I was afraid to move, for the pressure on my chest was heavy. It was hard to breathe and in the light that filtered through the window, I could see the shape of a kitty- a BIG kitty and he was not moving! That kitty turned out to be Denver! He and his sister arrived here Jan. 15th an owner surrender. After he was left, each night at midnight on the dot, Denver would reappear from under the bed. He would prowl the entire length of the room, hugging walls, stopping at doors, peering underneath and crying plaintaively. It became a nightly ritual. In the day, he would stay under the bed and only eat food if it was pushed under for him. I never saw him, until this morning.

Early on, I contacted his last owner and inquired about “Buster” Denver’s first name. I was told by Nathan, that he works the swing shift and would arrive home sometime before midnight. He would spend a few hours with his “Buddy” at his side, before going to bed. Buster would sleep on his chest.

I was thankful, Denver hadn’t decided to sit on my stomach. I needed to pee! But we just lay there. He allowed me to scratch him under the chin, but no further. Then nature’s call became to strong for me to ignore and I had to get up. The minute I moved, he was gone.

His grief for Nathan and being left is palpable. He is eating and drinking and using the litter pan but he is also grieving. Some people believe that cats aren’t capable of grieving. I am here to tell you that they are. It isn’t always a death of an owner, it can also just be the disappearance of one such as Denver is dealing with now.