Goodbye, sweet prince

May 1, 1988 - December 6, 2007

Recently I wrote about my kitties. Today has been one of those difficult days all pet owners must eventually go through, because my oldest, Boo Boo Man, passed away last night. When we got home from the quilt group's Christmas party on Tuesday evening, he wasn't looking good at all, and having a hard time walking. But then on Wednesday, he seemed to perk up, ate two cans of his favorite food (Tiki Cat) and some yogurt, and laid in the sun on the back patio. At that point, I wondered if he had just gotten into something odd, or been bitten by a tarantula or something. But then at night again, he started to fail. I gave him my big old comforter, made him a nice bed next to ours, and said my goodbyes, letting him know it was okay to go back "home" and that I loved him very much and would miss him. I checked on him a couple of times during the night, and he was pretty unresponsive, just barely hanging on. By the time I got up around 5:30 this morning, he had passed on.

I want to scan in an old photo I have of Boo and his brother, Bug, when they were just kittens. It is one of my favorite photos of them. That is the way I want to remember him -- lively, loving, always bugging me for dairy products that he somehow knew were in my shopping bags through a closed door. His rubbing his head on my hand when he wanted something I was eating; his incredible ability to trip me by walking right under my feet. I knew Boo for the entirety of my adult life -- he would have been 20 years old next May 1. He and Bug, and later my dog Lucy, were my constant companions, always there during the ups and downs of life. They were my family. He was such a big part of my family. I will miss him terribly.

Say hello to Bug and Lucy and May-May for me, Boo. I know we'll meet again one day on the other side.

My three boys: (from left) Bookie, Bug and Boo-Boo Man

Bookie and Boo