RUSH: I’ve got people e-mailing me about Punkin, my cat, and I would not have been able to describe this or tell you about this any earlier than today literally without losing it, but we had to put Punkin to sleep a week ago. She was 16 years old, and the first cat that I’d ever had, and ended up being the best pet that I’ve ever had. I’d always thought that cats were these aloof creatures that couldn’t care less if you were around or not.

And to strangers and so forth, they might be. But when a cat attaches to you, some might say when a cat loves you, it’s entirely different. This cat attached to me years ago and was everywhere I was. This cat followed me around and just had just a robust personality with me, but she had kidney failure. She’s actually had it for 10 years, and she had built up an immunity to every antibiotic. It had stopped working. (sigh)

I guess two weeks ago, whatever you call it, dramatic acute kidney failure set in and she stopped eating. Because when the kidneys fail, somehow the vet said the body tells them that food is poison because it can’t be dealt with by the kidney. They stop eating, and she was literally withering away before my eyes. But she was… I mean, these animals, you know, they never give up. Suicide is not in their makeup.

It was one of the hardest things that I’ve had to do. Last weekend was really sad and lonely, and I wouldn’t have been able to tell you about this on Monday without breaking up. But a lot of people have been asking because I had mentioned that she was not well, so I wanted to mention it to you and thank all of you for asking. I appreciate it. You all know. Those of you who have animals and lose them, you know what it’s like.