<div dir="ltr"><div>Hi everyone,</div><div><br></div>I lost my perfect little tuxedo soulmate last week. He was my first cat and the best friend ever. At age 11 we discovered he was FeLV+, likely contracted from some kittens we were fostering at the time. We lost all kittens within a year, went on to foster another FeLV kitty, Jazz, for a year before we lost him to the virus too. Krammer hung in there for 4 more years with this stupid virus, through many ups and downs. We loved each other dearly and I believe that is what kept him going until the ripe old age of 15. His nose tumor had grown all year. It distorted his face, leaked fluid and required several daily cleanings for the last few months. He had declined a lot and was down to 6.5 pounds at the end, but was still eating and using the bathroom normally. A week ago I discovered his tumor was beginning to affect the roof of his mouth and I didn't want to wait until it ruptured there. That would have caused him unnecessary suffering. We made the difficult decision to take him to the vet. I picked up his ashes on Friday and they are keeping me company, as well as plenty of cuddles from my other (non FeLV) kitty.<br><br>Thanks to everyone for the support over the years. Here is what I shared on my Facebook page about Krammer last week: <br><br>Today I had to say a terribly hard goodbye to my best little buddy Krammer.
Last December, I noticed he had a slightly bloody nose. It turned out
to be a nasal tumor, and he fought the cancer for nearly a year. He was
15 years old. Krammer was a Craigslist kitty. We picked him up one
Friday after work in 2005 from a Seinfeld fan who didn’t know how to
spell Kramer. The funny name stuck, and produced many, many nicknames. <p> Sweet Krammie, I’ll miss your perfectly pink nose and <span class="gmail-text_exposed_show">toes.
I’ll miss the way you begged to be picked up and put in the warm dryer
after I finished folding all the clothes. You’d settle down and purr.
I’ll miss your adorable nose wrinkle that appeared when you’d
ferociously bite Mr. Squirrel during playtime, and the way your neck
smelled faintly like maple syrup. I’ll miss laughing about your weird
obsession with licking the blinds and laying on crinkly paper. I’ll miss
how you would come running whenever we whistled “Morning” from Peer Gynt.
That became your theme song. I’ll miss your ridiculous call-of-the-wild yowl whenever Lady Bird wouldn’t play with you, even the ones that
woke me up in the middle of the night. </span></p><div class="gmail-text_exposed_show"><p>
I’ll miss how every night you would come walking up the side of the
bed, purring and giving out head bumps, and paw at the blanket for me to
let you under the covers. You’d crawl in, turn around, and settle down
for the night. Though you were never a lap cat, these cuddles more than
made up for it. </p><p> I’ll miss playing chase with you on my lunch
breaks. You were so excited to see me, you’d race through the house,
begging for me to catch you and give you a big hug. I’ll miss dressing
you up in silly outfits, which you mostly just purred through. Since
it’s Halloween, I hope you won’t mind if I share a few with your fans. </p><p>
I’m grateful to everyone who enjoyed and appreciated his photos over
the years. He was a delightful subject to photograph. Once during a
photoshoot of my dad’s jewelry, he walked over and sat down in the
middle, giving me a look like, “Ok, mom, I’m ready for my close up.”
Over the last year, he really enjoyed going out on his harness and leash
to chase bugs and lay in the sun. He was so curious, he enjoyed
exploring new places, and I’ll always regret that we never got to take
him camping. He was a friend to so many foster kittens and didn’t even
mind the dogs he met. A truly wonderful little being. </p><p> I’ll miss you, sweet one.</p></div></div>