# indiana baby kitten



## T.H.

hello

This is Tatiana and hayden and this is our baby indiana we rescued him when he was about 1 day old after the mother cat who was possibly a stray or runaway had her litter of 3 under Haydens house. She seemed to reject little indiana and he was found on the floor on the other side of the house (the mum cat was up on a beam area). 

We took him in and were told he probably wouldn't survive, but he has and is now 4 weeks old extremely playfull and loving. We have been told he will be a small cat because he is a little over half the size he should be at this age but is completely healthy and we are going for regular check ups every 2 weeks. 

I have never had to raise a kitten ( i have 3 adult cats in the house and i own a pet turtle) so i was pretty lost and worried i would not do it right but thanks to some people on this forum they helped us with raising little indie. so i would just like to say thanks 

Indiana would say thanks to but he is a bit busy attacking my feet and the teddy bear. 

any way here he is:
indiana about a week old









inidana about a week old









indiana hiding under my bed during a night feed, i couldn't see him in the dark









indiana attacking the poor teddy









looking cute when put to bed


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## Heidi n Q

:luv ZOMGIthinkIlovethatIndyandbunnypicture!


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## RachandNito

>


Well, there goes my heart. Melted into a sloppy pile. You better replace it- you gave no warning that you were posting extremely dangerous heart-melting pictures!!


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## Jeanie

I want! I want! I want! :heart


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## marie73

Holy crap! 

Kitten fever epidemic strikes San Diego! :luv


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## euphoria066

oh my GOSH. look at that mean little face attacking that bear!! 

impossibly cute!!


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## OctoberinMaine

Look at brave Indy, attacking the bear that's twice as big as he is! Such cute pictures.

I'd love to see more pictures or video of Indy with Snow, too. That video of Indy crawling all over her was way too cute.


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## motterj

How absolutely adorable!


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## T.H.

hello

indiana is doing well and attacking everything in his path, he is so lively and when it suits him he loves cuddles. the other cat sher kahn now finally stops running away from indiana and just sits there so that is good, here are some more pictures from last week ish : If you click on them i think you can see them bigger sorry 

kitten snuggle time


doing the please let me out look


lying in the sun with snow white


"let me out"


playing with his toys with other cat sher kahn


im big and scary too


cuddle time with daddy


playing guitar


sher kahn finally stops running away from him and accepts his new brother


sher kahn just quietly putting up with his new brother climbing all over him


indiana loves the camera.....just about to jump at it,playing peek a boo


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## Jeanie

She is so very adorable and so tiny! I wish she were mine. Your other cats are so sweet to her.


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## marie73

My favorite picture, especially when viewed normal size!


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## Heidi n Q

I love how active and playful he is getting! Rawr!


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## T.H.

indiana has now learnt how to jump onto the blankets and climb up onto the bed and now wont stop doing it.

he has also found that stepping on my lap top after jumping onto the bed can sometimes make funny noises and he like to play on it now :? ...... he is exploring sooo much lately.

Here is something he wrote for you guys (secret cat message haha)

r0rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl;kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk2222265````` vvvvvvvvvvv (he also managed to open up several documents and sites while attacking the keyboard)



note the lovely addition on the computer to my assignment...thanks indie sorry you will have to click on the picture to see it bigger 


so there you have it indiana says ror now he has gone back to attcking my fingers as i type



photos taken just now while i was writing this he was playing with his teddy.


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## DesnBaby

Adorably cute


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## Heidi n Q

:luv Yep. It's official: I'm in love with Indiana. :luv


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## whiteghost

Aww. He's adorable and reminds me of my Scooter Bug!

Here's Scooter Bug.


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## T.H.

oh my gosh they are twins  scooter is sooo cute :luv


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## whiteghost

Thankyou! But unfortunately...they grow up! Scooter Bug will be a year old in July...but I got him when he was around 2-3 wks.


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## T.H.

yes haha but even when they grow up they are still adorable, did your scooter have any white bits of fur on him, or any strip looking bits on his fur. i am just wondering because on indiana we notice that he has faint black stripes in his fur like on his head and down his back and also he has been getting little bits of faint white fur on his legs like little grey hairs popping through. and your scooter has much more hair on his belly than indies should i be worried, indies coat is so beautiful and thick now but his tummy is still bare looking it has a little fluff but you can see his skin etc. Just wondering if he has a problem. or he is just that way .


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## Lori

Oh my gosh, a black kitten. *dies of cute*


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## whiteghost

T.H. said:


> yes haha but even when they grow up they are still adorable, did your scooter have any white bits of fur on him, or any strip looking bits on his fur. i am just wondering because on indiana we notice that he has faint black stripes in his fur like on his head and down his back and also he has been getting little bits of faint white fur on his legs like little grey hairs popping through. and your scooter has much more hair on his belly than indies should i be worried, indies coat is so beautiful and thick now but his tummy is still bare looking it has a little fluff but you can see his skin etc. Just wondering if he has a problem. or he is just that way .


He has white hairs on his chest and on his belly. But other then that, he's black.  Scooter Bug was 2-3wks I believe in that photo...Can't help on your question about the hair on his belly...perhaps another member can?


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## T.H.

went to the vets for his check ups and the lack of fur on his belly is fine


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## Heidi n Q

I was going to say thin hair over the belly is normal on a kitten. Also, it is normal for cats to have thin hair at their temple, between their eye and ear. It is usually most noticeable on dark and/or solid colored cats. The faint stripes you are seeing are Indy's tabby pattern, but because he is solid black, he doesn't have the agouti gene that causes tabby cats' markings to be readily visible.


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## sturussell

Hi All,

in my role as a doting kitty grandpa I feel compelled to add some more recent photos to Tatiana's thread.  

Hopefully not too many as I have a bad habit of getting carried away when Indiana and a camera are combined....

Ready....









...and pounce!!









Curtain monster vanquished, family saved, kitten triumphant.









As Tatiana may have mentioned, he has an obsession for cameras so I put my old camera down as "bait". Sure enough....









ATTACK!!









Photo taken when trying to rescue the camera before too much devastation was wrought upon it :lol: 









Antique fire screen makes a great climbing frame....









Nice warm bath and shampoo for kitty in the laundry tub. 









Hmm... not too bad...









Can I get out now?









Finally, compulsory cute bed time shot :luv 









Tatiana assures me she'll provide a more in-depth update soon but from my perspective, it still amazes me how much he's grown in the short time he's been with us. The transition from helpless little ball of fluff to the VERY active little kitty we have today.

Kind regards,
Stu


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## sturussell

Update: while typing the previous message Tatiana drew my attention to this happening in the lounge.....

Indiana had been attacking Snow White's tail for several minutes until - as I took the photo - Snow White decided enough was enough (looks a lot worse than it was).









A brief pause, followed by a last defiant and victorious bite and then back to a respectable distance to attack the curtains again.









Regards,
Stu.


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## marie73

Great pictures! That's one fearless kitty! 8O


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## Heidi n Q

ZOMG how could you not love his cute little face and heroic efforts to keep the family safe from curtains! :luv 
Can you box him up and ship him to me? He is just all kinds of adorable! :luv


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## OzzeeTantrum

Aw. I miss the days when my little guy was just a kitten. ;(


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## lv2ski

OMG the bath pics are just too cute.

Love the pic of Indi attacking the tail. :lol:


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## Heidi n Q

EVERY time I look at his pictures I'm either noticing EYES, whip-thin TAIL or CLAWS! 8O


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## whiteghost

Those photos are so cute!!


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## BroganMc

sturussell said:


> Curtain monster vanquished, family saved, kitten triumphant.
> 
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> 
> Can I get out now?


Ok now you've done it! I'm a warm puddle of goo. How dare you post those pictures without a Surgeon General's warning.

Snap away grandpa. Make sure you get lots of video too. They're only young once. So adorable I can't stand it.


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## sturussell

Hi All,

a few more recent photos of Indiana....

Relaxing in the autumn sun...









Yawn...









Big stretch...









One more yawn/stretch combination and then all set to get busy 









That bell moved!!









Missed....









The trusty old scratching pole, dragged out of retirement after kitty discovered it and took an instant liking to it...









As each day goes by, Indiana seems to get more and more active and adventurous.

Kind regards,
Stu.


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## marie73

Such adorable pictures!!!! :luv


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## Heidi n Q

:luv Indy is looking more and more grown up with every photo session. He'll grow FAST, now. Keep that camera charged and handy! :luv


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## sturussell

Hi All,

seeing as how Tatiana is hard at work with university assignments and Robyn has been busy since returning from Thailand, I thought I'd better update this thread. 

Indiana is growing at an incredible rate and is a constant ball of affectionate and doting energy at the moment. He loves playing with his toys (as well as hiding them in a little stash under the bed) and will attack anything that moves, as well as a great deal of things that don't move  

Tatiana assures me she'll provide a more in depth update as soon as she can but in the meantime, a few photos from this week.....

A new source of entertainment, the plastic bag. Grab...








... and run.








"Who's there?!"








"Get your own bag buddy, this is mine!"








One of the favourite toys being taught a lesson.








"Hey, this website looks interesting"








"Why does this thing keep coming back at me?"








"got it"









Regards,
Stu.


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## katlover13

What a darling beautiful kitten! I love the picture of him dragging the bag. What a great personality for such a little guy!


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## lv2ski

sturussell said:


> "Hey, this website looks interesting"


Ah, I see it already.....a future kitty-forum member! :lol: 

So cute!!! Indiana is really growing!


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## Bethany

Awww, getting to be a big kitty now! What adorable photos!

I've especially been enjoying these pictures because Stormy was 6 months old when I get her, so I don't have any kitten pictures of her. So when I see pictures of black kittens it gives me some idea what she looked like as a baby.


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## Heidi n Q

What an adorable bundle of energy he is, and what AWESOME action shots!!!!! :luv


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## Dave_ph

What a fiesty little guy.


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## P&R

:luv


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## T.H.

hi

indiana is doing so well and he loves cuddles but when he wants to play he wants to play  he loves to fall asleep next to us and would love to fall asleep in out bed at night, and he has been climbing out and waking us up by walking all over our faces and purring at 4.30 5 am and then going under the blankets to sleep, but because of his size and we move so much we are going to wait till he is a bit bigger to sleep in the bed. other than that here is a video with photos and videos of him now 

sorry about the slow update been working thanks dad for doing them 

link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdm8RlFLJFY


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## lv2ski

Thank you for putting a smile on my face! That was absolutely adorable! :luv


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## Heidi n Q

What awesome music for the photos and videos of Indy! :luv Perfect.


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## katlover13

Very well made video. I love the part where he is chasing the camera string.


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## Mitts & Tess

What an adorable guy! How can so much personality and cuteness be stuffed into one little kitten body. Your videos and pictures are a delight. Thanks to your dad for keeping us updated too!
You can never post too many pictures and videos and stories of this cutie! I love how your adult cats are so patient with him. Its amazing how adult kitties have such patience. But when they have enough they give him a gentle swat... teaching that young whipper snapper manners!


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## sturussell

Hi All.

Despite Sher Kahn's chastising of kitty in Tatiana's video, they seem to be getting along quite well....

The two boys, tired after a big day doing cat stuff....









The sharing of the "junk mail nest" on the table.
Cautiously approaching along the window sill....
















"Here, you may sit on this McDonalds pamphlet"...









And one cute shot to end  









Regards,
Stu.


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## bridgete2010

AWW SO CUTE !  8O


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## Mitts & Tess

I am seriously in lov!!! :luv 

This picture is priceless! You can just see the wheels going
in his head. _Should I do this, will they know it is me who did
it, I could try to be good but oh my I think Im going to do it!_

Those little kitten claws look lethal!


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## sturussell

Hi All,

it would seem that the 2 "boys" are starting to get along a bit better insofar as Sher Kahn doesn't run away as soon as kitty gets too close.

These from yesterday...

















Note, Indiana isn't quite as big as he looks in the photos, he was just closest to the camera  

Regards,
Stu.


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## my5kitties

**THUD** I'm sorry, I fell off my chair from the cuteness. Awesome pictures, Stu.


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## sturussell

Hi again,

yet another update on Indiana's progress. 

He's now about 3 months old (I think) and growing quickly. At the moment he has very long legs which he seems to have learnt to defy gravity with, often to be found in high and seemingly inaccessible places  

































We've had a bit of a drought here for the last few months but yesterday winter finally arrived with the first real downpour we've had for ages and gale force winds. Kitty was fascinated by the water that was coming out of the sky and running down the window - having never really seen it before - and spent quite some time staring at it in awe.

























Finally, after a big day of important kitty stuff - time for a rest  









Regards,
Stu.


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## Heidi n Q

Wow, he sure is growing! ...bit of an acrobat, you've got there! :wink


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## OctoberinMaine

Your pictures are great! It's fun to watch him grow up. It seems like just the other day we saw that video of him climbing all over the white kitty.


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## sturussell

October said:


> It seems like just the other day we saw that video of him climbing all over the white kitty.


Precisely  

It's amazing how fast he's grown in the 3 or so months he's been with us... from a helpless little rescued kitty that we weren't sure would survive to - currently - the most destructive force in the universe :lol: 




























Regards,
Stu.


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## Heidi n Q

My God, I *love* his claws! :lol:


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## T.H.

hello

okay i finally have some photos to put up these are from this month \

he wedged himself here when i was on the couch...but he was sure to be polite and cross his legs 









"shh its me and teddy's quiet time"









i was amazed at his coat how the stripes came out in the photo.....he is a tiger at heart 









"AHHHHH MUM LEAVE ME ALONE IM WITH MY BIG BROTHER!"









asleep on my arm 









"mum is was THIS BIG!!"









"no i really swear it was that big"









"okay maybe it wasnt"...his feet look like a rabbits









"oh god mum why....why!!! im a boy!!!" hehehe









"she loves me she loves me not"









"OMG WHAT IS THAT!!!!"









and a nice one to end









enjoy


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## Heidi n Q

:luv the loves-me-loves-me-not pic!


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## Dave_ph

Awwww.


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## Kobster

He looks like my little foster Ninja!!! SOOOOO sweet! Ever wonder how you could love something so small so much!


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## T.H.

i know when we first got him he was tiny...it was amazing how small he was....its only been about 4 months and he looking like a small cat now


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## Leazie

I love how he plays with his toys.


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## Ramey

Awww! That video was great! He is SO playful and funny! So cool you raised him from his first day in the world! Great job!


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## OctoberinMaine

Great video! It's so fun to see him grow up.


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## sturussell

Hi All, 


Indiana's grandpa here. 

I know it's been a while since any news was posted about Indiana and I only wish the news I had to post now wasn't what it is. Tragically Indiana was taken from us this evening after being hit by a car. He was rushed to the vet but his injuries were too severe and he passed away. The photo below was taken only a few days ago. He had become a most beautiful and loved member of the family and we can't believe he's no longer with us. Many tears are being shed, myself included.


*








*

I hope you don't mind but I've included a tribute to him I wrote for facebook...


Farewell little Indiana and rest in peace. After beating all the odds you were taken from us far too soon. My heart aches terribly at your loss and also at seeing the anguish and loss my daughter - your surrogate mum - is going through as her heart breaks. You were her and Hayden's baby. 

I have never known a kitten who has become such a part of the family, touched so many hearts, been loved and given back that love so unconditionally. You gave us all so much joy for the 10 months you were with us. If you hadn't been so special there wouldn't be so many tears being shed for you tonight. 

Rest well and enjoy your last night on your bed little man. Even though your body is cold, your spirit and memories provide warmth. 

Life isn't fair at times


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## marie73

Indiana. The adorable little kitten that we all wanted to steal and keep for ourselves.

I'm so sorry for your loss. atback


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## dweamgoil

OMG! I feel like such a johnny come lately. I read the whole thread and was so excited to post on what a gorgeous and vivacious cat Indiana was....and then, the news! I AM SOOOOOOOOOO SORRY for your loss atback He was an amazing cat


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## OctoberinMaine

Oh my gosh, what a terrible heartbreak. I'm so sorry. Indiana was a beautiful, lovable kitty and it was a lot of fun to watch him growing up.


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## Carmel

That's so heartbreaking. I went through about five wonderful pages of pictures of this little guy and I can tell Indiana was such a character, I'm really upset and I didn't even know him - though I feel I kind of did through all the pictures you shared. A lot of cats just don't do well outdoors, one of mine that was raised from a very young age was hit by a car too (though lived through that but was gone by three years due to other reasons). Some cats just go too young. I'm really sorry for your loss.


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## tghsmith

some meteors hit the atmosphere at a low angle and leave a fine line from horizon to horizon, a small few hit directly and explode in a brillant flash, both can have a profound effect on your soul..cherish the time you had, he will..so sorry for your loss..


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## Gizmokitty

I'm new to this thread too (can't believe I missed it).

After reading the thread, Indiana was such a wonderful kitty. So sorry for your loss atback.


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## Sinatra-Butters

I am new to the thread as well. I am so sorry for your loss.


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## my5kitties

I am so sorry for your loss. I first read about it on Facebook earlier this morning, but I didn't know what had happened. Through you and your posts, I was able to get an idea of what my Midnight must have been like as a kitten. Thank you for sharing. I feel as if one of my cats passed away. ((((hugs to everyone in Indiana's family))))


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## Susan

That's so sad. I'm very sorry to hear of your loss.


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## sturussell

Thank you all so much for your kind words and thoughts, it honestly means a great deal to all of us. 

Last night and today have been very hard with grief coming in waves. We'll be fine for a while then something will happen, even as simple as looking out the window and expecting to see Indiana trotting up, tail held high and then realising that will now never be. For both Robyn and I, the added pain has been seeing our daughter so heartbroken and knowing there's nothing we can do to ease the pain.

This morning we took little Indiana to "Pets at Rest", a pet crematorium here in Auckland. Saying a last goodbye to the little man and giving him a lingering final fond stroke and tickle behind the ear was the hardest moment for Robyn, Tatiana and myself and as we left to get into the car, a steady rain began to fall as if the sky was crying along with us. It's been raining ever since and quite heavily at times which led us to think "don't cry for our grief little Indy, you're in a better place now".

Even though we do have 3 other cats who we love dearly, there was something special about Indiana. He was a wonderful kitten who touched many hearts not only in our family but around the world and that's why the hurt is so bad. 

Perhaps something so perfect could only be on loan from God to bring joy into our lives and now God needs him back in heaven to bring joy there.

Farewell little man, at rest now. We'll always remember you and love you.


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## kwelz

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I haven't been on here in a while and was just reading through the thread. I sent a FB request and then finished reading. I am so sad for you. I think I will go home at lunch from work and hug my kitties.


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## Xanti

How sad  He was a gorgeous kitten with a huge personality and he has touched a lot of people.

We are here for you and we love him too.


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