Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Gomez 1997 to 2013

Today we are grieving for Gomez, who died yesterday in the fullness of old age. He has been going downhill slowly for the past 6 months or so, but got much worse over the past couple of weeks. We, of course, are in Brighton so Son of had to deal with this. But there's a comfort in that, too, because Gomez always loved Son of more than anyone else. Gomez has been a part of the fabric of our family life for 16 years, since he was a tiny 8 week old kitten. He had a full sized space in our life. My day began with Gomez running up to greet me chirping and purring. Then we would have a bit of a cuddle and a chat, while I cleaned his dishes and fed him. We all sat elsewhere, so as not to disturb him, when he was taking up this chair or that sofa. We planted cat nip in a shady spot for him, we made room for him to lie in the shade of the planters on our deck. We grocery shopped where we could get the chicken livers he loved so much. Now we have a Gomez-shaped hole in our family. He had a good life and he died well-loved and that is as much as any of us can hope for. We will miss him.

1 comment:

Kate said...

A beautiful elegy for Gomez, thank you. Isn't it hard, amazing, how these pets become so much a part of our coming and goings? You'll feel his absence, all the more since you weren't there, and I know you'll miss his life force.