Aku came into our lives, one rainy September evening when my partner and I dipped into a pet store to buy food for our other recently adopted cat. On this particular evening, they were having a kitten adoption event. Upon realizing this, my partner said without any trace of deception, this now infamous phrase:
“We can just look at the kittens.”
We could not “just look” at the kittens.
From the day we brought him home, we knew he would be a very central part of our lives. He was brash, opinionated, playful, sweet, and VERY food motivated. No unguarded plate or glass was ever safe. He once stole a Buffalo wing out of a mans mouth. He was also one of the sweetest, and affectionate cats I’ve ever had the fortune to live with, and we miss him every day.
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve had an “Aku” of your own pass, recently. To you, I say simply this: Pets leave paw prints in our hearts. I sometimes think that the worst thing about them is that they don’t live forever…but the love I felt for him while he was alive will carry me for the rest of my days. And for that time, I will always be grateful. To live is to know death. But to know such sorrow means to also have known great love. So remember the love that they gave you. Cherish the time you have with them while they’re here. They are family. And when you are done grieving, there are plenty of other wonderful animals, waiting to meet experienced pet owners who might just have a hole in their heart, about the size and shape of a little black cat.
Rest in peace, buddy.
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