My second-best friend died today

The white cat with black highlights, sitting behind the dark-gray cat, his name was Frodo, and he was about 14-years old. We were giving him some veterinary-prescription medicine, so his death was not unexpected.

He was born in early April, 2011, but we're not sure of the precise day. He was the first to leave his mother's nest, which was under an old lawnmower in an open-door shed in our backyard. After we brought him and all his littermates inside, his life as an indoor-only cat began. That included bottle feeding, as he and his littermates still needed to nurse. We found homes for all the kittens, except for the two we decided to keep.

In the picture, he is about 1-year old, nearly 16 lbs. He was a happy cat and an excellent housecat, trainable with a gentle disposition, and active, he would race around the house with his brother.

His struggle of the last few months is finally over. We sure are gonna miss him. RIP my beautiful friend.