The picture above was taken of me saying goodbye to my feline companion of many years, Samantha. I rescued her as an adult from the animal shelter 1 day before she was to be put to sleep over 17 years ago so she is probably 19 or 20 years of age. I recall when I walked by her cage she stuck out her arm and kept grabbing me, as if to say please notice me. So she chose me and what an honor it has been. We bonded deeply and were inseparable, even traveled to Canada together when I did a movie in 1998. The painting hanging on the wall was a prop in the movie and was supposed to depict a deceased and scary character. When the artist painting it asked me what the character looked like, I joked, like me when I\'m old with my Samantha. So there we are, together. For the past two or three days she has refused to eat and today looking for places to hide, something she\'s never done before. It\'s clear to me she\'s ready to go and wants to pass in peace and I have to let her go. But I don\'t want her to suffer so I\'m taking her to the vet this evening at 7:30 to say my final goodbye. I love you Samantha and I will always think of you and miss you. The naming of cats is a difficult matter. It isn\'t just one of your holiday games. You may think at first I\'m mad as a hatter. When I tell you a cat must have three different names...T.S. Eliot