Like many cat owners, I no longer need to use an alarm clock. My cats keep time perfectly and wake me up every morning at 5:30 sharp for breakfast. As the time comes, one of the cats (Appomattox) will lie on the pillow, purring in my ear. Another cat (Kitty) likes to sit on the bedside table, systematically knocking everything off. The third cat (Clara Barton) runs back and forth across the bed. One morning, however, I was awakened much earlier by a horrible, almost indescribable noise. It was a combination of a cough, a hack and a wheeze, and it was coming out of Appomattox.