Eddie was left behind along with Black Cat and Lizzie by the previous owner who moved out of state.  We, of course, started feeding Eddie regular meals outside along with the other outdoor kitties after he started hanging around.   When we would go for walks around the property, Eddie would always follow us, sometimes pulling up ahead of us.  It was quite a sight at times, with Eddie, Black Cat and Cyclops included in the procession, sort of like little dogs.  Of course, like every member of our feline crew, Eddie was neutered and was pretty much content to just lie in the yard, soaking up the sun's rays every day.  At one point, we almost lost him.  He didn't come home for several days and we knew that was not characteristic of him.   We went searching for him and Rodger came upon him.  He had a high fever, was lethargic and wouldn't eat anything.  After rushing him to the vet for antibiotics and fluids and several days of hospitalization,  we brought him home but the prognosis was grim with his refusal to eat.   Rodger, though, was determined to do what he could.  With an eyedropper, he patiently fed him strained baby food for a few days and his appetite eventually returned to its usual robust state.

     From the very beginning, we felt that Eddie could possibly have been Pookie's and Black Cat's brother.  When Rodger was feeding Pookie's mother in 1990 just prior to his rescuing the abandoned Pookie, the other two kittens consisted of a gray tabby (Eddie) and a black one (Black Cat).   It's our theory that after mama cat moved two of the kittens and presumably inadvertently left Pookie behind, those two kittens survived and somehow ended up with with the woman who eventually abandoned them. 

     After we moved to our current home which was closer to the nursery, Eddie would hang around the greenhouses and shade houses most of the day, lazily lying in the sun.  He loved to nestle in between the pots of plants on the tracking trailers or on the tables in the greenhouses; his favorite place, though, was to sleep in the truck, either on the seat or on the floorboard.  Rodger would leave the door open so he could come and go as he pleased.   At the end of the day, though, he would stroll home or sometimes ride with his dad in his truck - ready for his night time meal after a long hard day at work.

     When the nursery closed in 2000, Eddie was content to remain in the yard or on the front porch.  He still would sometimes ride in his beloved truck early in the mornings to get the newspapers.  In October 2003, I realized he was gradually losing weight.   I attributed it to the usual hot summer days we had all been through.  But soon I realized his appetite was decreasing a little more and more each passing day.  I took him to the vet's where testing showed that he had CRF - Chronic Renal Failure.  I was stunned.  Where did this come from?  How did it happen?  Treatment was started for him at the vet's while I researched and read and tried to learn everything I could about this disease.  Rodger and I were prepared to do whatever it took to give him some quality of life while living with CRF.   On Friday, October 10th, I was told by the vet that he had taken a turn for the worst and the prognosis was not good.  I left work at that point and stayed with Eddie, stroking his head while he was helped to the Bridge.    Now when I come upon some of his pictures from a few months before, I can see that he wasn't himself then.  I fight the guilt that I should have picked up on it, but I never did.

     Eddie, I picture you now romping with Black Cat at the Bridge and taking long, leisurely walks with her as you did with us at one time.  And you are such a happy, healthy guy now....