171 beats per minute (allegro).

2.5 centimeters long (bellissimo).

This sweet little guy was a five-year-old domestic short-hair whose orange hair and big ears earned him the Harry Potter namesake.  In temperament, Weasley was almost like a dog - he would see you out in the morning and greet you at the door when you get home from work.  He loved to play, especially laser pointers or strings with feathers tied at one end.  It astonished me how high he would jump some times, just to take a swipe at the pointer's red dot.  Strangely enough, as much as he loved the chase, mice and fish were completely safe in this cat's presence!  I ended up having to buy traps and poison the one time I found mice in my house.  Flying things are another story - he went crazy after a bat got in the house, and he would always watch the birds from the window ledges or the screened-in porch.  He loved to run and play outside, and he would mew and beg to be let out all the time.  As soon as I opened the door, he would run down the back steps and start munching on the grass.  What a crazy cat!

Weasley was very affectionate - he was a lover, not a fighter.  He loved to be petted and handled, and once he got a treat or two from someone new, he warmed right up to them.  He did great around kids, even running away and hiding instead of biting or scratching.   He even liked to have his belly petted.  The best way to make friends with him was by giving him a good scratch around the ears or behind the head, or to stroke his chin.  He had a very scratchy head, but fortunately, not a very scratchy butt.  If he was hungry and I was asleep, he would hop right up on my chest and start licking my nose - a very stinky experience (cat breath - phew!)  Instead of drinking out of the toilet bowl, he would jump in the tub after I finished my shower and start licking the excess water from the bottom and sides of the tub.  I think he liked dew, because he would lick cold windows or the sides of glasses as water precipitated on them.  In this respect, he was a very strange cat.

I couldn't keep him because my wife is very allergic to him - well, not him so much as the dust and dirt that he accumulates and spreads around.  It broke my heart to give him up, but at least this way, he's not trapped in some basement or getting pills shoved down his throat.  Last year, he got really sick - thought I was going to lose him then, and I was giving him metacloprimide twice a day and prednisolone once every two days.  Except for a minor eye infection in the winter, he'd been healthy since starting the medication, and it wasn't too expensive (only $20 every few months).  Except for the medicine (well, that and digging in the litter box, thus scattering litter all over the place), this cat was not high maintenance.  He ate regular pet food (I give him Iams Original cat food).  When I said goodbye, I gave him a lot of his favorite treats.

I hope he was happy.  I hope that he understood how happy he made me, and how said I am to see him go.  There were so many things I should have done better with him.  I should have tried sooner and longer to find him a new home.  I should have let him outside more often.  I should have kept the litter box cleaner.  I should have brought him to Rockville with me right away.  I should have found him a good home before leaving Cincinnati in the first place, so he wouldn't have had to been locked up for weeks at a time as I traveled.

I know they don't live forever, and that I would have had to have faced this at some point, just, not now, not like this.  I miss him so much, stinky litter box and all.  I miss having him curl up next to me in bed and start purring.  I miss the way he would wave his feet in the air when I petted his belly.  I miss playing with him (God, he loved shiny stuff on the end of sticks, or strings, or the laser pointer).

I really, really miss my four-legged, opposable-thumbs-lacking, feline companion.  My dear friend, may God be between you and harm in all the empty places you walk.

She got me the best. Christmas. present. EVAR - a robotics kit!  How awesome is that?!

We are almost ready (as my mind races through the litany of last minute preparations and tasks). I can't wait to be with them - for keeps this time, not this business of shuttling back and forth with barely enough time to relax and have fun together.

• My brothers Adam and James and my sister Rachel, who without their help, I wouldn't have been able to move.
• My new co-workers Chris and Mammo, who without their help, I wouldn't have found a place to stay.
• My friend Karen, who is taking care of my cat Weasley for the duration.
• My parents, for being so understanding this holiday season.
• My father's friend Zvonko Labas, who made me feel welcome.

And all of my friends, my family, and my co-workers who have been encouraging and helpful in ways too numerous to mention.

THANK YOU