Ned was a handsome cat that we adopted 3 years ago. He was the friendliest cat we had been lucky enough to have as a member of the family. Although diagnosed with severe HCM before the age of 3 he was apparently unaware of this as he remained asymptomatic until close to his death at 4 year old. His best friend was our 90 pound boxer, Stewie. They both patroled the house together and when Stewie headed outside, Ned watched from the windowsill, observing his every move. Ned slept with us each night and woke us at precisely 6:15 in case we had forgotten this is his breakfast time. He spent the afternoon nap time ``protecting`` our 4 year old son who was very attached to him. Our family was devastated when it came time for Ned to cross the Rainbow Bridge. but our lives were better for having shared the short time with him.
