Walking Heartbreak

I wish I wasn't writing this post right now. I had something else planned for today, but unfortunately that's being pushed aside. I know a lot of readers enjoy cat friday, and I wish this was one of those happy cat posts, but it just isn't. Yesterday evening Chris called me at work to say that sweet Louie had collapsed in our hallway and wasn't breathing. He rushed him to the vet down the street, but it was too late. The vet said that Lou had suffered either a stroke or heart attack, apparently this is common for Maine coon cats. We drove him to my Mom's property in Maine and buried him this morning.

I read something once that described pet ownership as "walking heartbreak", and I don't think I've ever read a more accurate description. Even though Lou was only part of our household for a short amount of time, he quickly latched his impressive claws onto our hearts, and we now feel one cat short. I'm going to miss waking up to him sleeping on my head.

It's taken me about an hour to write these few sentences, I keep getting weepy and having to run for tissues. I know so much of blogging is happy-all-the-time, but sometimes you just need to share the really-freaking-sad.

Ok

Edit: Chris, Hans (Louie's actual owner), and I cannot begin to express our gratitude for the outpouring of support you've all offered, this is not enough but: Thank You