I had the included photo all queued up and was looking forward to using it in this update, where I would report how nicely Sherbs and Amos were getting along.
But, then, tragedy struck.

No, Sherbet is fine, but we lost dear Amos quite suddenly. Please excuse the side trip…

Last week, Amos was noted to be hanging over the water bowl. An exam showed he had lost significant weight and his kidney values were, well, horrible.

He was rushed to the emergency vet, where a few days of IV fluid therapy improved his numbers greatly. This was a good sign.

He was still not eating, but we hoped that being in his “home” would make him more comfortable.
Upon arrival, he crawled into the bottom of a cat tree, whereupon Sherbet ran over and gave him a few licks on his head.
It was so touching.

Amos was not eating, but we thought he was stressed and needed some time.
One of our vet techs checked on him a few times and noted some respiratory effort.
But he seemed stable and comfortable, so we all left for our annual Volunteer Picnic.
We could check on him in two hours, after the picnic had ended.

But when our vet checked on Amos, she found he had died.
Seeking some explanation, she did a few quick diagnostics, which showed a significant amount of blood in his chest.

This points very strongly to cancer in the chest.
We reviewed Amos’s records to see if this was something we should have seen.
But, there were recent chest X-rays and even a very recent chest ultrasound that showed no sign of cancer.

I didn’t think that Sherbet would miss him, but his behavior says he did.
Sherbs was more vocal than usual, and many people remarked on his neediness.

We hope his new roommate, Opa, will help fill the void.
More on him next month.