I am sad to share with you that tonight, quite unexpectedly, at 10:14 p.m., my Feline Companion and confidante of eleven years crossed over to the other side.

I do believe that animals who bond with people have souls, and that these souls exist in the afterlife.  Gary will be there waiting for me when my time comes to join her in the hereafter.

I'd like to blog about Gary tonight just because I miss her already, I know she was "just a cat", but these furry little souls become such a seamless part of our lives that they do leave a big gaping hole when they leave us.  She was much more than "just a cat" to us, she was a member of our family.

Gary was picked out from her littermates by my son Zachary, at the time we picked two kittens, Justin picked out a boy.  They were both little grey kittens with white sox and a white chest. 

Justin named the boy kitten "Tom" and I suggested to Zachary, at the time age 9, that we should name his kitty "Gerry", then we could have Tom and Gerry like the cartoon!

Zach would have no part of it.  He said "No, I am naming her Gary".  I said "But Zach, that's a boy's name", he said I know, but she looks like a Gary to me, not a Gerry, so Gary joined our family that spring of 1997.

Gary was an indoor cat, she never ventured outside, she prefered to watch the world go by perched in any number of the windows in our home.  Whichever room I was in, Gary was on the windowsill keeping me company.

The house seems empty without her.

She was the omnipresent witness to our lives for eleven years, never judging us, but always there to lend an ear and give a purr.

She and Simon, our German Short Haired Pointer had a special bond and frequently would nap together, Gary curled under Simon's big paw.  Gary was very tiny, only about eight pounds full grown.

When we brought Bella home, our baby Boxer, Gary was quite perturbed, but after about a month they found their balance with each other, and even played together over the past months.

Gary was having trouble breathing today and I held her and calmed her down, she had a bite to eat, and I called the vet and left a message to arrange to take her first thing in the morning, but morning never came for Gary.

Frank, my husband, put the dogs out at about 10 p.m. and Gary was perched in the back window watching them, he petted her goodnight and said goodnight to me.  At 10:14 p.m. I logged off to take a quick break and when I turned the corner into the laundry room, there was Gary, on the fuzzy rug, but she didn't look right.  In about a flash of one second I realized she was gone.

It's so sad.  She went so quickly.  At least she didn't suffer.

I will always miss her, the house will not be the same without her perched in a window or on the back of the couch or a chair.  My house has lost part of it's spirit now.

We will bury Gary tomorrow out in the garden, near the house. 

She will be missed forever.

Good Night Gary, sleep well my little princess, I will see you again on the other side.