I Just Lost My Best Friend

They say dogs are man's best friend, but I am not sure this tells the entire tale. I would suggest that your best friend is your pet. Be it dog, cat, lizard, or bird. There's something special about the bond between a person and their pet. Today I lost my pet.

Wyatt - a rescue cat from the Greenville, N.C. animal shelter in 2003, wasn't supposed to be anything more than a present for my new wife. However, he soon became much more than that. I'd grown up with dogs. And around all manner of animal. But Wyatt was my first pet. He chose me. Whenever I was sitting down, he would come up and curl up on me or beside me. Whenever I didn't feel well he would appear and purr. Some people think cats aren't affectionate. But mine was. My cat could fetch. My cat would come when called. My cat...... was my best friend.

Today I lost him. And I don't know why. There was no warning. There was no sign of him not being well. We had played this morning. He seemed to be his usual self. Then as I was cleaning up I realized I had left the storage closet open. I knew he would be in there. Despite my best efforts, I was never able to correct him of thinking he owned the place. And whenever there was a chance to find a new hiding place or perch to sleep on....Wyatt was there. I saw his tail between two chairs and immediately snapped at him to get out. He didn't move. So I reached in to get him to move or pull him out. At that point I knew that my friend wasn't going to wake up from this nap.

Wyatt had just turned seven years old. He'd been with me through thick and thin. Through learning to be a husband in those first months of marriage, through six moves, through law school, and many other of life's trials. He never judged. He was always there in his own way. Whenever a day went poorly, he was there. Whenever a day went well, he was there. It didn't matter, Wyatt always stayed steady.

Some of the things I miss the most already are the mornings where he'd make sure we were up because it was time for breakfast. I miss making him "dance" when a song would come on TV or the radio. I miss throwing rolled up ice cream sandwich paper across the room and watching him fetch. I miss playing "feather" and watching him dart around trying to capture it. I miss watching him climb his tower. Or the bookcases. Or sometimes the fridge. I miss feeding him shrimp or chicken or even crab when that's what we were having because, while canned food was good, nothing beat sea food. I miss finding him in a pile of blankets or in my chair. I miss watching him wrestle with our new puppy. I miss....my friend.

I can't believe the last words I spoke towards him were in annoyance. I wish I could take those back. I didn't mean it. I thought it was just another case of him claiming territory that wasn't supposed to be his. If I would have only known that he had tried to find a peaceful place to pass on. If I had only known he wasn't well. If I had only done more. Been more attentive. But wouldn't there have been signs? Was I too self-absorbed to notice them?

Last night he curled up with me while we were watching TV. I scratched his chin and he made sure he was as close as possible. About an hour later I got up to go to bed - making sure he was still comfortable. It was our custom. I wish now that I'd stayed up or would have been more attentive. Why didn't I play with him more today instead of forcing myself to focus on other things. Did he need attention? Did I not notice my pet was in trouble? Maybe there was a sign he didn't feel well. Maybe I missed something.

Regardless I have to be thankful that, if he was suffering, he isn't any more. And if he was going to pick a time to pass on he at least did it while I was home and in a place he felt comfortable. I wish he'd have let me be with him, but I guess he knew that would have broken my heart completely. I hope he wasn't in any pain and I hope I was able to give him as good a life as possible. God knows I tried. He was the first pet I ever bought on my own and the first one who ever decided that I was his pet as much as he was mine. I can't believe he's gone. And with so little warning.

I hope he's in a better place and I hope that one day our paths will cross again. Until then I will look forward to seeing my pet again. I miss him so terribly much already.

Farewell, Wyatt. I love you.