Hi everyone,

I lost my perfect little tuxedo soulmate last week. He was my first cat and
the best friend ever. At age 11 we discovered he was FeLV+, likely
contracted from some kittens we were fostering at the time. We lost all
kittens within a year, went on to foster another FeLV kitty, Jazz, for a
year before we lost him to the virus too. Krammer hung in there for 4 more
years with this stupid virus, through many ups and downs. We loved each
other dearly and I believe that is what kept him going until the ripe old
age of 15. His nose tumor had grown all year. It distorted his face, leaked
fluid and required several daily cleanings for the last few months. He had
declined a lot and was down to 6.5 pounds at the end, but was still eating
and using the bathroom normally. A week ago I discovered his tumor was
beginning to affect the roof of his mouth and I didn't want to wait until
it ruptured there. That would have caused him unnecessary suffering. We
made the difficult decision to take him to the vet. I picked up his ashes
on Friday and they are keeping me company, as well as plenty of cuddles
from my other (non FeLV) kitty.

Thanks to everyone for the support over the years. Here is what I shared on
my Facebook page about Krammer last week:

Today I had to say a terribly hard goodbye to my best little buddy Krammer.
Last December, I noticed he had a slightly bloody nose. It turned out to be
a nasal tumor, and he fought the cancer for nearly a year. He was 15 years
old. Krammer was a Craigslist kitty. We picked him up one Friday after work
in 2005 from a Seinfeld fan who didn’t know how to spell Kramer. The funny
name stuck, and produced many, many nicknames.

Sweet Krammie, I’ll miss your perfectly pink nose and toes. I’ll miss the
way you begged to be picked up and put in the warm dryer after I finished
folding all the clothes. You’d settle down and purr. I’ll miss your
adorable nose wrinkle that appeared when you’d ferociously bite Mr.
Squirrel during playtime, and the way your neck smelled faintly like maple
syrup. I’ll miss laughing about your weird obsession with licking the
blinds and laying on crinkly paper. I’ll miss how you would come running
whenever we whistled “Morning” from Peer Gynt. That became your theme song.
I’ll miss your ridiculous call-of-the-wild yowl whenever Lady Bird wouldn’t
play with you, even the ones that woke me up in the middle of the night.

I’ll miss how every night you would come walking up the side of the bed,
purring and giving out head bumps, and paw at the blanket for me to let you
under the covers. You’d crawl in, turn around, and settle down for the
night. Though you were never a lap cat, these cuddles more than made up for
it.

I’ll miss playing chase with you on my lunch breaks. You were so excited to
see me, you’d race through the house, begging for me to catch you and give
you a big hug. I’ll miss dressing you up in silly outfits, which you mostly
just purred through. Since it’s Halloween, I hope you won’t mind if I share
a few with your fans.

I’m grateful to everyone who enjoyed and appreciated his photos over the
years. He was a delightful subject to photograph. Once during a photoshoot
of my dad’s jewelry, he walked over and sat down in the middle, giving me a
look like, “Ok, mom, I’m ready for my close up.” Over the last year, he
really enjoyed going out on his harness and leash to chase bugs and lay in
the sun. He was so curious, he enjoyed exploring new places, and I’ll
always regret that we never got to take him camping. He was a friend to so
many foster kittens and didn’t even mind the dogs he met. A truly wonderful
little being.

I’ll miss you, sweet one.
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