We had to have our much loved old cat, Jim, put to sleep this afternoon. It completely broke me up.

He was a great survivor and had a very happy and contented life but in the end there was nothing more we could do for him and I wanted him to have a peaceful and painless death. The veterinary staff were wonderful, as they always are on these occasions. I brought him home and cleaned him up ready for burial tomorrow.

For years he had suffered from a chronic sinus infection which meant he would sneeze a lot, usually covering everything close by in foul smelling snot. He had improved quite a lot in the last year or so and his sneezes were not as explosive. After the vet had checked Jim's heart to confirm that he had died he went out of the room to collect a large cloth so I could wrap Jim to take him home. While he was out Jim let go one last sneeze! It was a reflex, of course, but - through the tears - it brought a little smile to my face. I shall miss him a lot.