I have 2 cats who are constant companions when I shoot photos out back behind our home. We have the good fortune to have 800 feet adjacent to the 3,300 acre Ponca Wilderness of the Buffalo National River.

Our oldest cat, Swiffer, showed up a couple of years back and adopted us. He is well over 10 and only recently has begun to falter after mixing it up with a raccoon. Today he seems to be dying, but only he knows. He is less responsive, has little interest in food, and barely lifts his head to acknowledge my presence.

So this is a tribute photo to an old friend who is slipping away, showing him in black and white looking up one of our favorite trails symbolizing his final path.