A few days ago Stanley, about a 9 year old grey/black Tabby that I rescued from my old place of employment about 8 years ago or so ago, wasn't acting right, lethargic, mopey, not interested in anything and that wasn't him, he was always active but over the last few months Deb said several times "Stanley doesn't seem right to me", but he always bounced back like the others when they had some off days. But we noticed he couldn't jump as well as he used to, but we thought maybe arthritis or age or whatever reason but he still jumped, but anyway when I came home from work Friday Deb said he wasn't acting right, very lethargic all day, not interested in eating and he seemed to be in some distress, so we took him to the ER Vet that Sylvester used to go to to see his opthamologist and where Sabrina had a heart attack and died and where we put Slim down in December, so we really have uneasy feelings about being there but they do a good job and are open 24/7. They examined him, did bloodwork, really couldn't find much wrong, said that he had a slight heart murmur but gave him some pain meds and ear appetitie stimulant and some sub fluids and we brought him home 1:00 in the morning. She said he should perk up in a few days. But yesterday I heard him slightly moaning, still lethargic, not eating or drinking, tried to make his way around the house but didn't get very far, so last night I picked him up and he was just dead weight, put him down, he cried, he never really cried before so I set him back down and said "he's not right, I think we should take him back". Several other cats came to check on him, including Sylvester with whom he had some knock down roll around on the floor half killing each other fights, came to stand by him and check on him; we always wondered if Stan was jealous of Sylvester when I brought him in even though I still paid mind to him, but they up until the end would stalk each other but I digress. So we took him back in last night around 8:00, thank God it was a weekend as I would never be able to stay out and up that long and go to work I'd crash the work van, the same vet checked him again and said they would have to do some x rays and some further testing, seeing how it was now again around 1:30 or so she said it would take several hours, said if we wanted to go home she could do them and call us, and she called around 5:15 to tell me that the x-rays showed a fluid filled tumor in his one lung, she suspected it was cancer, said she could tap it and maybe he'd get some relief but basically told us she thinks it is terminal and his breathing wasn't good now, they had him on oxygen, plus now some of his redone bloodwork showed issues in his kidneys so she said this must be a very aggressive cancer and said the best thing to do would be to put him down, release him from his pain, so we did that around 10:00 this morning...
But we are in shock, even though he seemed to have off days here and there like the other do too he was good, even running around like crazy one day recently and I told Deb "Stan's okay, he's running around like crazy this morning!", but these last few days it was total opposite, he was bad, and when they let us see him alone before putting him down they told us he'd only have about 10-15 minutes off the oxygen so we knew it was bad, and we could tell by how he was acting he was really hurting, but Deb held him, we said all we wanted to say to him, I at times would get short with him when he would constantly be up my butt and I couldn't shave or get ready for work or he'd be in the way at times and I'd say "am I in your way again, Stan?", I apologized for that but Deb said "he knew you were just short with him because you were in a rush", but I still apologized to him and told him "when we meet again you can ask me if he is in MY way again?" and I said "we'll have a good laugh!", we both told him we loved him and kissed him, cried our eyes out, told him we were so sorry that this happened to him, but that we will see him again one day and it will be forever, and this was the only way that we could release him from his pain, and I told him that Simon, a short hair Tuxedo that we had who passed of stomach cancer at age 12 in 2014, was a loner like Stan was, neither of them could care less if they were the only cat in the house, they never cared for any of the other ones, but that Simon will be the one to greet him and THEY will be pals.
We are both in shock, shock that he was so sick and that it progressed so fast, shock that he only made it to about 9 maybe a bit more, but just shocked that we won't have him and his energy here, greeting people at the door like a dog, jumping on the bathroom sink to drink water, driving us half nuts when we are in the bathroom, looking out the windows when we would open them with the screens in when it was nice out, he used to be the last one that would look out this one window and at night we'd have to take him out and tell him "we have to go to bed now Stan, we'll open it tomorrow again", shock that he won't be laying on the floor a foot away from us when we are on the computer working, and many other things that we will sorely miss...but it was his time, for whatever reason, and he is fine now, just fine, no more pain, this was the ONLY way that we could help him feel better, and we WILL see him again one day and it will be wonderful and it will be FOREVER
And the woman who told me at my old job the beautiful saying "their last breath on Earth is their first breath in Heaven" actually took him home and was going to keep him, but a few days later I thought about it and told her I wanted him so I got him, and we had 9 cats at the time but she had about 38 cats and dogs and more on a mini farm, so he would've been just another number up there so he probably liked it here with less cats. And I just recalled now, we got him around August of 2014, 3 months after Simon died, and he was about 1 or so when we got him so he must've been more like 10.5 which is still young. But we also remembered that when we got him he would do about 10 things that only Simon did, none of the other cats did that, so it was like Simon was letting us know that he loved it here and his spirit was here now in Stanley, it was really bizarre but true! So that being said there is NO DOUBT that yes, Simon will greet him and be his pal up there and they will get along!!!
"WE LOVE YOU STANLEY, WE ARE SO SORRY THIS HAPPENED TO YOU, BUT WE KNOW YOU ARE FINE NOW, NO MORE PAIN...."
Until we meet again one day, have fun with Simon and all of the rest up there in Heaven little buddy, WE LOVE YOU!!!! 
But we are in shock, even though he seemed to have off days here and there like the other do too he was good, even running around like crazy one day recently and I told Deb "Stan's okay, he's running around like crazy this morning!", but these last few days it was total opposite, he was bad, and when they let us see him alone before putting him down they told us he'd only have about 10-15 minutes off the oxygen so we knew it was bad, and we could tell by how he was acting he was really hurting, but Deb held him, we said all we wanted to say to him, I at times would get short with him when he would constantly be up my butt and I couldn't shave or get ready for work or he'd be in the way at times and I'd say "am I in your way again, Stan?", I apologized for that but Deb said "he knew you were just short with him because you were in a rush", but I still apologized to him and told him "when we meet again you can ask me if he is in MY way again?" and I said "we'll have a good laugh!", we both told him we loved him and kissed him, cried our eyes out, told him we were so sorry that this happened to him, but that we will see him again one day and it will be forever, and this was the only way that we could release him from his pain, and I told him that Simon, a short hair Tuxedo that we had who passed of stomach cancer at age 12 in 2014, was a loner like Stan was, neither of them could care less if they were the only cat in the house, they never cared for any of the other ones, but that Simon will be the one to greet him and THEY will be pals.
We are both in shock, shock that he was so sick and that it progressed so fast, shock that he only made it to about 9 maybe a bit more, but just shocked that we won't have him and his energy here, greeting people at the door like a dog, jumping on the bathroom sink to drink water, driving us half nuts when we are in the bathroom, looking out the windows when we would open them with the screens in when it was nice out, he used to be the last one that would look out this one window and at night we'd have to take him out and tell him "we have to go to bed now Stan, we'll open it tomorrow again", shock that he won't be laying on the floor a foot away from us when we are on the computer working, and many other things that we will sorely miss...but it was his time, for whatever reason, and he is fine now, just fine, no more pain, this was the ONLY way that we could help him feel better, and we WILL see him again one day and it will be wonderful and it will be FOREVER
And the woman who told me at my old job the beautiful saying "their last breath on Earth is their first breath in Heaven" actually took him home and was going to keep him, but a few days later I thought about it and told her I wanted him so I got him, and we had 9 cats at the time but she had about 38 cats and dogs and more on a mini farm, so he would've been just another number up there so he probably liked it here with less cats. And I just recalled now, we got him around August of 2014, 3 months after Simon died, and he was about 1 or so when we got him so he must've been more like 10.5 which is still young. But we also remembered that when we got him he would do about 10 things that only Simon did, none of the other cats did that, so it was like Simon was letting us know that he loved it here and his spirit was here now in Stanley, it was really bizarre but true! So that being said there is NO DOUBT that yes, Simon will greet him and be his pal up there and they will get along!!!
"WE LOVE YOU STANLEY, WE ARE SO SORRY THIS HAPPENED TO YOU, BUT WE KNOW YOU ARE FINE NOW, NO MORE PAIN...."
Until we meet again one day, have fun with Simon and all of the rest up there in Heaven little buddy, WE LOVE YOU!!!!
You were his guardian angel rescuing him 8 years ago at your job. He never forgot that or the love you provided. Simon will definitely be there to welcome and greet him. He is at the Bridge now, pain free and no longer suffering. RIP sweet angel. 
