This picture is very special to me because Louie is fading faster these days with dual problems of asthma and cardiomyopathy. His weight is dropping and although he seems to have an appetite and asks for food, he doesn't eat very much. Beegie looks fatter than she is (12.8 lbs), next to 7 lb. Louie. He's lost .4 pound in the last week. I don't know how much longer he's going to be around. I have been so blessed by watching their beautiful relationship and having Louie's special loving.

When I saw this moment I grabbed the F30 which happened to be on my desk, just pointed and shot and was a bit annoyed that the flash went off because I know how much the cats hate it, but true to my experience with the Fuji, the flash was flawless and didn't create red eye. Of all the digicams I've owned, and there've been a bunch, the F30 flash is absolutely the best, rarely giving red eye and squelching itself beautifully when I move in for a closeup.

Please take Louie's misfortunate as a wake-up call to make sure your pet's teeth are taken care of. Gingivitis (red swollen gums) can lead to heart disease, and I believe it was the start of Louie's. He was only three years old when I brought him in to have his teeth cleaned and the veterinarian discovered how bad his teeth and gums were and had to pull about 3/4 of them.