Hobbes.

Up until this past Monday, I had three cats. I now have two. My oldest, 20 year old Hobbes, was put to sleep Monday afternoon. He'd been medicated for high blood pressure for about a year. His retinas were blown because of the high blood pressure, so he could see shapes and movement, but probably not a lot of fine detail, according to the vet. His quality of life still seemed pretty good, though. He could jump up on the bed with a little help we arranged for him - from the floor to a small decorative chair to a slightly higher child's chair to a trunk and then the bed. We have an antique library piece situated over a floor register - not the best place for an antique, I know - and that was his private cave, mostly because it was a great place to be when the heat kicked on. ;-) The last week or so though, he'd slowed down noticeably, and the quality of his meowing had changed. It definitely looked like the beginning of the end. ( More. )