I miss my baby ...

Today is a sad day for me. Fourteen years ago I had to put my cat CJ to sleep. He was in the final stages of renal failure and near death when I had to make that terrible decision. To this day, that was one of the worst days of my life. Pets like CJ don't come around often. At least they haven't for me. I've had other cats since, and they've all had their good and bad points, but none of them have ever come close to CJ.

I remember what clothes I had on that terrible day. I remember holding him on my lap as Rick drove us to the vet office. I remember playing a CD on repeat all that morning. I haven't played that CD since that day. I don't think I ever will. It's odd because I couldn't tell you what day my father was born or died on. I couldn't tell you what years my grandparents passed away. They were all very important to me, but I simply can't remember unless I look them up. CJ was what I call a once-in-a-lifetime pet and I remember details about him vividly. He was absolutely the coolest cat in the world.

I blogged about him last year on this day. If you'd like to read that and see more photographs of him, click on In loving memory for more. I really miss this little guy. He meant so much to Rick and I. Not a day goes by where I don't think about him. I have his pictures everywhere, including in my bathroom and in my car. He was more than a pet and more than a member of our family -- he was my best friend. The year 2009 marks 14 years of living without him. Ironically, he was part of my life for 14 years before that. Twenty-eight years and he still means so much. That says something ...