I am grateful to Travis and Annie for giving us time to be alone in the room...and then gently, quietly and peacefully we all 3 held him as he crossed the Rainbow Bridge....
The lump on his jaw continued to grow, even though it was not found to be cancerous....and I was not going to keep putting him through tests at his age....I decided to just let him enjoy his days as he saw fit...and he did....
the lump eventually was under his jaw, and even watering down his food, which he ate with a great appetite, became too much...lastnight I watched him as he kept trying to eat, but eventually just laid down beside his food bowl looking at it....
then instead of coming to cuddle on my lap, he stretched out on the desk beside me and rested his head on his outstretched paws....
I will pick his ashes up next week, and when the ground is able to be dug, he will join the others at his final resting place out under the big tree...
