Banjo and Books

Toward the end of November we got a cat. We weren't planning on getting one until after we go to Disneyland in June, but one fated day we wandered into PetSmart. Lo and behold they were doing kitty adoptions (lets just pass over the whole adopting a pet vs. adopting a child discussion). Going in to the store I said something to Elliott along the lines of, "Don't even think about it." Well... it turns out that he should have been the one warning me. I fell in love with a sweet 4 month old orange tabby named Banjo. He was so docile and snuggly and just as sweet as can be. It didn't take much to convince Elliott and Lilly that we should take Banjo home.

Banjo was indeed a sweet and cuddly cat, just as he'd seemed. He'd crawl up in our laps any chance he got, including at story time before Lilly went to bed. Lilly LOVED him.

Sadly, about a month after we brought Banjo home we realized that he was sick. Upon taking him to the vet he was diagnosed with Feline Infectious Peritonitis, a fatal cat sickness. He was suffering so we decided to have him put to sleep the next day. Lilly went with me and we kissed and pet Banjo as he peacefully passed away. We brought his body home and Elliott buried him in the backyard. Explaining death to Lilly was much more challenging than we'd thought, but she'll continue to understand more as time goes by. For now, she's counting the days until we can get another cat... or some fish... or a turtle.