I can’t call this a “Friday Favorites” post … but this guy is definitely a favorite.

This little guy showed up in our back yard about a week ago, and immediately made it clear that he had chosen us as his own. Every time we’d go outside, he’d come running. At first we tried to ignore him, thinking he’d just go away, but it didn’t take long for him to wear us down. He was a little rough around the edges and a little annoying, but he was so sweet and so friendly, and he wanted to come live with us so badly. And as much as we didn’t want a third cat, we just couldn’t let him stay outside alone and hungry. We named him Rabbit. As in Eminem’s character in 8 Mile. We decided to take Rabbit to the vet to get him checked out before letting him into the house. I took him in this morning and the vet discovered that he tested positive for a communicable disease. The vet said it would be dangerous for him to have contact with our cats and that it would also be dangerous to let him go back outside because he could infect other strays. In other words, he needed to be put down. I am so very very heartbroken and I’ve been crying for hours. But this photo I snapped of him last night, sitting next to me on the new deck, so content and so happy, and feeling at home, makes me smile. I will be content knowing that we gave this little guy one of the best weeks of his life, and that he knew at the end that he was loved.

Rest in peace, Rabbit. We will miss you.