Farewell To My Little Boy

Two days ago on Friday, September 4, my wife and I had to make the painful decision to put our cat Willy to sleep.

To many, Willy wasn't the friendliest of cats. He was known to be a bully to strangers, but to my wife and I, he was the sweetest. We saw a side of him that no one else did. That "tough guy" persona, I believe, was just an act to disguise his fear of everything. And of all the pets I've had in my lifetime, Willy was the lowest maintenance. He never begged for food and was always content with what he had in life.

Abandon by his mother as a kitten, we took him in and became his adopted parents. He viewed me as his mother. Every night he would jump into bed with us and suck my finger until he fell asleep. As he got older, he replaced finger sucking with laying on his back with my hand on his stomach. A few months ago, when he got sick, he would revert back to finger sucking on occasions.

Willy loved following me all through the house from room to room just to be near me. He was definitely a mama's boy and through him, I, (a middle-aged male) was given a glimpse of what it's like to have a bond between a mother and child. And although it is painful now, I am grateful for that experience. I am at peace knowing that he was loved.