UPDATE: November 2009... Cyrano's heart just couldn't keep him going and we let him go. I had been bringing him up to the vet clinic every day before work for day care for a year, picking him up every night on the way back home. He loved riding in the car more than anything in the world and I hope he has come back to this world as someone's Winnebago cat. He was a very special guy. How many other cats love to ride in the car.

UPDATE: January 2009..... Cyrano is in declining health but has the life of a king. Before Christmas, I was at my wit's end with him, as he kept going outside at night and sleeping in the cold. Crating him just upset him so I took him back up to Mebane Pet Clinic to visit Dr. Thea Carter. We determined that his thyroid meds were off again and changed him over to the transdermal application. I brought him ot the clinic ever day for monitoring. Within a week, he was better but the clinic had fallen in love with him and didn't want him to leave. So, now, he goes to hang out with them every day. I drop him off before work and pick him up on the way home. I moved him into a small room without access to the outside when the door is shut so he is safe at night.

So, he may be dying, but he is loved by many every day. He gets carried around on shoulders, sits with the vets to help them do their paperwork, and greets clients at the front desk. I know it probably won't be long for him, but he is one lucky old cat.

HIS STORY: In late November of 2005, "Cyrano" wandered up to a nice woman's house on Highway 119 North, just north of Mill Creek Subdivision and Golf Course above Mebane, NC. She fed him a few days but when she realized he was old and declawed and didn't seem to be returning home, she called her vet to ask for help. They called me and I went to get him. I was certain that I'd get him home and use my scanner to find his microchip and within minutes, we'd have a happy reunion. But he wasn't chipped. Declawed, neutered and not microchipped.

What a great cat, he is — but no one claimed him. No reports of a lost cat fitting his description at the local county shelters. No reports at the local vet clinics. One response from my ad in the paper but it didn't turn out to be the right cat.... No responses to my posts on the Internet. Could his people have moved and given up hope of finding him? If only these lost ones could tell you what they've been through.

The morning after I got him, I took him with me to the local shelter (where I was picking up a feral mom cat and her unweaned babies) and had him microchipped and tested for FeLV/FIV (negative). And then after a trip to the vet for shots and a check-up, we determined that he is hyperthyroid and at least 14-15 years old. We are controlling his condition with medication. He is a great cat and doesn't seem to have any negative issues with being declawed. Since I was unable to locate his owners, he will be able to live out his life here.