this is bj, my cat. he's 18, and this year, i have had him exactly half my life. he's an old man, and more and more i am noticing little things that show his age. he now takes stairs slowly and carefully, and he occasionally misses the box. and when he was an outdoor cat he used to roam the neighborhood. now, the only reason he can be out at all in our busy neighborhood is that he pretty much sticks to the driveway to eat weeds, or the porch, to lay in the sun. so, he's not going to be around that much longer. but for now, he still seeks out sunbeams, hangs with jeremy even though three year olds kind of annoy him, so sometimes he just sits beside him and stares jj down.

i just hope that when his time comes, i will recognize it, accept it and not allow him to suffer for a second.

snuggling with kev and jeremy last winter.