"They that love beyond the world cannot be separated. Death cannot kill what never dies. Nor can Spirits ever be divided
that love and live in the same Divine Principle; the Root and Record of their Friendship.
Death is but crossing the world, as Friends to the seas; they live in one another still." ~ William Penn

In Memory of Harold

It is with broken hearts that we announce the passing of our dear friend Harold which occurred on the evening of January 31, 2025.

Harold joined the DunRoamin' family on March 13, 2020. He was a stray from the Perth Andover area who was struggling to survive on his own - he was found to be living under an apartment building and was eating whatever garbage he could find. He needed help.

His new vet found that he was underweight, was missing fur on his hind end, and he had stomatitis (inflammation in his mouth) which required all teeth to be removed. With a pain-free mouth, good food and lots of love, Harold was soon feeling like a brand new kitty!

Harold moved into our Gen Pop room where he settled in with ease and made friends with the other cats in the room. His favourite thing to do was to watch the kittens in the nursery, often sticking his paws under the door to play with them. And when the kittens were old enough to join him in Gen Pop, he became a mentor to them, playing and wrestling with them and then giving them a quick slap when they got a little too wild with their kitten antics. His affinity for kittens earned him the nickname "Uncle Harold."

As time passed, we observed Harold struggling with bouts of diarrhea. He moved in with Trez and Atlas, our kitties with Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), in hopes that a change in diet would help. But it didn't. On November 3, 2022, Harold was diagnosed with cancer in his bowel. We didn't know how much time we would have left with him, so we vowed to spoil him even more and cherish every day we had with him.

Harold moved into I-Lean's Room and our reception area where he could eat whichever food he pleased. He enjoyed greeting visitors at the door and choosing any one of his plethora of beds to curl up in for a warm, cozy nap. He got along well with his roommates, even if he did occasionally give them a quick slap if they were out of line - he was still Uncle Harold, after all!

Harold fought hard against his cancer and did quite well for two years. But by the end of January 2025, he was weak and tired, and it was time to say goodbye. Harold's final day consisted of naps in his sunny window bed, lots of treats and ground steak, and endless cuddles and head pats telling him what a good boy he was and how much we were going to miss him. His final hour was spent doing what he loved most - going for a trolley ride. And when he finished his ride, he curled up in his bed for his final nap. He was surrounded by his family and knew only the greatest love as he passed peacefully.

There are so many things we are going to miss about our dear little friend. We are going to miss how, when we would put our arms in a circle, he would happily climb in for a cuddle and a nap. We are going to miss how he was always the first one at our feet when he heard us open a treat bag. We are going to miss how he would always hop onto the trolley to get a ride around the building. We are going to miss how he would squirrel pills in his cheeks and then spit them out without us knowing - we would find his pills on a blanket, in a bed, or sometimes just in the middle of the floor. And as the days go by, there will be little things that remind us of Harold and make us miss him even more.

But, we know he is now healthy and pain-free, and he has lots of little kitten friends who call him "Uncle". You have had a huge impact on our lives, Harold, and we will always miss you.

We love you, Harold.