Not a great day

Today would have been my parents 44th wedding anniversary.

So on a day when my heart already felt kind of heavy it wasn't awesome when I got a call informing me that "Kitten", the amazing cat I got in Seattle 13 years ago, is dead. His real name was Haiku, but we always called him Kitten (pronounced almost as two words, kit-ten). Kitten was a Maine Coon and was by far the best dam cat I've ever met. He was super loving, frisky, acted almost like a dog and was gorgeous. I rescued Kitten from a Seattle shelter when he was just a tiny guy. At the time I was living in an apartment and really missed my dog. Since I couldn't have a dog, I decided to get a cat...which was weird because I had never been a big cat fan. But the animal lover in me won and Haiku came home the very day we met. Truth be told, it was love at first sight. Kitten stayed with me until, back in CT, I met my husband and we added a dog to the family. The dog and the cat ended up having a literal pissing war and we had to send Haiku to live with my parents (or else risk living in a urinal). Haiku worked his charm on Mom and Dad, so much so, that they refused to give him back. He was a faithful friend to the end and was a special comfort to my Dad over these past 10 months. He will be missed. As I sit here, with tears in my eyes, I can't help but think that was one great cat.

So, not a great day. But tomorrow's a new one.