Tiger Junior from Boise

by Matt
(Boise, Idaho, USA)

Family photo of Milo Tux Tux and T.J. (T.J. is the orange tabby)

One day last August, I noticed that our colony had been blessed with a litter of 6 kittens. I looked in amazement at little T.J. as he was the first orange tabby born to the colony since my triplets.

He looked strikingly like my little girl Tiger. I didn't name him right away as I thought he deserved a special name. When my Tiger passed away the first week of September, I knew he should be named in her honor.

From then on I called him T.J. He spent the first several weeks of his life in the colony with his mama. After that I brought him home to be with his brother Milo who we had caught a few days before.

Milo and T.J. quickly adapted to their forever home and before long had the run of the house. The boys played and played and were best friends. He was such a sweet handsome boy.

When I took him to the doctor for the first time I held my breath as the doctor checked his little heart. I was worried the he would suffer the same heart problems my triplets had suffered from.

Much to my delight he had a strong little heart and he was very healthy. T.J. was a child of redemption for me. I felt like somehow my babies who had died before lived on through him. He was such a perfect sweet boy.

Over the next few months I watched him grow up to be a very handsome kitty. He would always get so excited for his dinner and his breakfast. He was like a little piranha.

Everything was going so well for him and his brother until one day last week he stopped eating and he was not the active little boy we knew and loved. He still came to breakfast and dinner even though he couldn't eat anymore.

I took him back to the doctor and learned he had a very high fever. We thought it most likely was an infection so the doctor aggressively prescribed antibiotics for him.

A couple of days later we learned this hadn't helped and that the hopes for a cure were slim. I made the painful decision to send him to the rainbow bridge. I will miss you little buddy. Daddy loves you and won't forget your Mariners catch when we cross the bridge together.