Dear Baby Zoa- I am so sorry you got so sick. I am sorry I misread your subtle hints that you were feeling ill and not just scared or shy. I would have taken you into the vet sooner, although I am not sure the outcome would have been any different- such a tragic disease. I hope you did not suffer too much. Zoa, you were such a sweet and beautiful kitty- your elegant markings and your big blue eyes! And you were so petite! You had a cute, crooked little tail to top it all off! Lester would comment that your eyes looked like marbles and that you looked like a cartoon character. I loved the way you would reach out one of your front paws towards us- or reach out and pat us on the leg when you wanted attention. I loved it that you would come to the top of the stairs to welcome me home. You were a bit more shy than I had expected, but very loving. It felt so good to have you snuggle up in my lap or snuggle next to me for sleep. I only wish we would have done that more often. You had a period of time when you became more comfortable- you were playing more with Eddy- the two of you loved to play "pawsies" under the door; or Eddy would get in the cardboard box while you would lay on top. You would bat at each other from the hole Eddy had chewed in the side of the box. And you were such an acrobat! You even impressed Eddy , and you may have even intimidated him with how high you could jump and twist- and how accurate you were on the "kill". You loved the toys on a string. I am sorry Eddy was so mean at times. Poor boy, I think he just really wanted to play with you, but he did not know how. He did become more relaxed when you joined the household, and he was (in his own way) happy you were here. I remember finding you on Petfinder. We had finally decided Eddy needed a cat friend. I had been searching and then came across your photo. What an amazingly beautiful kitty you were- I fell in love! It was a bit of a trick to get you. The rescue group had several other people interested in you. But we finally got things sorted out and I headed out for the 4 hour drive to Ocean Shores. You were a bit shy at the rescue as you had just arrived that morning from your foster home. But when I stopped to pick up some food for you, I got you out of the kennel and you curled up in my lap. Back home, Eddy did not take to you so readily. We had to work on that over time. Eddy was very intrigued by you. He even learned a few things from you- like how to jump on the top of the refrigerator- and on the top of the kitchen cabinets. In the short time you were with us, you accumulated a few names. We initially named you Zoa after Lester's grandmother. We had a tradition of using family names. But you quickly also became "Baby Zoa", "Zo-Zo", "Baby Zo-Zo", "Little Girl" and "Baby Girl". You even had a song- "Little Baby Zo-Zo, I don't want to see you, picking up the field mice and bopping them on the head". Zoa, I had hopes for many years with you- and looked forward to the day when you were totally comfortable in the space you shared with Eddy. But, we only got to have a short time together- so, I will hold those memories very close to my heart. I love you Baby Zo-Zo. Thank you for your pawprints in my life.