Yes, the cat we have had longer than any cat we've had before, Elijah "Eli" Lopez Yaroch, (April 2007-October 29, 2019) has died in his sleep this morning while I slept with him in front of the heater one last time.

He had been feeling aching, eating less, his skin has been bony and he has been smelling horrible enough to signal that he's reaching death. Our main regret is not being able to get him to the vet a lot sooner to see if they could fix him, though it wouldn't been very likely.

Before he died, I petted him, stuck close with him and told him that I loved him, and am sorry for not spending enough time with him as much as Mom, Dad and my brother Tim did. I told him I hoped he'd remember me as someone who truly cared about him. He was certainly my favorite pet, and the longest we've ever had a cat for a pet. Back when we lived in the country, we didn't hold on to cats very long. Some would run off and get lost, accidentally get hit by passing cars, or sold to other families.

I feel very torn inside now.

So long, buddy. I hope we'll meet again at the rainbow bridge and heaven (if I actually end up there), where I can make up for my lack of playing with you.