I lost a friend that has been in my life for 17 years...

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I haven't seen Ralphie, for several days now. He had come by and was looking thinner than normal and he had a runny nose and eyes and was sneezing and wheezing a lot. I couldn't really take him to a vet as he was a semi feral cat and I would have ended up with scratches that would have been horrible. I have nursed him through two episodes of having severe infections in his face, the first one was so bad I think that he was certain that he was going to die. I chopped up food so fine that he only had to lap it up and I also warmed milk for him. Soon the infected area burst and the infection drained. He found that he could trust me and became a true friend. We bonded and I was the only one that he would come to and rub up against my legs. He appeared around 17 years ago and was a very opinionated sort, and a kind of a bully. We were at odds for about 9 years until I decided that if things were to work out, I would have to accept him for what he is. Soon, the whole complection of the relationship changed and he started being nicer to the other cats. He became a good bud to a big blond male cat that someone had dumped in the area. Ralphie and Max became inseparable and would sleep together on the chase lounge on my patio during the coldest months of the winter. He would chase deer out of my yard, and was a great watch cat, and I wish I knew where he had laid his head down for the last time so that I could bring him home and give him a final resting place where he will be close to someone who loved him and cared about him enough to not force him into a lifestyle that he couldn't cope with. Ralphie, you will be sorely missed...