UPDATED (Jan 3 2011):

I created a little tribute Video to my fuzzy friend.  It's over at my live.com site HERE. (Opens in a new Window)

Topper in her last week.

Of all the things you think of that could bring a grown man to tears, you wouldn't think that a little brown fuzzy cat would be on the list. But when this mans little brown kitty had to be put to sleep, I certainly did shed a few tears. She succumbed quickly to kidney disease. It shut down her ability to eat, drink and use the litter box. At under 3 lbs, she was literaly just skin and bones on her last day.

In the pet-owners community, there is an ongoing discussion regarding knowing when "its time" to put down your pet. Topper made it easy for me. One night she looked at me in a very peculiar way while settling back into her bed. Our eyes locked and her gaze was very intense. It's a little tough to explain, but in that brief moment, I understood what needed to be done - I had received her silent message loud and clear. I helped her get settled, then went to speak to Virginia. We discussed all the angles, but in the end we both were in agreement. The next morning we made the call and the trip to the animal hospital.

But to be more upbeat, Virginia and I have great memories of Topper. She was a "peoples" cat , 100%. She loved laps, shoulders, chin scratches and a sliver of space in our bed at night. She also loved to "meow". More specifically, it was a "MEOW." Sometimes it was a "meeeeeeoooooooooowwwwwww!" Usually a plea to be picked up so she could flop down on your shoulder - she loved to be your personal neck warmer!