I’ve been waiting a while to post this because…well, I wasn’t dealing with it very well.

Gabe, the house bobcat, died in his sleep two weeks ago,  just after turning 5. The vet said it was probably an undetectable genetic heart defect. Not unheard of, and often found in male cats and they rarely live beyond 5-ish. He was sleeping in his favorite spot in the kitchen by the patio door, in the sun, and didn’t wake up.

He was happy here. He arrived kind of broken and distrustful. I believe he left knowing he was loved unconditionally.  He loved Bixby and made him his first buddy. Then worked his way through everyone until he finally even won Emma over.

I was his person, but it took him about two years to really trust me, to believe no matter what, I would not dump him at the shelter, especially when he got sick. We got his UTI crystals under control, but each time they flared,  the fact I took care of him cemented his trust in me (he was relinquished for soiling outside the litter box because he had chronic UTIs).

I miss him terribly.  But…

…the best way to honor him was to make sure another shelter kitty has a safe and fun home. I’ll introduce him later. He’s a character and has a story.

Until then…