Remembering Rocky

I love being a part of the cat blogging community. Changing the focus of my blog from exclusively books to a fusion of my two passions in life, cats and books, is one of the best decisions I ever made. As much as I enjoy writing about the mysteries that I love reading, I've gotten to the point that if I can't include Truffles or cats in general in some way, I tend to decline featuring the book.

There is a downside to immersing myself even further into the world of cats, and that's when the time comes to say goodbye, which seems to almost be a daily occurrence in the pet blogosphere. Anyone who takes a cat or dog into their heart and home lives with the knowledge that one day the inevitable is going to happen.

“We who choose to surround ourselves
with lives even more temporary than our
own, live within a fragile circle;
easily and often breached.
Unable to accept its awful gaps,
we would still live no other way.
We cherish memory as the only
certain immortality, never fully
understanding the necessary plan.”

― Irving Townsend

On Sunday morning my friend Alana from the Cat in the Fridge blog lost her beloved Rocky. So much of Alana & Rocky's story mirrored my own with Tara that his passing has really had an effect on me. Rocky was given 4 months to live but he more than doubled it. Tara was given 3 months and lasted nearly a year. Alana & I both tried to move heaven and earth to keep our beloved babies with us while quietly saying goodbye to them a little each day.

Rocky and Tara both fought with everything they had in them. They both lived longer than they were expected to, though not nearly long enough, and when the time came they both drew their last breath with the Mommy who loved them so desperately lying right by their side. And they both left giant holes in the hearts of those who loved them that will never be repaired.

Alana works tirelessly on behalf of special needs animals both through her blog and her  CATastrophes web series. Just the day before she said goodbye to Rocky she finished fostering a pair of kittens that would have been euthanized had she not stepped in. People like her are making a difference in the lives of homeless animals every single day. Truffles and I wanted to find a special way to remember Rocky, so we decided to make a small donation to Tabby's Place in his memory. We could think of no better way to honor such a special little guy than to help other kitties.

If you aren't familiar with the fantastic CATastrophes videos, they can all be watched on their very own YouTube channel. My personal favorite is CHATastrophe, which stars the one and only Rocky:

Rest in peace, sweetheart. The big, beautiful tortie that met you at the Bridge was my Tara. Take care of each other and watch over us.