TW: cancer, impending death

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Ned went to church today.

It’s not often that you see a cat in church. In fact, I don’t recall ever seeing one. Certainly none of my cats ever set a paw inside a church before today. The closest any of them came was last year, when Ned attended the Blessing of the Animals, held to celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, and that was held outside, on the church’s front lawn.

For weeks, I’d been thinking about bringing him to the Blessing for what will be his last time. You see, Ned has cancer. In the spring, he was diagnosed with lymphoma in his stomach. He started chemotherapy at the beginning of June, and he responded beautifully. By the end of August, he’d gone from 7.5 lbs. to 9.1. His appetite was strong, and everything seemed to be headed in the right direction. It was a very good summer.