...grieve not,
nor speak of me with tears,
but laugh and talk of me as if I were beside you....
I loved you so...
'twas heaven here with you


Chester was born around August of the year 1985. We know this by records we had at the veterinary clinic where I would later work. Not much else is known about him at this time. There is a note in the chart that he didn't like baths! It would be 12 years until Chester and I would meet. So much would happen in both our lives, but we'll get to that. Chester was brought to our clinic one day in '85 to be euthanized. It seems he didn't get along well with one of his owners cats. The Doctor that owned the clinic at that time refused to put him to sleep just because he wasn't social. The owner left the clinic with Chester. A simple grey tiger cat, front declawed and neutered with huge paws and an attitude to match, I can only imagine what was going through the mind of the owner when she dropped him off near the clinic. Later that night, the Doctor found Chester sitting in the middle of the road. He took him home. The Doctor's wife loved Chester, but Chester did not love her other cats. The Doctor brought Chester back to the Veterinarian Hospital to "find him a home".

Chester lived out the rest of his days there. I started at the clinic in May 1997. It's funny, I cannot remember the day I met Chester, but I can't remember a day not knowing of him or being his friend. He won you over. He would wait for me to come into work. When I did, he would get his treat. He LOVED his treat. He got treats in his stocking for Christmas. Treats were his life. I brushed him each and every Friday. He let me do this because he knew at the end he would get a treat. The best sound in the world was hearing his collar jingle when he would come sit with me. Where else can you find a job that actually pays you for having a cat sit on your lap?? Needless to say, we developed a deep friendship. One of the girls at the clinic said it seemed Chester always had a guardian angel. Someone that took special care of him and kept him from harm. Now it was my turn. Chester had some close calls. He was almost hit by cars more times than I care to admit, he always had a tapeworm (yuk!) because he was a hunter and he was hospitalized quite a few times for illness. Still, at 16.5 pounds, he was a regal, magnificent creature and we loved each other unconditionally.
We noticed Chester was drinking a lot of water somewhere around the Fall of 1999. A blood test confirmed all our fears. He was in renal failure. This meant his kidneys were shutting down and his body would slowly poison itself. We decided we would do nothing heroic, he would not suffer. I didn't expect him to see that Halloween. However, Halloween came and went and Chester was still with us. I treated each day as a gift. The days that were warm, he went outside. He had a rock in our yard and he would sit there and watch over his land. I loved to see him there. He was so proud. I took him to have his final portrait done. I knew the time was short. He was tired, and slept a lot. The last week of his life, I put his bed out by my desk so he could still be with me, but I could tell the mighty king was tired. I took off work December 17th to finish Christmas shopping. Would it have mattered if I was there? I wonder that still. December 18th, I got the call...he took a turn for the worse so I rushed in. I had a tough decision to make. I looked into his eyes for an answer. I remember he wanted to look out the window, so I held him up to see. I held him with the same hands that held him while the final injection was given. I knew it was time to say goodbye. I didn't want to see my "little man" suffer.
Now at work, the days seem longer. I think I hear a collar jingle sometimes and look up only to find it's my imagination. I have his collar on a hook in my kitchen and I look at it each and every day. How I miss you my sweet. Chester was cremated and his ashes were buried on the farm of the Doctor who saved him so many years ago. What an appropriate resting place. How do you say good-bye to a friend? Maybe all you can do is tell his story. A story of a cat who would have been put to sleep a long time ago, if it weren't for the kindness of a Veterinarian and his wife. Thanks to all who took care of and loved Chester. He will always be a part of our clinic and will live on in the "Legend of Chester"


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