I've decided not to do the Scavenger Hunt this week, instead this is a very early Cats on Tuesday. I've been wondering how best to write this post for a few days now... as some of you know already, we had to say goodbye to Posky on 20th November. He had been very unwell and very unhappy for the last few weeks and his blood test results showed that despite the efforts of his vets and ourselves, his kidneys were no longer responding to treatment. So we made the decision to let him go.
I don't however, want this post to dwell on the sadness of that day, or for it to turn into one of those mawkishly sentimental outpourings of grief that make the cats and myself feel queasy. That would not be right for such a glorious, madcap, breathtakingly beautiful being as my boy. Besides, Posky didn't do sentiment; he did joie de vivre, impish fun, honest affection and love, and a huge appetite for life (and food, mustn't forget the food). Did you know he was the only one of my cats to have his own MySpace page? That he was my study-buddy and that I owe my BA(Hons) and MA to his inspiring thoughts? That when I was upset he sat on my desk and kissed the tears from my eyes? Or that when he had been out in the cold his fur turned to velvet?
...And do I miss him? God yes, his absence is a tangible thing. He was a part of my world for so long that things seem out of kilter without him. But I knew him for 17 years and my life was better for his being in it, and that's no small thing. So I will just leave you with a celebration in images of the one and only, unforgettable Posky.
The little illustrations of Posky were for an article I wrote about him and ourselves for a cat mag - he loved fame :O)