We saw an advert advertising good home wanted for fluffy grey kitten, and we went to the farm to see you. It turns out your mum had been killed in a traffic accident and although the farmer knew she had kittens and went to get them, he missed you. At four weeks old your survived for a week, and then, thankfully he found you, and when we went to see you, you were half the size of your siblings.

You were NEVER EVER a jot of trouble to us. You were a quiet solitary cat, but you loved, it was in your eyes. Over the years we had other dogs and cats, some stayed a woefully short time, some much longer, and you were never happy to see them, but you took it all in your stride, so thank you.

Thank you for being you, for enriching our lives with your patience and solitude. You liked nothing more than to sit out in the sun in the summer, and if you weren't in the garden then you took over the conservatory. I used to tell our friends it was the most expensive cat igloo in the UK.

When the colder weather came you moved back in with us, and loved nothing more than to curl up on the bed and enjoy the warmth and peace.

You had a good life, relatively free of ill health, and at the grand old age of 19 you suddenly stopped eating.
We fed you many meals a day of a small size, we tried everything to encourage you, but in the end our vet said she could feel a mass, and told us that although you could possibly survive another two weeks, not eating, losing weight, the kindest thing we could do at that moment was to let you go.

We sort of expected this, and took you to the vets wrapped in a cosy blanket, not in the cat carrier, letting you see the world around you as we drove. You took it all in in your quiet way. We had hoped to bring you home, but it was not to be Cally dearest. This was our last great act of love for you. You forever have the deepest place in our hearts, and we will never forget you. I hope, now, you have lost the timidity brought on by your early weeks, and are enjoying the company of all of our family there who I am sure would have been waiting for you. Let Casper love you, and cuddle up to Jamie. Enjoy the summer meadow our darling...