Cecil. Angel-cat, soul-friend, from the first day we met we knew one another. Even though you spent your first three weeks outside the Humane Society where I rescued you at age 4 with a friend, you were my cat and I was your person from that first look. I'd never felt anything like it.

Ten years we spent together, and I hope you were happy. You defended me, you comforted me, you were always there no matter what came. You were my rock. When Georgia Tech nearly killed me, you purred me along. When my father died and I had deadlines on papers anyway if I wanted to graduate, you carried me. When I moved from place to place, directionless, you were my anchor. Through loves and losses, papers and exams, interviews and layoffs, your purrs led me through the storms into safe port.

There simply are no words, my fur-friend. But then, we never needed any.

You've been gone a month yesterday and still I bawl as I type. You're worth every tear I cry, and every howl and whimper Drake makes as he even still looks for you. Hopefully within another month one of your distant cousins will grace our home and hopefully be the playmate for Drake you were too old to keep up with being. Know that nothing can ever take your place, my love and my friend.

"Sunny days seem to hurt the most
 I wear the pain like a heavy coat 
The only thing that gives me hope 
Is I know, I'll see you again someday" 
-Kenny Chesney

-JLSD 12/21/05

• We were lucky enough to know that Cecil was dying, but not in pain, before he passed. Two weeks we had to literally spoil him to death. Somewhen in there I started keeping a log of his last days. This is it.
• In the Toteg Tribe, our mourning rite contains 3 days of grief and wailing, 3 days of silence, and 3 days of remembrance. During those last 3 days I wrote up these remembrances. They made me smile.
• I'm a Cat was a song written by 5 1/2 years collaboratively. We often practiced in my apartment, and the cats would sometimes take part *cough* in the proceedings, so one day someone was playing a blues riff and started it, and then we laughingly started contributing verses in tribute to (ok, making fun of) the various cats in the house. Many of them were about Cecil. Here's the lyrics.