a couple of weeks ago, my best friend Floyd passed away. He was just a few weeks past 8 years old. The top picture is the last one we have of him. He was shocked by my wife wearing a hat with cat ears. He was full of personality.
He was very special to me. He followed me around everywhere and would insist on being within a few feet of me at all times. Whenever I was sad, he’d be there to comfort me. He had the loudest purrs I’ve ever heard. One time he tried to charm a cheeseburger out of my hand with chatter.
He was a giant, but was very gentle and kind. One time, when Mitchell (the brown striped smaller one in the bottom picture) was a kitten, he was messing with one of our other cats, who had enough and yelled at him. Floyd, hearing the kitten squeak and thinking he was being hurt, tackled our other cat off the couch and ran him off.
Monday the 16th, after I had petted him and gave him water and left for work, my wife found him in his favorite spot. He was gone. It seemed to be quick and I pray to God painless, but it has killed me. Floyd was a 28 pound cat. I imagine his heart failed and I regret not taking better care of him in that way. It will always stay with me. On the other side, I can’t think of a cat who knew people loved him more than Floyd. I spent all my time with him, talked to him and played with him as much as I could. So, while I miss him, I know for a fact that I gave him the best life I could. I just wish it had been longer.
Sorry for your loss, Jason. It’s definitely the worst part of having pets. We lost our dog last fall and I miss him every day. The good part is that the memories stay with you.
Floyd was a mutt. My mother in law had a cat get out before she was fixed and had a litter of giant, furry cats. I guess she ran into a Maine Coon or Norwegian Forest Cat, because he had almost every quirk of them.
I remember my mom got two rabbits, but after a few months said they could no longer stay in the house. She put them in our detached garage with no AC or heat, and eventually both died young from heat exhaustion.
I had a cat like this, an orange tabby who we called Crash after Crash Bandicoot but who should have been named Garfield. He would eat anything. So fat.
I am sorry for your loss. Eight years old is young for a cat but they can die of so many things, including feline leukemia. My sympathies.
Jason, I’m so sorry for your loss. I had a mog who was truly a little friend, and like Floyd, was a super cute long-haired mutt. He would wait by the mailbox for me to return from work, then tell me lots of important cat things, and always insisted on sleeping on a pillow, even though he would frequently fall off while carrying out was of his lengthy grooming routines. He was my little darling.
A cat definitely knows when their loved though, and they’re certainly not shy about letting people know whether they like them or not, so it sounds like he was lucky to have you as a buddy.
I also wanted to add my voice, I’m sorry for your loss it’s hard to lose a friend. Your pics of Floyd totally remind me of our Bella. That last one in particular looks exactly like her from behind/above. She’s our fat cat, technically my son’s but he’s not taking her to school so now I have a cat. After our dog died last summer she suddenly had full access to the house but she hates me again…Welcome Raven
Dogs are like kids after you get past the young years your mind purges all the bad stuff. This little beast is a chewing, ankle biting machine. She’s a sweetie though.
