My sweet old man Ripley is gone. I had to make that horrible decision this morning.

He hadn't been eating and the daily rounds of sub-q fluids were doing no good. He started collecting fluids overnight which indicated there was something more than just renal failure happening. At 17 1/2 years of age I didn't want to put him through tests and more suffering.

We will miss him so much. He's been with us since late April of 1992 when he was just 7 weeks old. He was my very first cat and he opened my world to many new things. He will always have a very special place in my heart.

Rest in Peace my sweet panda paws. Be sure to tell them you like ice cubes in your water.