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It's so hard to say goodbye to loved ones ... the unconditional companionship, love, and memories our 4 legged family members provide is unparalleled. Yesterday my son and daughter-in-law's cat used up the last of his 9 lives, and he is sadly no more with us. I can't get him out of my mind. I remember bringing him home as a kitten, and remember how cuddly, and purry, and loving, he always was. 

Here he is, imagining himself to be a big, scary hunter, but he's really a terrified kitten, still on a leash.

He'd love to snuggle into our necks and would push hard against our faces. He slumped into cuddles as if he had no bones in his body, just soft, loose fur, even as an adult.

I have so many delightful memories of his little antics, or clumsiness - it's hard to determine which was mischief and which was his inability to be a proper cat! In his early days with us, he fell down off a rafter (unhurt, of course, but kittens shouldn't fall off broad rafters, either), hence his name, Tumblr (and hat-tip to modern life).

Here he is licking the remains of a milkshake out of my blender.

He once came to see what the business of soaking in the Hot Tub was all about, and walked along the edge once Dale and I got in. He's a cat, right - sure-footed, good sense of balance .... but no, this was Tumblr, and he fell right in! Not a good situation for a small kitten. But Dale retrieved him almost as soon as he touched the water, so no harm was done, and we dried him thoroughly. After theses two instances, we thought he'd have learned a little about edges by the time we let him out onto the dock, but no, we were wrong - he fell in again, and was able to scramble onto dry land very quickly.

I remember him going missing one afternoon, after we'd had him outside with us in the yard while we cleaned out the car. When we were done, we closed up and went into the house to settle in. After some time, we realized that Tumblr wasn't around, so we went outside to look for him, scouring the yard and calling his name. He didn't appear! Some time had gone by and we were getting very worried, and began combing the woods across the street, as well as the lake shore and dock area over and over, calling incessantly, worried that he'd fallen in again. I walked around and looked into the water all around the dock, sobbing my eyes out, distraught as could be. I couldn't stop crying, and wasn't doing a good job of searching in that state. Eventually Dale, at a loss for places we hadn't yet searched, looked into the car, and there he was, walking around in the open space at the back - all safe and sound. Oh boy, Tumblr - you gave us such a scare!

He had a habit of kneading a soft blanket he particularly liked, and sucked on it - it was gross finding a wet patch on the blanket afterwards! I've just been reminded that he pooped on my pillow once, as a kitten - luckily for him, I'd erased it from my memory. He never seemed to show anger or annoyance towards us, and was as gentle as could be, never biting or scratching - so how could anyone stay angry with him for long?

A memorable and unforgettable character! No wonder we loved you so much! 💔