Pale ginger with medium length fur, Frodo and Sam, were surrendered to The Cat’s Protection League in Christchurch in 2012.

Their owners were relocating and could not take the brothers with them. We had just lost our Griffin to respiratory complications and my wife was on the lookout for litter mates, as she wanted two cats that would get along.

While I was in Dunedin for the weekend with our youngest daughter my wife and eldest daughter heard about the cats and arranged a visit to meet them, immediately fell in love and by the time I arrived home Frodo and Sam were firmly ensconced.

Frodo was arguably the more striking of the pair with his white bib chest and outgoing nature. He just loved people and being around them. In short order he bonded with me and became my constant companion whilst Sam was more a ladies' man and favoured the girls.

Frodo became known as ‘the inspector of works’ as no project could be undertaken in the house or yard without his immediate presence and it was considered he felt his approval was required for all work. He had a particularly enthusiastic interest in all things gourmet (read: he was a guts, the Labrador of cats) and had to be constantly watched at feeding time as he would elbow Sam out of the way and avail himself of both meals.

As such Sam was a small to regular size feline while Frodo was, shall we say, well covered. His nocturnal location preference was on my side of the bed tucked up under my left arm with his front paws on my chest with chin resting upon them. Reading in bed became a challenge as it had to be conducted around an acre of cat whose penchant was for smooching the book corners and knocking them from the hands of the reader.

Immediately following lights out Frodo would, under the cover of darkness, commence his laundry routine and while most people enjoy nodding off to the merry patter of rain on a roof I found the Sandman sounded more like a cat washing his nether regions.

Ironically this fastidious cleansing of this back end gave light to the condition that finally took him from us.

We first noticed Frodo struggling to pass urine about 18 months ago, shortly after the arrival of two new cats at a neighbouring property. Our local vet diagnosed his condition as being stress-related and gave us anti-inflammatory meds administered whenever we saw the onset of an attack. For the most part this was successful however the condition came to a head during the New Year break when Frodo was admitted to the afterhours vet in serious discomfort with an over full bladder he was unable relieve, sky high potassium levels, blocked urethra and kidneys on the brink of failure.

He stayed two nights and had I.V. fluids and a catheter installed before returning home in good condition, only to fall ill again with a couple of days. After the holiday break out local vet was open for business again and Frodo spent a night with his regular care givers on the same regime as the afterhours team had administered.

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On discharge our vet briefed my wife on Frodo’s state and whilst professionally diplomatic, his prognosis left us to read between the lines that our little man was not likely to be with us for long. Sent home with Diazepam (Valium) to keep him relaxed, it was heartbreaking to see our boy wobbly on his feet, confused and unable to relax well. He began to leak involuntarily on the Friday night and by Saturday morning it was time to visit the vet again.

The locum on duty advised me that Frodo’s bladder was again full and he was only hours from hospital admission again however her opinion was the same as our regular vet; things were not looking good. At that time our expenditure had reached $1800 in one week and without hope of a guaranteed fix and no bottomless medical fund for my wee boy I returned home to the family to make a decision on our next step.

We already knew what the outcome was going to be however it is never an easy pronouncement to make and in the back of my mind was that we might be shortening his life for financial reasons. We sat down with the girls and explained the situation and the course of action. Emotionally I had been able to hold things together until that point however breaking to news to my daughters and seeing their reactions was more than I could handle and we all held each other and wept.

I drove back the short distance to vet and arranged for us to take Frodo for the final time as they closed for business at 12:30. For the next hour we sat with him as he stayed close to us becoming increasingly less comfortable. The Diazepam increased his appetite and fluid intake but his condition was not allowing the fluid to pass through his system.

The time came and the girls said goodbye to Frodo before going to our neighbours while my wife and I drove the boy again to the vets. The ladies were ready for us and Frodo was sedated prior to the administering of the ominous blue fluid I had seen with Griffin and Murphy before him. At approximately 12:45pm, January 9th, 2016 Frodo was released from his suffering and discomfort and we began to grieve for him in earnest. Returning home we collected the girls and wept together some more.

Sam was brought to say goodbye and seemed nonplussed, something we put down to Frodo smelling like the vets. Likewise our black lab came to say goodbye also as she had done with Griffin. I retired to the room known as 'Frodo’s office' where he spent a great deal of time on a spare sofa and sitting is his spot a wave of grief washed over me reducing me to a heaving mass of tears. Nothing can prepare you for that moment.

Frodo was laid to rest under one of his favourite trees. From this location he would launch his surprise attacks on us as we hung out the laundry so it seemed fitting. Wrapped in a towel with two sprigs of fresh catnip from the plants that I cultivated each year him we all said goodbye to the most loving and faithful cat anyone could ever wish for. He can never know how much I loved him or the joy he brought to our family. I fear for how his brother will do without him.

While the dull ache in our hearts will fade in time and the tears dry up Frodo will remain in our memories forever. The grief we feel is the price we pay for unconditional love. A love that comes without expectation of anything in return. Loyalty and trust mere humans can only aspire to. You see, my pet loving friends, an animal is in our life for only a short period. We are what their life is about.