I'll never forget the night I got Jason. I was six years old and desperately wanted a kitten. My mother and I were sitting on the couch in the living room with my father still at work. The doorbell rang. "Mommy, mommy, it's Santa Claus!" I screamed in delight. Santa came in and I sat on his lap and told him the thing I wanted the mostest in the whole wide world--a kitten. Sure enough, that was the night I was handed a cardboard box with my baby Jason inside. It was love at first sight. My poor baby went through all kinds of things, including my favorite.. hour-long sessions in the bathroom reading picture books. I swear to you that cat understood everything you were saying. Everyone loved him. Two summers ago, with some bad luck and timing, Jason ended up switching locations on VERY short notice. Naturally, Jason hid for a while and after about a week, I noticed that I hadn't seen him for a while. I looked under my bed, and sure enough, that's where he was. I pulled him out and noticed that he was acting strange. He seemed drunken. Later, I would find out that Jason wasn't hiding because of fear, but because he was dying. We rushed him to the vet and the doctor told us that the chances of him living were one in some-odd thousand. He was put on IVs and numerous tests were run on him. That was when we learned that Jason had Hepatitis and it had completely destroyed his liver. I went to visit him several times in the week that he was in the hospital. I couldn't stop telling him how much I loved him and begging him not to leave me. The last time I saw Jason, I told him that if he had to go, then he should. That he'd always be with me and I'd always love him. A few days later, my father picked me up from my first day of 8th grade at a new school. He told me that if Jason were to live, he would live the rest of his life spending every three nights at the hospital getting pumped with IVs. I didn't give it a second thought. Our only option was to put him to sleep. That was the end of the discussion. After all those years of love and affection, how could I let him suffer like that? Jason was euthanized that day after school. I didn't go see him. I didn't have the courage. That still eats at me sometimes. There are times when I call his name and expect him to greet me with his happy "meow" (That was his word for, "hi, mom!"). After almost two years now, I still cry myself to sleep some nights. At 15 years old, I know what it's like to lose a child. Jason was my baby. He always will be I love you Jason, with all my heart. I always will, just as I promised you that night. I'll never forget you Love Always, Mom In Loving Memory of Jason : 1992-2000