By Scott Shephard

There is much that I could say about our cat Mac, who came into our home from the Humane Society 16 years ago. Instead, I will simply say that we put him to sleep today as an act of mercy and love.

He was really Deb's cat - I always thought of myself as a dog person. Slowly but surely, though, Mac turned me into a cat lover. Each night he cuddled against me as I went to sleep and each morning he purposefully led me to the cabinet in my den so he could enjoy his cat treat. Today it was Friskies Party Mix Crunch.

I wonder how many nights and how many mornings it will take before I quit expecting to see our good and loyal friend Mac?

Canon 5DIII 1/60s f/4.0 ISO3200 102mm