Tomorrow will be a sad day ...

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(This one is for Beetle)
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When he came into our lives 14 years ago he fit in the palm of my hand with room to spare ... he was the runt of the litter ... he was timid, skittish and shy ... over time he grew in confidence, size and has firmly entrenched himself as a member of the family ...

Along the way, he became ENORMOUS ... everyone who meets him says - "oh my what a BIG cat ..." but when he speaks he has the tiniest squeekist 'meow' imaginable ... the big cat with the little voice !!!

He absolutely adored Beetle from the day she arrived at our home and often found comfort and likely warmth curled up on her, or with her while she watched tv ... one of his favourite night time sleeping places was her bed ...

He HATED - and I MEAN HATED, Ms. H!!!. I've never known of a cat to chase a kid out of a room, but early on he developed a tangible dislike for Ms. H. that involved the two of them staring each other down ... then he would advance menacingly towards her and she would flee the room ... often in our old house he would lie under the dining room table and swipe at her ankles as she ran by ... once he mistakenly swiped at me - an error he never repeated!!

His life lost some 'umpf' when his buddy Angus was put down ... the two of them were inseparable ... I told Beetle as she nestled in her bed to remember him for who he has been, and that even though tomorrow we'll lose him we have lots of stories about him ... he was that kind of a cat. I told her about the morning in Bella Coola when I looked down at Angus (the golden collie type dog we had) and under his sleeping form saw two little white legs and a thick black tail ... I yelled and Angus sprang to his feet revealing a very comfortably sleeping cat tucked under his furry form ... such was the love between the two friends ... Angus often laid at the top of the stairs with his nose pushed through the criss-cross baby gate and on the living room side of the partition sat Diesel, his nose touching Angus' ...

I remember one night sitting reading only to look up and see two deep green eyes reflecting at me in the darkness of the hallway outside the room ... it was like those old cartoons with the menacing lights watching the unwary pass by ... I was slightly startled but said - "Diesel?" ... and the eyes blinked and a high toned "meow" greeted my question as though answering "yes, who else would it be?"

And at night he wouldn't settle unless everyone was in ... if the old calico matriarch Chloe was outside Diesel would fret and fret until she came in ... and if one of the kids was at a sleep over he would prowl the hall way meowing until you reassured him (repeatedly) that it was okay "they are at a sleep over ..."

There was a regal bearing about him ... his lush white fur, his distinctive black patches and his unbelievably luxurious black tail ... we used to joke that his daddy might have been a cougar in the upper reached of the Saloompt where he was sired and born ... whatever his lineage he has been a fine pet, a beautiful cat and a cherished member of our family ...

Tomorrow when he gets taken to the vet will be a sad day ... but fortunately in his 14 years walking and complaining among us, he has left a legacy of memories that will help ease the hurt of having to say good bye to a friend who's health is failing ...

Diesel was a good cat ... and he will be missed.