RIP Lil' Al

It has been another tough week for the Millers. We've known for a month or so that it was time for our "Little Cat That Could," Alex to leave this world. Lil' Al, as she was known after being named after Alex Rodriguez, was getting up in years (over 14) and was having increasing difficulty with the day to day activities of a house cat. It was with teary eyes that I drove back home after taking her to Kellogg Pet Medical this 16th day of July. I'm sure there will be more memories to post, but I wanted to get this one up in honor of our little cat.

Lil' Al was indeed the sweetest cat and won our hearts the minute we met her scared, wet, hungry, and cold on our back doorstep when we lived on Cameron Avenue. Amy and I didn't hesitate to both agree that Al would become our 3rd pet, joining Sadie "Pretty," and Griffey. After we brought Al in and fed her, she purred like a cat 4 times her size. That first night she spent with us, she purred the entire night until the next morning. Through 3 moves, she was always the cat who wanted to be around you. She was sweet and quirky and completely lovable.

Because Al was most likely malnourished and weaned prematurely, she was very undersized. So much in fact that when we had her fixed and they shaved her belly, the hair never really grew back completely. Little Al loved cheese like nothing else, and was always around when food was being prepared. Today when I prepared Gracie's lunch, which included cheese, I immediately missed our dear Lil' Al and fought back the tears.

You will be missed dearly Lil' Al. We love you and will always remember you fondly.