Thank you all so much! It was a rough weekend full of tears but also smiles as we remembered our Jack.
Back in 2000, we used to go to Petco every week. A cat rescue had cats there and for 4 weeks in a row there was a sad, listless cat named Jack. According to his bio, he had been found on a roof and after he cried for 3 days someone went up and rescued him. He was classified by the rescue as semi-feral.
We weren't looking for a cat, but on week 5 we said that if poor Jack was still there we would take him home. He was there, we asked for the adoption paperwork, and apparently the Petco had been out of the forms for some time. Jack was meant to be ours! A few days later we worked things out with the rescue and took him home.
Sad, listless Jack was anything but once he got out of that cage. For the next 10 years he stuck like glue to everyone in the family, but mostly to me. He greeted me at the door every single day with purrs and rubs. He perched on the tub when I took a bath and slept up against my face. If I rolled over, Jack simply hopped over my body to take his rightful place on the pillow. He occupied a huge portion of my heart.
Jack was diagnosed with fibrosarcoma in June 2009. He had surgery and did very well but as they do, the fibrosarcoma came back in August 2010. He had surgery again and did not do well at all. The recovery was very difficult. Although we were hopeful, the tumor started growing back in September. We decided that enough was enough and we weren't going to put him through the stress of surgery again. The tumor grew slowly but near the beginning of December started to grow rapidly. He started slowing down and when he stopped wanting food (Jack was quite a porker) and it was clearly causing him pain we chose to help him cross the bridge. Last Friday was one of the saddest days of my life.
I have two other cats (Lily and Boo) and love them dearly, but Jack was the one who owned me. I will miss him until the day I die.
Play happily at the Bridge little one... 
