For days he has stared out the window, answering the call of far-off voices. On Saturday, for the first time ever, he tried to run out our apartment door to follow them. He tried to let us know this weekend that he would be leaving us, staring in our faces and mewing significantly; demanding lots of petting. This morning at 3:30 a.m., with me petting him gently, his spirit finally rode off. He was still purring after he took his final breath.
I like to think that his dog mama, Una, met him on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. She is licking his face, and he is rubbing against her, as he recounts his amazing adventures of life as our fiercely sweet feline protector.
Luke, about a year old, drawn by my mother
Luke as a kitten with litter mates, long before we adopted him at 8 months
We are extraordinarily grateful to the Animal Coalition of Delaware County, which introduced us to our feline family member when he was just eight months old. They are a great organization, and if you feel motivated, donations in Luke's name would be appreciate.