Yesterday afternoon was hard. Our three yr old cat, Austin, passed away. We're not sure what happened. We think he was bitten by a baby rattlesnake or a pygmy rattler. He was an 80% indoor cat but on occaision he loved to be outside and chase birds and other varmits out in the woods behind our house. The boys have been wandering in the woods the last couple of weeks and have run across two beds of baby rattlers. Needless to say they have been staying clear of the woods because they don't want to run into a mad momma rattler. We read Rainbow Bridge over his grave last night after we buried him. DS#2 had kept him in his bed all the night before so he could keep an eye on him. I don't think he slept at all because he tried to comfort the cat all night.

Austin was a sweet cat. He was one of those cats that just knew when you needed a cat on your lap. He could sense when you were feeling down and just needed him close. He was a blessing to our family and he will be missed. I couldn't sleep last night just because I kept expecting him to jump on my stomach and sleep there all night, softly purring.