colby van dolson died saturday, sept. 24. he was 6.

my parents noticed last night that he was lethargic, and he’d been losing weight, so this morning he took him to the vet. joe and i were on our way to church when my mom called to let us know, so we went to the vet to see him one last time. we thought he either had leukemia or kidney disease. he had feline aids. you never really think about your pets getting aids. at least i didn’t.

colby was probably one of the sweetest cats our family had. he tried to get along with the other cats, and was always grateful for being rescued. i found colby about five years ago when i was in college. he was the thatcher hall cat. he lived outside my dorm, and some of the girls, myself included, would put food out for him. when i heard the deans were planning to take him to the pound, i took him to my parents house. i wasn’t going to run the risk of him being put to sleep at the pound, and i knew my parents wouldn’t mind.

my dad always called colby “the educated cat.”

“he’s a college man,” my dad would say with a smile.

colby spent a lot of time on our screened back porch. he loved it out there. everytime i went home i’d find him there sleeping. he also loved the whisker lickin cat treats i introduced him to. he was so cute.

my parents could tell he was in pain the last few weeks though. the last few days my dad would watch out the kitchen window as colby walked painfully through the backyard to the lake where he would climb into the motorized boat and just sit and look at the lake. he’d never done that before. last night, colby climbed upstairs to my parents bedroom and jumped up on the bed to sit with them. he’d never done that before either. it makes me think he knew he was dying.

we’re naming the boat “the colby” in his memory. we’ll stencil the letters on and paint them in orange. i think it’s only right.

as sad as i am today, i’m glad he’s not in pain anymore. he was a great cat. rest in peace colby. i love you.