So I haven't told you guys this, but my cat went missing Wednesday night. We've been scouring the town to look for him, put up 2 Facebook posts to see if anyone could find him, and we've had no luck. Well this morning my mom was working in the yard and smelled something rotten, and she found our baby, under a bush, dead.
We have no idea what happened to him, as he had no sign of physical injury. And the very morning of the day he went missing, he looked just like his normal self. We suspect that he was poisoned by either some diseased animal he caught and ate, or someone deliberately poisoning him, though I don't know why anyone would harm him. He's the most gentle, sweetest cat I've ever met. And I've had 30+ cats.I'm still trying to process that he's gone forever. It's only been 4 years since he's entered our life.

When I found him (yes, I am the one who found him and I pride myself on that lmao) I was awake very late at night when I heard a meow outside my window. A lot of meows, actually. I called him and pet him through my screen, telling him to stay put while I ran to go get him some kitty food. (We had another cat at that time.) So I ran a tupperware bowl full of Meow Mix to this kitty outside and he was our baby from that day on, no questions asked. I think he was abandoned by some neighbors we had that were kicked out of the house next door after it foreclosed, so he was fixed and I'm guessing had his shots as well. We named him Big Guy, because he was a very big, bulky kitty. He knew how to protect his turf from the other alley cats and he'd catch us mice and birds from the yard and he was proud of that, but to my mom and my sisters, he was the most cuddly, lovable lush. He'd head bump your hand without you having to bend over, and he'd snuggle into your neck and hold you tight when you hugged him. He tolerated my baby niece's pestering like he was the best babysitter ever. He's also the most talkative cat I've ever met, almost to a fault. But he was fun to have conversations with when no one else was there, because he was so expressive with his meowing.
He came into our lives almost immediately after my dad cheated on my mom and left us to fend for ourselves. It's like the man upstairs was watching our struggle and sent this little angel, this little light in the darkness, to my window that night.
I miss him terribly. I wish I could have squeezed him one last time and given him the forehead kisses he loves so much. But he's in a better place now, probably chasing mice over that rainbow bridge.

Rest in peace, Big Guy.



Thanks for reading that if you did. I know I talk too much.
Art and Rein © Me