, look into his eyes and help him make the journey across the rainbow bridge.

Forest is now buried next to Abby, my burmese baby girl, on my parent's property, under a beautiful great mertle that blooms all summer and fall while attracting lots of butterflies and birds. Other than staying in my arms, he's in the safest place he can be.