Hercule was our beloved Maine Coon Cat, adopted from a rescue home through the humane society in Minnesota. He had been thrown out of a car into the woods in Minnesota in the winter, and that was where he was found.

Being a big cat, Hercule could probably intimidate anyone or anything, but he was our "gentle giant." When he first came to live with us, he was somewhat fearful, but eventually he adapted and came to relax and enjoy life with us and his two furry brothers of the feline persuasion.

Wile we lived in Minnesota, Hercule was an indoors cat. At one point, it appeared that he had arthritis. When we decided to move to Las Vegas, our veterinarian said that he did not think Hercule would survive the move. We tried to find another home for him but this did not work out, so we decided that we were a family and that we were all going to work together to make the move a success. I think that Hercule did better on the move than the rest of us!

Once we got to our condo in Las Vegas, Hercule became a whole new pussy cat! We would let him out on our enclosed patio, where he basked in the sunshine as often and for as long as he could. There was nothing he loved more than to be out in the warm sunshine.

Winters in Las Vegas are a little cooler, so Hercule would opt to lie on a table in our office room. Every morning Monty would get up, go open the blinds in the office, and Hercule would jump up on the table to get his daily dose of sunshine.

One morning, Monty opened the blinds and Hercule jumped on the table. He started meowing, obviously wanting something. At first, Monty could not figure out what it was that Hercule wanted. Then he realized that the sky was overcast. What Hercule was meowing for was a request for his human father to provide the sunshine just like he always did!

Hercule is gone from us now, and we miss him terribly. We see the sun shining and just know that somewhere on that rainbow bridge, Hercule is basking in the warm sun!