I knew I'd be writing a post like this

someday this year but last night we had to put Silky down. Stuff like that with a member of the family is tough to take and it never gets easier. Silky had been with me for 20 years and out lived 7 cats ending with Boots last year. Over the past month Silky took a turn for the worst. I was in denial. His walking and eating were compromised. We feel he had a stroke. He lost interest in eating just drinking water. He was walking slow and wobbly. He came in to see me for a bit last night before Anne came home from work, almost as if to say "Thanks and goodbye Jim." I Knew the end for him was soon. Sometime over the weekend. I said my goodbyes before he "said his goodbye's" to me. 

When Anne came home from work to see how Silky's condition was we decided that we couldn't let Silky suffer any longer. He hadn't been eating just sleeping and drinking water. When he came in to see me he was walking slowly. So about 11:50pm Anne put Silky in the cat cage. I watched them leave out the door for the awaiting taxi. Silky was a part of my life over the last 20 years. Its the end of an era.


                   

Every time I'd eat a meal Silky was always there to have a taste. It kind of bugged me latter but it was a fleeting annoyance. I never hit Silky, nor would I do that to any animal. The above picture was taken in April 2012. When I got Silky in October of 1997 I promised him, he'd always have a roof over his head, I'd always feed him and give him lots of love. I kept that promise. This is like a double blow to me what with losing a member of my family I had for 20 years and now as I'm about to head into 65 my senior years, makes this loss harder.        
         Anne and I are coping with this loss the best we can. Anne erupts into tears every now and then. This is hard on her as it is on me. If there is another place after death, or the other side as some call it, I'd like to think that Silky and all the rest are waiting for me now with mom and dad and all the rest on the other side, just over the horizon. That'd be like heaven for me. I'm going to be crying about this for a long time. Losing mom and dad were hard on me but they were living in another part of the country. Since they moved from Edmonton in 1979 for back home, I would see them maybe once for dad and twice for mom at her death bed. There was that sense of disconnect, which made losing them "easier" to cope with. Losing Silky this morning is harder for us because Silky was immediate. He was always with me. Silky was one thing that was constant. I never took him for granted. Grieving the loss of a loved one especially a family member is a slow process. There are stages in this process. Sometimes gears clog. Over time it gets easier. I love you Silky and I'll never forget you. Anne and I are struggling with Silky's loss but at least, Silky isn't suffering. This week we're going to get him cremated and his ashes in a earn so Silky can sit next to pledges.

Anne's off to Safeway up the street for a few things and when she returns we'll have my first Sunday brunch without Silky. In about an hour its time to watch WWE's Battleground. It's hard for me to get into at he moment. I might catch it on progress. This week maybe tomorrow, I'll be heading out to the lab. They want to check in for Hyperthyroid. Then its home to watch wrestling. Other then that, I've got (hopefully) my Roland Go mixer to pick up. Other then that and my ei business to do, nothing immediate is on the horizon. Anyway, that's all for now.