Farewell DC

Yikes...tomorrow is D day for DC, my friend's cat. It seems old DC has not been doing to well and my friend took him in to the vet for a look see and some blood work. It appears DC has been on the prowl and has feline leukemia--not unusual in an outside cat. The bad news is, he's really feeling crummy and since there is no cure the vet suggested putting him to sleep since he's also no spring chicken. Enter me. I had told my friend I would go with her to do the evil deed, if she wanted, and tomorrow is it. DC's lease is officially up, on earth, as of about 3pm. She's talked with all of her kids- hers, and the ones of her husband who recently killed himself--and everybody is good with putting old DC out of his misery and interestingly, none of them wanted to come home for a final goodbye. I'm guessing that would just be too much and Lord knows they've been through enough recently.
This is just another big ending for my friend as, Bob, her husband, saved DC as a kitten, and as a result, they were quite the twosome. Since my friend is super allergic to cats, though she adores them, Bob did all the cat duty and DC has just been one cool guy. He used to lie around on the driveway at night until every last kid came in (all 5), and were home for the night. It's like he could tell if they were leaving again and would stay on post. Once everyone was home for the night and accounted for, he'd slink to the back yard to his kitty condo and crash. They called him their Guard Cat.
I'm a big believer in giving all my animals the best quality of life possible but I'm not the kidney transplant type. I'm not going to keep them here on this planet, uncomfortable and unhappy, just because I'm not willing to let them go. If they are in pain or are hurt, and the vet and I can't fix it and give them a reasonably happy remaining life, then it's just time. I know my friend is going to be an emotional wreck tomorrow and my prayers have already started for her and her family. I'll say this and close: DC's last day on earth sure is gonna be a beautiful one....the sun is out, the birds are singing, and the temp is purrrrfect. Lucky guy.