I wasn’t sure that I was going to post about it here on my blog, but there might be somebody who follows me and might wonder why they haven’t heard about Chester in a while. Unfortunately, I had to have my dear little Silly put to sleep last Tuesday, November 19th. She had a growth in her throat that was very big and very deep. I knew when I first felt it back in September that there wasn’t going to be much that could be done. You see, when Chester was fixed at the age of 6 months our vet told us that she didn’t handle anesthesia very well and he wouldn’t put her under again if he could ever help it. Couple that with the fact that she was 14 years old, and I knew I didn’t want to put her through all of that just to end up in the same place. My sister kind of had the same decision to make this year with her beautiful Himalayan, Joey.

Joey had a gastrointestinal tumor, which she treated for over six months with steroids and other medicines. Finally in October he wasn’t able to walk very well and was having difficulty eating and using the litter box. So now, Chester is keeping cousin Joey company.

Two weeks ago she began having difficulty breathing and eating. My fear was that she would possibly suffocate while I was at work. I couldn’t let that happen.

I miss her SO MUCH.

Yes, I still have Bob. He misses her, too. They are the same age and he’s never been without another cat in the house.

I never realized just how much I looked forward to her companionship. In the last two weeks I’ve realized just how much time she and I spent together.

She supervised me in everything I did: folding laundry, picking out clothes to wear, putting groceries away, and organizing my choir music. There wasn’t much that she didn’t help us with.

She was really good at opening packages, too.

She was always there to be my Quality Control. She wanted to make sure that she personally tested everything before it went out the door.

Yesterday I was walking through the living room and saw a couple of mourning doves perched on the bird bath. Mourning doves were her favorite. We used to sit and watch them all the time.

It’s silly, but the house seems so quiet without her here. I miss her greeting me at the door in her woodchuck pose, pawing at me to hear all of her adventures of the day.

And I miss her company at night while I crochet. She wanted to be right close to me.

You always know that this day is coming. You try to tell yourself that you will be strong and be happy that you at least had them in your life. And even though you’ve experienced heartache in the past, you’re never quite prepared. So please make sure to give those special pets in your life an extra kiss and hug so that they know just how much you love them.