kalebsmom wrote about Phoenix: Phoenix was one of five kittens born in early August 2008 to a stray gray mama cat the kids helped me catch and bring into the house. She was the only black kitten in a litter of otherwise all gray kittens, and she stood out from the others in more ways than one right from the beginning. While all the kittens had to be bottle fed beginning just three days after birth, until they were weaned onto solid foods and water in a bowl at 6-8 weeks, Phoenix was on a roller-coaster ride over her eating habits right from the start. First, she had the biggest appetite, then she had to be force fed to keep her alive, and after that she had to have three times as many feedings as the other kittens because she only ate about 1/3rd as much at each feeding as her siblings did. For the entire 5+ months of her too short life, Phoenix never ate unless out of a bottle, and then only kitten formula. Near the end, she did start drinking water from a bowl, but not much and not often. Phoenix had very strange wounds/injuries to the top of her head and the side of her face, dating back to the first week or two of life, that for awhile I feared would never heal. Although they did finally heal, they left some obvious scarring behind, as well as large patchy areas where her hair never did come in properly, and what DID some in was an off-white. Phoenix was well named, because she should have crossed the Rainbow Bridge several times during her all too short life, but like the proverbial Phoenix of legend, she kept "rising from the ashes" to give life another go, despite having been diagnosed as FIV and FeLV positive. Tiny for her age (about the size of a five-week-old-kitten), Phoenix had the strength and willpower of a full grown cat, and I had great hopes for her future. Alas, such was not to be. Although we still are not sure exactly what happened, she began suddenly to fade rapidly right before our eyes, and we lost her shortly after arriving at the vet's office. Her smallest brother, Trouble, seems to have some of the same issues she had, only not nearly as severe. He's currently a year old, but he's only about half the size he should be. Of Phoenix's three siblings, Trouble is the one that most reminds me of her, and not just because of his small size and health issues. I see Phoenix in Trouble's mannerisms, expressions, and zest for life. In Memory of Phoenix!!!