Goodbye Henry

Hello again!
It was so nice to read all those great comments everyone left! I really did get a wonderful home.

Lately I have been super happy at night, cause Mommy is letting us sleep in her room again. For the past month, we have been locked out of there! The nerve of my Mommy! Doesn't she know that kitties HAVE to be allowed everywhere they want? She said it was cause one of her rats, Henry, her only neutered boy,
was really old and was getting really sick. Because of that, she let him be free in the room. He would sleep with her at night, and cuddle her, and kiss her, and burrow in her blankies.

It made me sad to not be able to sleep with her, but I met Henry lots of time, she said he was her favorite, but not to tell her 5 girl rats. He was a very nice rat, and never nipped, or got into any trouble at all! We never messed with him either, cause even though he was nice, he was BIG!

He was a black ratty with little white socks, and a white tummy. She got him from a rat rescue that she knows through a really great rat forum called the ratshack, at www.jorats.com. He was already neutered when she got him, and he was already a year old. Henry had lived with another boy rat, but that boy rat died, and Henry refused to go with ANY other boys, so he got neutered and came to live with my Mommy and her harem of 5 girl rats! He was very happy, and I know my Mommy loved him very very much. She even had a birthday party for him when he turned 2 in August!

Sadly, early last Monday morning, Nov 30th, Henry woke up my Mommy when he fell between his ramp and the end table. Mommy grabbed him right away, but his lungs were already really really bad, and the medicines hadn't been working much. She thinks that the fall knocked the wind out of him, and he panicked and almost died. Mommy was sooo scared, I could hear her crying through the door, so I meowed to her asked her what was wrong, but she was too busy to tell me. She had to do CPR and mouth to mouth on Henry, and she got him breathing again, but he was still gasping really bad. She took him to the bathroom and made it REALLY steamy in there. (When we have a cold or our chest is full of junk, Mommy takes us in for a steam bath and we feel better.) Well, Mommy got him breathing normally again, but she still called her father and got him to take her to the Emergency V-e-t, since it was 5am.

The v-e-t looked at poor Henry and said that his lungs were just not absorbing oxygen much anymore, and he was really really sick, and wouldn't live much longer. I wish I could have gone, I would have kissed Mommy and licked her hands like I always do, but she didn't let me go....which I guess I don't mind too much, since I HATE the v-e-t. Mommy was very sad, but decided to let Henry go peacefully, instead of gasping for air, and scared.

So Mommy has been really sad lately, so obviously she NEEDS us to lay on her all night, and lick her yummy salty skin. She tells me I always make her happy, and I'm glad, cause living here makes me happy too!