It's time to say goodbye. My baby has been ill now for two of his six months. He tried hard and fought to live, but now he has given up. He is breaking my heart and he will be missed, but I will never forget my special little boy. He taught me so much about life and living in the short time that he shared our lives.

Always tell those you love how much you love them. You never know how long they are going to be with you. Treasure every moment you have with everyone you hold dear, even a short time spent together is precious. Merlin was with us for only six months, but in that time he crept into all our hearts. He is an endearing, lovable little soul, with a gentle, playful nature. He was loved by all and yes we told him how much he was loved.

Live life today, no matter what troubles beset you. Yesturday is gone and all that is left are memories. Make sure that they are good ones. Tomorrow is yet to come. Life is for living now. Now is when we create the memories that we will treasure tomorrow.

We had good times together and he lived. He didn't know that he was dying and in the last few days he was alive and getting on with living. We spent time in the garden that he loved and explored from top to bottom. He chased and pounced on bugs, chased the other cats and proudly climbed trees. Even though he was weak he never gave up. There was a tree to climb and he was going to show me that he could. I was proud of him! He had so much to explore and discover.

Until the end he was still exploring and discovering new things. He never complained, he did fight a bit when it was time for his meds -- we took that as a good sign! He never bore a grudge and forgave us within minutes of getting his meds.

Living is about having the opportunity to experience what the world has to offer. To explore and discover, to feel the sensation of the wind in your hair, the sun on your face and the rain beating down. It is to hear the birds welcoming the new day, the happy bark of a puppy when Mum and Dad come home, the contented purr of a happy cat. Merlin didn't purr often, so when he did it was one of those precious , special moments that will be treasured. Like the day I was late for work , because just as I was about to get up he crawled onto my chest and purred. That will always be a memory that I will treasure.

Living is also about feeling emotions, to love and care, to feel anger and rage, to feel sadness and grief. To feel heartache is proof that you have loved and cared: and without love you have not lived.

As much as I have loved I have raged at the unfairness of it all. Yet though it is unfair, his life is not without purpose and meaning. He came to us for a reason and despite the heartache I would not trade in a minute of his time with us. In his short life he lived and shared his joy of living and feisty spirit with us. He taught us what it means to live.

We said goodbye and held him as his spirit left his tortured body. Hopefully now he can be a kitten again and leave his suffering behind.