Today we had to say goodbye to Augie, our oldest cat. You never think of this moment... when you are holding the tiny kitten in the palm of your hand; when he is chasing a string you are dragging around the house; when he is tumbling on the carpet with his adopted sister; when he is snuggled next to you in bed purring; when he is rubbing his head on your chin; when he is meowing for his dinner; when he realizes you are sad and climbs into your lap to comfort you... You never think of this moment that you will have to say goodbye. This is the crappy side of pet ownership.
Augie was only about 8 weeks old when we brought him home from the pound. He was indeed small enough to sit in the palm of Rick's hand. Over the years he moved with us to three more houses, saw many adopted brothers and sisters come and go, and saw three rambunctious children added to the mix. Augie accepted the kids with grace -- he never scratched or bit them, although he stayed well out of their way when he didn't feel like dealing with them.
Augie lived nearly 19 years with us. He was a good friend. He was a good cat. The doctor and techs at Arbutus Veterinary Hospital helped him complete his life's journey with peace and dignity, and I held him at the end and thanked him for everything and told him how much I love him.
Rest now in peace, Augie. 1993-2012
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| Augie performing his trademark forehead-bump on his first day home from the pound. 1993 |
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| Tiny Augie 1993 |
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| Augie and Allie the day they knocked a bag of flour off the top of the refrigerator and made little white footprints all over the apartment. 1994 |
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| My first babies. 1994 |
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| Augie watching over me and just-born Holly. 2006 |
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| Just this past summer, Augie relaxing on Holly's bed. 2011 |
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