For Percy
Percy's gone.
He was old, and had been ill, and we'd been doing our best to help him heal.
Tonight he became very ill, and we took him to the vet. They found that he was dying, and probably wouldn't last the night. He'd lost a half a pound in half a day; bad things were going on.
We had to make a decision, and did. While it was the correct decision - he was in a great deal of pain and was going to die horribly if we didn't take action - it hurts a lot.
After the vet was done, I picked him up to put him on the table, and he was absolutely limp. That's when I broke; he'd never been that limp in his entire life. He was all about getting his way, exercising his considerable will. I will miss his range of meows, his rumbling purr, his insistence on climbing up on the bathroom sink to drink, his penchant into his dotage for perching on ledges which were significantly narrower than even his skinny butt. I'll miss his tough-guy act that evaporated when you snuggled your face into the top of his head. I'll miss his starving-baby-kitten give-me-snacks-NOW look.
For Percy, who for fifteen-plus years was a constant in our lives, a comforting and occasionally maddening presence, a cat of reasonable intelligence and great personality.
He Was A Friend Of Mine - Bob Dylan
He was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
Every time I think about him now
Lord I just can't keep from cryin'
'Cause he was a friend of mine
He died on the road
He died on the road
He never had enough money
To pay his room or board
And he was a friend of mine
I stole away and cried
I stole away and cried
'Cause I never had too much money
And I never been quite satisfied
And he was a friend of mine
He never done no wrong
He never done no wrong
A thousand miles from home
And he never harmed no one
And he was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
Every time I hear his name
Lord I just can't keep from cryin'
'Cause he was a friend of mine.