Anne, I'm so sorry that Jimi had to leave you at last, but glad that you were with him. Thank you for telling us about his bat, camel and billy-goat impersonations. He sounds like a very special guy. Gentlest of Bridge vibes to him. The poem is beautiful.
Diane R. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of anne Sent: Monday, December 18, 2006 6:55 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Please add Jimi Too Cool to the CLS Dear kind fellow cat lovers, Jimi Too Cool has passed over to the other side with the help of his favorite vet, Dr. Greene, at 11:30AM today. Things went pretty smoothly and Dr. Greene was very kind and sympathetic. Jimi had suffered from the side effects of feline leukemia for half of his 10 year lifetime. It started with painful stomatitis and travelled down the esophagus and beyond, making it very difficult for him to eat. In the last several months, he has gone downhill, becoming skin and bones, practically, even though he could eat well and a lot when his steroid shots kicked in. This last weekend, he became like the walking dead and cried out pitifully now and then. His eyes looked tired and sad and glazed. The tramadol that was added to his meds wasn't helping anymore, either, it seemed. I have been blessed to have my boy for so long, especially in light of his disease, so for that I am very grateful. He was a noble, silly, friendly, brave, loving, smart, quirky and beautiful boy. He has my heart. He was very much a COOL boy all his life, too, from the time I scooped him up from an ATM machine location on a busy, dangerous street, up to and including his death. At our first meeting at the bank, he just sauntered over and sat beside me calmly and resolutely and happily, making it known he was not leaving my side and that was how it stayed. Jimi liked to headbutt us often and with force. He also liked to hang upside down like a bat and he also did his camel imitation for our entertainment, making his back hump greatly, as he was a tall and solid boy with long lanky legs. He was also somewhat like a dog, following us on our heels often. Phaewry and Marylyn, thank you for your recent posts concerning Jimi. I want to answer them when I feel a bit stronger. Tamara, thank you, dear friend. Love and hugs to you, too, as always. I wanted to send the following poem along with this message because it reminded me so much of my boy, Jimi Too Cool, and helped me get through the euthanasia. Anne and Simms and Sophie and Jimi Too Cool, in spirit in my heart always A Parting Prayer Dear Lord, please open your gates and call St. Francis to come escort this beloved companion across the Rainbow Bridge. Assign him to a place of honor, for he has been a faithful friend and has always done his best to please me. Bless the hands that send him to you, for they are doing so in love and compassion, freeing him from pain and suffering. Grant me the strength not to dwell on my loss. Help me remember the details of his life with the love he has shown me. And grant me the courage to honor him by sharing those memories with others. Let him remember me as well and let him know that I will always love him. And when it's my time to pass over into your paradise, please allow him to accompany those who will bring me home. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of his companionship and for the time we've had together. And thank you, Lord, for granting me the strength to give him to you now. - © Brandy Duckworth, 1998 Jimi Too Cool Summer 1996 - Dec. 18th, 2006
