He's gone.

The vet called... Drizz was prepped for surgery and suddenly fluid came out of his mouth, and he died. 

They did a post-mortem - something was wrong with his gall bladder and bile duct - which caused his kidneys and liver to fail.  He had no explanation why - just "one of those strange things".  A physical problem Drizz must have had all his life, or been developing for some time... just, oddly, never really showed any symptoms of until very recently.

My only comfort is that it was quick (more my comfort than his) and that he seemed to not be in pain at all until a couple of days ago.  There is the pain of long, drawn-out death, like Kaylee, where every time I saw her, held her, petted her, I knew might be the last because her end was knowingly soon.

And then there's this kind of loss, where you go in with hope (and a little fear) and then blammo, it's over.  Shocking, still painful, still heart-wrenching.  My Drizz is gone.  I will never hear him talk to me again.  He'll never crawl under my blanket and purr so loudly that he gags himself.  He had a way of sitting up on his kitty shelf or on top of the stairs, with his legs straight out in front of him.  He loved having his back scratched near his tail.  Sometimes he'd get so into his joyful (sometimes demanding food) meows that he'd throw his head back as he shouted.  He was regal, and noble, and beautiful.  He was my first kitty, and I shall miss him so, so much.

Goodbye my Drizzet.  You and Kaylee keep each other company, wherever you are.

drizz