Here are some pictures to help remember Barney, a cat who brought a lot of joy into our lives.

We first met Barney when we lived in New Jersey. A neighbor had found the kitten left behind at a flea market, apparently leftover from a litter of cats being given away. The neighbor could not keep him, however, so started bringing him around the neighborhood in a box. When we saw him, we could not resist.

At the time we already had two cats, Tiger and Fred. Both of them started life as strays -- my future wife found Tiger but could not keep him, and gave him to me. Then I found Fred -- but Tiger did not approve of a new kitten, so I gave him to her. Eventually, me and my fiance moved in together and the two cats had to learn to live together, too.

Though he was the newcomer, Barney soon became both popular and unpopular -- he was prone to misbehave in almost every way possible for a cat, but he also made friends with everyone he met. He never could get too much attention and responded with a loud purr that always reminded me of a well-tuned engine.

As a young cat he loved to explore everything -- particularly our attic. He would bound up the ladder whenever the hatchway was opened, and would not come down for hours.

Unfortunately, this year our new vet found that Barney had severe heart disease. With medicine, he perked up and seemed to be as fun-loving as ever, until a stroke left him clinging so faintly to life that we and the vet agreed to end his life.

One can't know his thoughts, but it seemed to me that as we were torn, so was he -- he did not want to live as he was, but he also did not want to leave the world. His struggles and final cries recalled the lines: