Auf Wiedersehn, Pet.


I said goodbye to my beautiful cat Millie yesterday, which was very painful.


My wife and I took her in after her original owner died nine years ago and she was the perfect addition to the household. She fitted in perfectly with our routines and enriched our lives with her company. We were worried at first that she might not be happy to be an indoor cat as we weren’t entirely sure if she had been allowed out previously, but she never asked once; we were also concerned she’d discover the two budgies we kept in the one room she wasn’t allowed into but she never seemed to catch on to it, which saved us from any gruesome Hannibal Lector-like moments.

I know it’s still early days, but I’ve yet to process the fact she’s gone. I was out for most of the day, but more than once this evening it’s slipped my mind briefly. I keep expecting to see her then catching myself and remembering; to give her a cuddle and a fuss while you did what you were doing was just second nature.

The only comfort I can take from the situation was that she wasn’t ill for long and she wasn’t aware for the most part as things got worse. It was still heartbreaking, but then it wouldn’t be right if it didn’t hurt as it only does because we loved her so much.

Last night, I posted a couple of the lovely photos my wife took of Millie over the years on Twitter along with a bit of an explanation of what happened and ended up receiving so many lovely messages from people remarking on how pretty she was and saying how sorry they were for our loss. It’s so nice when people just “get it”. One thing’s for certain, she leaves a massive hole in her wake.


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