Daniel

This is our cat Daniel. Daniel was a Christmas gift for Molly. I really thought hard about what gift I should get her, finally settling on a kitten (or two). I found Daniel and his sister, Sophie, at a shelter in Virginia Beach and thought instantly that they were the ones. There were two weeks of visiting them before I was able to finally take them home. It was a long couple of weeks. When I surprised Molly with them, Daniel was the first one she saw.

Daniel's first birthday was about two weeks ago. He grew from a curious kitten to a loveable, if not a little shy, cat in what seemed like a flash. It's hard to imagine how tiny he was when I first met him, thinking about how giant he became.

Daniel died last Monday. I don't know what happened. I saw him that morning, just as any morning. When I came home, he was lying on his side. It look like he just fell over and died. Nothing was out of the ordinary. He just looked like he fell to sleep.

It's pretty difficult to have to write up something like this for the second time in a year. Losing Huxley was devistating enough, but at least I knew she was sick her whole life and I had prepared for it. Daniel seemed like any other normal kitty. The only thing I can come up with was enormous size. Not fat, just huge. He was less a cat and more a stegasaurus. Maybe his little heart just couldn't keep up with his growth. Regardless, it's pointless to think about. Sophie seems fine, so all I can think about is what he was.

Daniel wouldn't always go out of his way to get love. He was just satisfied to be near us. When we were in the living room, he was stretched out on the floor next to us. When we slept, we stayed on the nightstand at the foot of the bed (the perfect vantage point). He just wanted to be near us, though he never objected to getting some rubs. Don't let any of these characteristics fool you though. Daniel was completely dependent on us. He would cry and cry if he thought we weren't around. If we were in the living room and he wandered off, he would whine until we came to get him.

I'm going to miss Daniel so much. I already do. It's been difficult to go through our normal paces and know that he's not there to be with us. It's sad to give Sophie her tuna snack on Thursdays and Sundays and not hear Daniel going crazy to get his too. It's sad to wake up and not see him at the end of the bed, or in his own bed next to me. It's hard to come home since he was always the first to come running out to greet me. Daniel's favorite thing (aside from tuna) was drinking the water that collected on top of the shampoo bottle after a shower. It makes me sad to see that water untouched now. That poor cat. Only a year old.

The best thing for us now is knowing that we still have his great sister, Sophie. She's been great throughout everything. She can adapt to anything. It's been difficult. When I left for the first time after he died, it was the first time in her whole life that she was alone. She was definitely distant and a little confused for a couple of days, but now seems just like she always has been. My mom pointed out that it's probably best that things happened the way they did because Daniel would be completely lost without Sophie.

This has been extremely trying on us, but everyday seems to get easier. Right now we just want to give Sophie the attention she needs and remember everything we loved about Daniel. We will get another kitten someday, but not yet. Right now it's all about getting better.

I love you, buddy. I miss you.