Buddy was a male tuxedo cat which showed up at our house sometime back in 2001? At the time, he had a female companion. While Buddy was extremely friendly, and quite the talker, his companion was borderline feral. At the time I did not want to bring Buddy in and let his companion out on her own and there was no way that I could touch her to try and socialize her.

Then in 2004 our home was hit with Ivan. We had about 3 1/2 feet of water in our first floor. Both Buddy and the female who I called Scruffy showed up after the flood but about one week after the flood the female went missing and I never saw her again. At that time I had taken Buddy in to get tested to see if he was OK to be among the other cats. Unfortunately the toxo test came back positive and my vet did not think it was safe to have him be around the other ones. I wished that I would have done more research through the years on toxo since just recently I found out that they are only infectious 7 - 10 days after they have been infected, plus while it is shed through the stool, as long as you don't let it stay in the litter box for an extended number of hours, it is not a danger and I am really anal about scooping litter boxes. Also, in the back of my mind I thought that if you had toxo, it never went away.

During these years we would keep Buddy in the garage and my husband would let him out during the day to get some sunshine. Then on July 7th Buddy kept on sneezing and there was even a little bit of blood in the mucous that came from his nose. It was a Saturday and my vet was closed so I took him to Banfield clinic at the local Petsmart. I guess it was this vet that really made me stop and do a little more research on toxo. They gave him an antiobiotic shot and also an oral dosage. She also said that he needed to have his teeth cleaned. I then contacted my regular vet and we ran another blood panel to check for FIV, feline leukemia, toxo, etc. Within a few days I got a call to let me know that he tested negative for FIV and feline leukemia but they did not get the toxo results back yet. During this wait, Buddy got ill again with the same symptoms, sneezing with a little blood and this time he developed a cough. We tried an oral antibiotic and his stomach did not tolerate it so I had to take him back in for the injection. I then found out that Buddy was no longer toxo positive, what a happy day. I ended up moving him up into my back bedroom where I have my computer and he stayed there for 3 weeks. During this time he went in for the dental work and while he was under they did x-rays of his sinuses and his chest. The vet said that the right side tonsils were a little inflamed, his sinus x-ray was fine but there was a little bit of fluid on his one lung. She thought maybe it was due to the anesthetic so I was to bring him back in to have his chest re-x-rayed again in one month. She gave me Baytril to give to him and he progressed very well. Two weeks ago today I let him out of the bedroom to be among the other cats. There was some hissing but all-in-all, not bad.

He seemed to adjust very well living in the house. He liked sleeping in the clothes basket in our back basement so I put a pet bed next to it and that is where he would sleep. Thursday morning I left for work and he seemed fine. He had eaten and settled into his bed for a nap.

I came home from work Thursday night to find him in his bed and he just did not look good to me. I got him to eat a little bit, then he went upstairs and layed on one of the dining room chairs. When I went to check on him, he just did not look well. I put him in the back bedroom where I still had his litter box and he went in and urinated. Once he got out of the litter box, he moved very slowly and most of the time kept his head down. He walked over to the closed closet door and just stared at the floor. Anywhere he would walk, he did this same thing.

I got a pet bed out and layed him down in the pet bed and he never moved. I had called my vet's office but they could not see him until Friday and at that they would have to work him in among the other patients. I did not think that he was going to make it through the night. I fell asleep on the couch and got up around 2:00 a.m. to go and check on him. He was still in the pet bed but in a little different position. He had not eaten or drank anything through the night. I went in at 8:00 a.m. to get him into a carrier and he was in his litter box. He would scratch at the litter then turn around in a circle, scratch some more and turn around again. I thought to myself, here we go again, he is in renal failure.

I got him to the vet's office and left him and the vet called me a little after noon on Friday to say that he seemed very happy, loved it when they scratched back by his tail but she also said that both of his kidneys were huge and she felt that he had kidney lymphoma. She said that she was 95% sure and they could do a biopsy to make it 100%, but did not see the point in it.

He was so sick Thursday night and Friday morning and I knew that he was not going to get better so I made the decision to have him put to sleep.

He had finally had his chance at living in our home after all of those years and was only able to enjoy it for 2 weeks out of his life.

I really wished that I had taken him in earlier to be re-tested and that is something that I will have to live with. I was there with him while they put him down and they let me spend some time alone with him after. I told him that I loved him and said my goodbyes and asked him to give a head bonk to Popeye and Casper for me.

RIP my little Buddy, I will miss your constant chatter.

I am so very sorry for the loss of your sweet Buddy. He was a beautiful boy & sounds like he was a wonderful friend. I bet he's chatting up as storm and becoming quite popular over the Rainbow Bridge. Rest in Peace, Buddy, & may your memory bring comfort to all who love you

As I told you on the phone, I'm so very sorry for your loss. Buddy looks beautiful and now he is healthy at the Bridge.

But please, don't blame yourself that you didn't do something earlier. We all do the best we can at the time. Hindsight is wonderful and should be used to help in the future -- not to apply guilt. You took in a cat that someone else threw away. You loved Buddy, he loved you -- and that is the most important part.

(((HUGS)))

I too am sorry for the loss of your sweet chattering Buddy. You gave him a good home and love and I'm sure he had it pretty good and knew that plus loved you right back. Rest in peace and fly high Buddy~ keep an eye on your earthbound family and feel the love they still carry in their hearts~ Winston, Alaska, Lola and Maria

Thank you for sharing the story of Buddy, your chatty little companion. The important thing is that he did know love and a caring home. He will continue to return that love from the Rainbow Bridge, now that he is free of pain. RIP, little Buddy.

Thank you everyone.

Linda, I just want to thank you so much for letting me bounce things off of you and having your shoulder to cry on. You have so much on your plate right now with Clancy, but you still took the time to listen to me. You are a true friend.

You are most welcome, Teddy.

Oh Teddy i am so sorry, you have given Buddy love when no one else had so he has had a full life of a loving family and a wonderful momma. Sending you many hugs and love. He was beautiful

rest in peace sweet baby boy may you look in on your mom and let her know your ok. He will always be in your heart and never far from thought.

Please visit more your never alone amongst crazy cat ladies and gents

LindaH also helped me via phone through my decision on what to do about Scarlett. I can truthfully say, I could not have made my decision without her. She is a true angel.

My prayers are with you and your baby.

I am so sorry, you gave him love and did the best you could. He was a beautiful boy, thank you for sharing his story

RIP Buddy