In the wee hours of the night, when all were sleeping, Murph went to join his beloved Penny and his best friend Chazot. He quietly left this mortal life and joined all his old friends at the Bridge. He will be there waiting for me when my time comes to join him, and all my other felines, forever. I will miss him greatly.

"And the Lord asked, "Are you ready"
And we said "No,No"
And then the Lord reached down
and gently wiped our tears
And softly said, "But he is"
And as the sun peeked through the clouds
He took him"

My dear Murph, you were such a good friend for so long. I remember when we met. A cold day in February. You were trapped in the storm sewer on campus and the animal control and UNL cops gave up trying to get you out. They just said "you got in by yourself you could get out". But of course you couldn't. You were cold, wet, starving, and injured. I gave you the meat from a Mc burger and when some students figured how to lure you through a pipe to an open grate I was there.They wraped you in a warm scarf and took you to the Humane Society. I knew you would be in danger there. This branch is not humane, they are a kill shelter. I started calling them about you when I got home and made it clear that I wanted you even if you were hurt.

It took me 5 days of calling to get them to let me adopt you. That was in 1993. The vet fixed what was left of your poor tail and you joined my household. So much has happened over the years it is too much to say here. You "went exploring" at least twice. One of those times you got hurt. After that you stayed in the house, only occasionally going in the back yard, were you naped by the pond or rolled in the catnip.

You joined CLAW in 1997, and stayed untill the end. You were there with Chazot and Penny. You worked hard and became a Prince of CLAW. Of course I always knew you were one. You assisted Chazot with the inner CLAW workings and learned many things from him.

You were on the best hunter teams and had many 1st place prizes and awards. You passed almost all the classes that CLAW had to offer. You even taught some classes. Little kittens looked up to you with awe.

When CLAW closed you didn't really have an interest in joining any other clubs. I understood that. You were just tired. Your last years were spent contemplating the inner workings of sunbeams and dust motes.

I will miss your yowl in the morning letting me know that it is time to get up and feed you. I will miss your yowling everytime the fridge is opened. You always hoped that I would have a tidbit of chicken or hamburger. I usually did. I will miss not seeing you on your favorite chair. It was supposed to be Bob's chair but you laid claim to it. He never argued with you. Later you gave up the chain and you spent all your time in your sleeping box by the microwave cupboard, where you eat.

You were a good cat and I hope you had everything you needed while you were here. I will miss you greatly old friend. You will always have a place in my heart.

The loss of each is solaced,
yet never erased,
by the perpetual beating
of each heart
within my own.

Cheryl