Tribute to Me-too—my Soulmate
My favorite picture—Me-too being affectionate
June 5, 1999—January 2, 2016
I’d been concerned about Me-too for the last couple of months. Abyssinians have a life expectancy of from twelve to fifteen years and Me-too was more than sixteen. But, more than that, he had changed…he was visibly older and weaker and had recently become especially “needy,” wanting to be held all the time as if he knew that his time here would be coming to an end. I, too, knew the day would come and I knew I’d be heartbroken when it did.
Since a couple of days before Christmas, he had begun going downhill; he ate less, if at all, and slept more. Eventually he developed an upper respiratory infection (serious in both young and old cats) and that prevented him from being able to smell food. He stopped eating all together, in spite of Vitamin B complex shot which usually perks up the appetite. He never stopped drinking.
When I went to sleep last night, New Year’s Day, I told him how much I love him and thanked him for the happiness he had given me for sixteen and a half years and then I prayed that he would either get better or peacefully pass away in his sleep..
The next morning, January 2nd, I woke up at 5:00 to use the bathroom. He was curled up right next to me, asleep. I came back to bed and got up again at 6:00 and he was still in the exact same spot, still warm, but no longer soft. Me-too was gone, and so was my heart. I’ve had many cats over my lifetime, and I’ve loved them all, but Me-too was the one, that once-in-a-lifetime relationship, a soulmate, that I will be thankful for, for the rest of my life…and I will never forget him.
Since a couple of days before Christmas, he had begun going downhill; he ate less, if at all, and slept more. Eventually he developed an upper respiratory infection (serious in both young and old cats) and that prevented him from being able to smell food. He stopped eating all together, in spite of Vitamin B complex shot which usually perks up the appetite. He never stopped drinking.
When I went to sleep last night, New Year’s Day, I told him how much I love him and thanked him for the happiness he had given me for sixteen and a half years and then I prayed that he would either get better or peacefully pass away in his sleep..
The next morning, January 2nd, I woke up at 5:00 to use the bathroom. He was curled up right next to me, asleep. I came back to bed and got up again at 6:00 and he was still in the exact same spot, still warm, but no longer soft. Me-too was gone, and so was my heart. I’ve had many cats over my lifetime, and I’ve loved them all, but Me-too was the one, that once-in-a-lifetime relationship, a soulmate, that I will be thankful for, for the rest of my life…and I will never forget him.
November 9, 2015—At 16-½, Me-too (foreground) and Smooch spend much time resting
December 20, 2015—The kitties rest on my lap. Me-too (foreground) is showing his age.
On Christmas Day, we rejoiced when Me-too finally ate—some roast pork, his very favorite. He liked roast pork so much that he would guard the enticing smells in the kitchen when the pork was being cooked in the oven.