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It was an incredible journey. I don't know of any cat who can boast of doing everything that I did, or accomplishing the things that I accomplished.

It all started according to plan. When I was ten days old I placed myself and my brother in a tire so that I would be found by the head of Security on the hospital grounds where I was born. His name was Clint Knapp and he was about to get married, but he didn't know that yet. When he brought two little white balls of fluff home to his girlfriend's two daughters, he won over not just the kids, but Rene as well. The girls named us - Heather named me Milo and Allison named my brother Dakota. Rene and Clint became Mom and Dad. We were their very first rescues that they did together. We would not be their last.

We were so young, we had to drink out of little baby bottles every four hours. Everyone thought I was so cute with my big blue eyes and constant purr. Odd-eyed Dakota was much more serious though. He had two diffferent colored eyes! He decided right away that he belonged to the youngest daughter in the family who was also serious. As for me, I belonged to everybody!

We had such a fun kittenhood. Since I had taught Mom and Dad how much fun it could be rescuing homeless cats, they started their own rescue organization called Helping Paws and we ended up with some new brothers and sisters. And Clint and Rene got married! I snuck into the wedding and hid in the white flower arrangement so I could see the ceremony. But I got bored and ate some of the flowers and got caught!

We started filming a weekly television show called "Pet Talk" where Mom and Dad gave tips on dog and cat behavior, had special guests and featured animals that needed new homes. I immediately got picked to be the star of the show because of my great personality and the fact that I actually smiled all the time. My segment was called "Milo's musings" and I would help people see life through the eyes of a cat. Dad did the talking for me, but the thoughts were mine.

The same kind of thing happened when mom started writing her weekly newspaper column for the Norwich Bulletin. She did the writing for me, but the thoughts were mine.

When Dakota and I were seven months old, we both got very, very sick. Our friends at the Colchester Vet thought we had something really bad called FIP and said that we might have to be put to sleep. But mom started to do some research and found out that there are lots of Corona Viruses and only one is fatal. She didn't believe that were going to die and she said no. Within a week we were both home all healthy and happy. Yay mom!

Helping Paws started to grow and grow and I went to lots of fundraisers during the next ten years. I also got to give out the Milo Humanitarian Award every year to someone who really stood out in rescue work. Some of the people that got my award and wanted a picture taken with me include the weatherman Scott Haney, Dr. John Caltabiano (the founder of T.E.A.M.), Kitty Baker from the Connecticut Humane Society, and my personal favorite, Joanne Sandano from Animal Precinct, New York City.

During that time a very sad thing happened. My brother Dakota left us. He had something wrong with him they called cancer. One day he was just gone! I didn't understand it but I had a lot of responsiblities at that time and kept busy.

I became a show cat! I was shown in three different cat associations and became Supreme Grand Masters in all of three of them. I was an instant hit with the judges and became the best household pet of the year for the American Association of Cat Enthusiasts in 2002-2003, and also earned high awards in The International Cat Association and the Cat Fanciers Federation. All the judges commented on how I kept my white coat pristeen white and how beautiful my deep blue eyes were. I knew I was great too - I pranced and purred my way right into everyone's hearts and I smiled every time I was on the judge's stand for all the spectators to see. I loved travelling all over for Mom and Dad. It was fun staying in hotel rooms and getting lots of special treats. I have to say I got a little heavy. At the age of seven I weighed fifteen pounds! But, I never got bigger, no matter what the judges might tell you.

A really exciting thing happened to me during my show career. I was invited to star in a play for the Park Road Playhouse in West Hartford, Connecticut. I was to be Piewacket in Bell, Book and Candle. We rehearsed for over a month and the play ran for two weeks! At the end of every show, I would come out on stage in my tuxedo. I always got a standing ovation because of my stellar performance. I have to admit it was a very heady experience. And then to top it all off, the Playhouse started giving out the Milo Awards to the best actors and actresses of the year. I went to the first Milo Awards dinner (in my tux of course). The chef made me my own special chicken and crab dish! And the Milo Awards are still given out every year.

As I got older I didn't want to travel quite so much and so I stayed home more and watched over the household. I was definitely top cat. Whenever there was a newcomer in the house I showed them the ropes. I was never mean to anyone and always took care of everyone. Mom and Dad could always depend on me to watch over them and everyone else in the household.

Life was really good at home. Dad had made a protected area that was an outside courtyard for us so we could safely go outside and play in the grass and climb trees. We got in and out of the courtyard through a window leading to the basement which was really the cat room. There was lots of beds and scratchers and toys and cat furniture for us to climb. At night I would come upstairs and make sure everything was okay and that my humans were comfortable and safe. I really loved my life and my family.

I had always been a visiting cat for young children in their schools and now that I was older, I started visiting seniors in their convalescent home. They said I was a therapy cat, but I just thought I was being their friend. The young kids would all try to pet me at once but I didn't mind. I just purred at them and smiled. And the old people - they took turns having me in their laps. They told me that I reminded them of their kitty that they couldn't have live with them anymore. That mad me sad so I tried to make them all feel special.

I turned eleven years old in April of 2007. Heather told me that I had to live forever because no-one could imagine the house without me in it. It made me feel good, but I knew that nobody lives forever.

In June my ears really started to bother me. They itched all the time. I went to the vet and they thought it was an ear infection and gave me an antibiotic. But my ears didn't get better. I had little blisters in them and then they would get hard. Then they started to spread down my face, into my eyes and nose. I went back to the vet and they figured out it was some kind of allergy so they started me on a different medicine. But I got worse. My whole body started blistering and then my beautiful white coat started to fall out. I felt terrible and was in pain. I went to a specialist up at Tufts and Dr. Ackerman did a whole bunch of tests. While everyone was waiting for the results I got a bunch of new medications. The medications made me sicker. I got diabetes and had to have insulin injections every day. I lost weight. Then the test results came back.

Pemphigus Foliaceus. Those are really hard words to say but that was the name of my sickness. No-one else could get it because it was an auto immune disease and it was inside of me. My body was confused and made the blisters. Dr. Ackerman said there was no cure, but there were medications that could help control it and keep me comfortable. So they gave me more new medicine.

I took medicine three times a day and a shot once a day. Dad took really good care of me every day and he never forgot my pills (even when I would try to hide once and awhile). I was always so tired and kept losing weight. I really wanted to get better because I knew that Mom and Dad needed me to stay with them, but I just couldn't. One night I felt too weak to get up and go to bed with my humans. Mom came in and sat with me for awhile and told me that even though it would make her sad, she knew I didn't feel good and if I had to leave, I should go ahead. That they would let me go. Even though I didn't want to leave, I knew that my time was near.

I went to see my favorite vet one Saturday. he said that I had lost 40% of my body weight in less than three months and he was really worried about me. Mom said she was too and wanted to take me off some of my medications. But it was too late. On August 26, 2007, my body gave up the fight. Mom wrapped me in my favorite blanket and put me on a soft bed. She took turns with Dad holding me and telling me how much they loved me and how proud they were of me for all that I had accomplished in my life. They wanted me to stay but knew I couldn't. It was very peaceful. I saw a bright light and suddenly Dakota was running towards me with some of my other old friends and they led me to a golden bridge with a beautiful rainbow over it. I felt so strong and I had all my beautiful white fur again. I looked back just once to see Mom crying and giving me a kiss. And that's when I knew I had died.

My journey through life was incredible. I had a very important job to do and I was so proud to be part of Helping Paws and have the wonderful parents that I did. I still watch over my home and especially my mom and dad. I love them very much and I know they miss me, but I haven't gone very far. They just can't see me anymore. Don't cry mom - I'm still here.......

Love,

Milo