Sunshine on my sofa makes me happy...

I used to sing the title of this post to my Sun (obviously those aren't the original words). He was my handsome Sun, that was his name...or at least one of many names he responded to.

He brought so much sunlight into my life, he was my friend and he was my son. He died shortly after I arrived in Hong Kong, on December 14, 2006 to be precise.

In order to come to Hong Kong with our pets, I mentioned there were a lot of flaming hoops in which we had to jump through to take the best care of our fuzzy kids. No matter how many flaming hoops, the bottom line is that it was still a stressful journey for all of the kids and we knew it would be. I was actually sick from worrying so much about how they would fare on the journey.

Based on all the veterinary information we read, all the vaccinations and microchip requirements, and the strict time restraints on all of the above (and then some) we were forced to make a difficult decision (probably me more so than Cybr)...

My Sun was sick with a hyper-thyroid condition that he was taking medication for. He was 13 years old. He had been diagnosed with and treated with medication for his condition for nearly 5 months. We were exploring other options besides medication, as the medication can cause kidney damage, and then we were faced with this life-changing opportunity to relocate.

So, as difficult as it was for me to part with my Sun, I left him in the care of my Dad. My Dad is the only other person I know that loved him as much as I do. I knew they would be good for each other. I did not take the decision lightly, nor easily. In the end, I did what was best for myself and for my Sun.

I felt I would be holding myself and Cybr back if we did not take a chance on Hong Kong. And I felt if I decided to take my Sun with us, then I would be needlessly risking his life. The stress of the journey would be too much for his body, which was already under a great deal of stress trying to battle his illness.

So, I left him in the trusted care of his Grandpa. I saw them together before I left and they were genuinely happy together, he was quite content with his living accommodations.

However, only 3-ish months after getting to Hong Kong, I got a dreaded phone call from my Dad that when he woke up that morning of December 14th, my Sun was dead. His heart had stopped during the night. Unfortunately, he appeared to have not been sleeping when it happened but I would like to believe that his pain did not last long.

He was supposed to have the treatment that would cure his thyroid problem in January, but he did not live long enough to be cured. His little body was too tired.

I had a terrible time dealing with this from HK. Not being there to take care of my Sun's burial. Not being there to say good-bye. The guilt of having left him behind was initially very bad, I thought I had broken his heart. But eventually, I remembered how happy he was living at my Dad's and being the only fuzzy kid again. I remembered how handsome he was, how brave he was, how he used to watch over me every night after having laid on my chest and purred the loudest purr I have ever heard, and how he meowed the word "Mom" when he wanted me (he sounded like "maam"). He was my watch-cat. He was my handsome son and my sunshine. He was an angel that lived with me for 13 years and will now live in my heart for ever.

He was loved. He is still loved. From the moment I saw him, the runt of a stray litter of kittens under a friends porch. He needed me and I him. He was cross-eyed from birth and may not have survived as a stray cat, but I was 19 years old and needed him to love me at that time as much, if not more so, than he needed me to love him.

He will be in my heart and memories forever...