Dear Diana,

I remember when we first got you as a kitten. I was horrified that my mother kept swinging your cage as we took you home. Clearly mother was walking as she usually did forgetting the delicate creature she was holding. You were very scared. So scared that you hid behind the piano for a few days, finally venturing out when you realised that the piano probably didn't taste that great. I finally got to meet you. Father didn't think we had a kitten as he couldn't see you. Now he gets to see you all the time.

Choosing you over your sister was very hard. In the pet shop, you and your sister were both sitting next to each other on a ledge by the cashdesk. I didn't know how to pick, I ended up picking the one looking most sad. I think in the end that was the best decision I made.

You once annoyed everyone in the house. You peed on my coat didn't you. You were only a kitten and you were still very new and small, and had yet to be trained. Now you know better don't you! Mother was very angry, and I don't think I ever wore that coat again. Never mind eh!

You were so cute and everyone remarked on how beautiful you were. You loved attention, always rubbing up against someone's leg! You still do... and you know who will always give you attention!

You were always so affectionate and welcoming. Whenever we came home, you would all of a sudden appear and walk the last few paces to the front door with us, stick your tail up at us to say hello, greet us and then scamper back off to wherever you were playing. Before the new house there was no cat flap, so you would position yourself at the window nearest the door and wait patiently, only meowing to be let in when it was raining...and who can blame ya!

Ha, you loved playing with belts. I use to take one of father's belts hanging up and shake it around so it looked all snake like, and you would try and grab it between your paws... I found it to be soo cute when you stood on your hind legs reaching up. Watching you play was always a joy. You loved to roll around on your back, exposing your stomach...but dare anyone come near... a few scratches remind me of that! When you got into your hunting pose, I knew that a mouse somewhere should start saying it's prayers. Luckily for me, I've never had to see one of the many corpse's you brought back. However, your hunting skills did come into play when we had a mouse in the house. Being you, you teased the poor mouse, catching it, letting it go, then catching it, and then killing it. You also liked to go back to your instincts everytime we slying slipped you some meat from the table. You'd drag it out of your bowl and take it to a far corner of the room and eat it. We always use to find trails....

I remember when you got really ill in July 2008. I'd been away for a few days and I came back to find you limping across the kitchen. One paw raised and you in clear agony. I got very angry and demanded to know why you hadn't been taken to the vets sooner. I got some crummy response, but you got taken the next day. Man how I wanted to cry when I saw that pitiful sight. You'd been stabbed in the foot, and it had got all infected. When they brought you back from the vets you were all woozy and shaky with a buster collar. You really didn't like that, and kept licking the see-through collar thinking it was your skin. I can't imagine your tongue liked that! As I'd be away over the coming days the parents put you in my room. Now I know I don't have a bed anymore, but when I did it was over a metre high. Given that you couldn't walk cos your foot had all been bandaged up, and your little tray was on the floor, you peed all over my bed and it wasn't noticed until I got back and climbed into my bed. Thanks to you, I had a sleeping bag for 6 months, when mother finally caved and got me a new duvet. I didn't mind too much... I was glad you were better...

Seeing you now is agony. I can see you are in soo much pain, as your organs slowly go into failiure. But as ever, you are patient and kind and considerate of others and so sleep continuously without complaining. I can't imagine or understand what it must be like for you, to not want to go out to play, or eat, or drink, or do anything. I guess sleep is the only thing which gives you comfort. I feel foolish for not demanding the parents take you to the vets sooner as I thought it might of been this for a while. I should of protested more at the parents only ever giving you dry food. I guess your change in behaviour should of alerted me to it. You hate leaving the kitchen, you have your spot and dare anyone take it. But then you didn't want to be in the kitchen and would go all over the house, going through all the rooms and all the nooks and cranny's. I figured, your trying to do something, I don't know what, but I'll try and convince the parents to let you wander if you want, even though they hated the fact your shedding ridiculous amounts of fur. I suppose the tufts that are continously falling out and have been for months should of told us something was wrong. I tried looking stuff up and apparently cats when they are going to die, look for somewhere quiet, so I figured that was what you were doing and if that's what you wanted, then you were going to have it.... But now you are too ill to even do that. I know I can't make you comfortable and healthy but I pray that they can fix you. You've been around too long to go and I love you too much to let you go.

You are such a beautiful cat Diana, and you show everyone affection, even Bruce although he contstantly teases you and tries to force you out of the house. For 13 years, you are still the size of a kitten, and if any cat dared hurt you, I would get very angry at them! Probably the reason why none of them sit on our shed anymore! It's your shed. I do remember you once found your way in there, and mother was surprised to see you sitting at the window as you couldn't get out. Silly thing! You always had a habit of going to random places every now and then. Sometimes I'd open my door, step out, and there you were curled up into a ball on the floor. You only ever seemed to leave the kitchen willingly once a month!...