-I’m not sure exactly how to start this off. This just happened today and I’m still in shock over it. I guess I should do a little background info….

-My girlfriend, Ria, has 3 cats-2 boys & a girl. April was 13 years old and, out of the 3, was my favorite. Maybe it’s just cause I’m partial to female cats. When I 1st met April, she wasn’t too social, but she warmed up to me soon enough. She was kind of a bad kitty back then-for ex. going to the bathroom everywhere but her litter box at times, but later on we think we know why. I might be wrong, but April was one of those cats that likes to be the only animal in the household. With 2 other cats, plus a Rottie at the time, she might have been just a little agitated. But I would always visit her when I was over and pet her for awhile-even when my allergies would act up. Kinda ironic-I love cats, but I’m allergic to them. Go figure….

-Anyways, April was always such a sweetie to me. She was rotund so to speak so I had a few nick-names for her like “Poundcake” & “Chub-Chubs”. We usually saw her lying on/under a couch or near the stairs waiting for a belly rub. She’d get in fights occasionally with the other cats, but things for the most part seemed to be ok. She even got better with the liter box 🙂

-However, one problem April had was her breathing always sounded a little labored (asthma?). When it started to get worse, Ria took her to the vet. An X-Ray showed that she had something (cancer?) that, under normal circumstances, it would be perfectly normal to put the cat to sleep! The thing is, on that day April seemed fine. They also said it might be pneumonia. They gave Ria some shots for her to administer and to report back the results. At around this time, April was being a little anti-social and lethargic. However, after the shots, she was like her old self. And for weeks, things seemed to be fine…

-Yesterday April’s breathing sounded worse. She was given a shot and that seemed to help, but not like before. Then-I think it was earlier today-April collapsed at home and she was rushed right to the vet. Still not 100% about what it is, but whatever it is, it had spread to almost all of her lungs. She was having difficulty breathing so Ria made the painful decision to end her suffering.

-I found out all of this while I was at work-which was horrible. I couldn’t leave, but I couldn’t release what I was feeling inside so I actually focused on my anger for not being there to say goodbye to April until I got home. Then I was able to grieve-and I still am. It seems that the older I get, the more emotional I become. Not being there to say goodbye is gonna take me quite awhile to get over. But at least my last image of her was 2 days ago when I was petting her over at Ria’s place. I was in a hurry at the time so I didn’t play with her as long as I normally do. I wish I did now….

-There are many lights that bring light & warmth into one’s life. Mine just became a little darker & colder. Thank you for bringing some light into my life April. I will miss you & I will always remember you….