In 2000 our teenage daughter found a small kitten under a pallet of zinnia at the nursery where she was working. She asked my wife if she could adopt it. To make a long story short, the daughter has long since left for college, graduated, married, moved to Phoenix, and now has a daughter of her own. The cat (Zinnia) has been with us since and become a member of our family. This picture was taken on Sept. 22. Two days later she went outside for 4 hours and came back in stumbling, drooling, and howling. We thought a dog or something had injured her. The vet says she had a stroke. We didn't think she would make it because she wouldn't eat or drink. The vet did a good job and she now can walk although she stumbles a bit and sometimes falls down. She has her appetite back and can negotiate her litter box. She's an inside kitty now.
This has been an experience for Mary Ruth and I. It really hit home that this was not simply a cat. For the two days that we were pretty well convinced that she would be "leaving us", I thought it was more than coincidence that I took this picture.
<img src="http://stock4today.com/harry/images/zinnia.jpg" >