It's hard to find the words to start this post but it is with deep sadness I have to write that our sweet boy Merlin is not with us anymore.

Despite a short week in which he perked up some, we watched him decline rather rapidly the last few days after he stopped eating and drinking, and his hips were getting so bad that he was barely able to move around or get comfortable, even when sleeping.
We made the heartbreaking decision to end his suffering, and last night we had him put to sleep by the very nice vets at the Newberg Animal Hospital.
We loved him so much and it was so very, very hard to do, but it was time. It's a decision that was the right one, but hurts so very much nonetheless.

He was an amazing cat, sweet, funny and a little crazy and such a beloved family member for over 17 beautiful years.
Here's a little tribute to him with the help of some of the 200(!) photo's we made of him:

                                                                       

Due to his deafness he didn't make many friends. He couldn't hear their warning growls and they didn't 'get' his reaction. Our little kitten Elmo was the exception though, they loved each other from the get-go!

And of course there was his human buddy, James. Although he wasn't really a 'lap-cat', but if he felt like it, James was his favorite ..

And when he was there as a referee, he could even get around to 'sleeping with the enemy', which in this case was our grumpy cat Felix ..

As any cat, he did a lot of sleeping, but he had a weird preference for unusual and often downright uncomfortable and hard places.
Inside the house:

Not a glass was hurt in this picture!



As well as outside:

Also in very odd positions:

Upside down was his favorite:

Being a white cat has interesting challenges .. you're almost invisible and hard to find in snow ...

     

Or in between a pile of grocery bags .. 'can you see me know?' ..

             
 
And when you get dirty, you quickly look very dirty (like when using a fire-pit for a litter box) ...

                                        

He loved the Holidays and especially Christmas trees were a lot of fun!

                                         

I swear I didn't do it .. 'twas Santa!

                                                         

But of course it was mostly about the food! He went nuts for turkey!

                 

When we got him from the shelter he would literally eat anything, I had to put him in an other room if I started cooking, or he would jump on my cutting board and snatch anything I was preparing. Lettuce, tomatoes and of course any meat, and he really loved corn .. on the cob, please, thank you very much!

His love for food, and especially turkey, stayed with him through the end. As soon as we would set up the BBQ he would be there to claim his rightful share ..

            

Or he would take a spot on the dinner table where he got his own place-mat and little plate, although he also liked to warm up our plates:

    

He was a very 'helpful' cat:

And he enjoyed puzzling and playing games ..

 

Of course he was a well traveled cat, he probably visited more states than most people, and through all our travels he was an absolute trooper.
He traveled in style (on the bed), like this ...

                               

... he had to explore every rest-area ..
                                                               



And took every new location we ended up in stride, as soon as we brought out 'his' chair, he was home ..

By the way, this is how he dealt with the mosquitoes in Alaska:

                                       

Which was before we acquired a tent, which served two purposes, he was almost invisible and somewhat safe with the zippers closed, and he didn't get bitten by the mosquitoes. He loved to be in his cat-cave/tent!

He did have a few encounters with wildlife after which he needed some medical care and off course he was diagnosed with diabetes 9 years ago, he also developed a skin-rash due to a tuna-allergy, had to have (almost) all his bad teeth pulled a couple of years ago and suffered from several bouts of fatty-liver-syndrome, during which he needed to be force-fed to pull him through ... but other than that he was pretty healthy during most of the 18 years of his life.
One thing I haven't mentioned yet .. he was rather voiceterous, to state it mildly ..
Probably due to his deafness, I once read, they either go mute or they go very loud and believe me, he was LOUD!

  

He was such a fun, silly cat, full of mischief, this next pic is one of his most famous and probably sums him up the best ..

Super-fly!

Besides all this he was the sweetest, gentlest cat, he didn't have a mean bone in him, he never gave us as much as the slightest scratch, no matter what he had to endure, and believe me, being tested once a day (in your ear) and getting Insulin shots twice a day, he had every reason to do so!

What more can I say, I think you 'get the picture', he was one in a million, we loved him to pieces and we are going to miss him so very, very much ..


     

Rest in peace sweet, sweet boy, our 'bud' and 'muffin', you have left our lives but will never leave our hearts ..