Goodbye, Sweet Guapo

Orders and life as we know it will experience a little delay this week. Today we had to say goodbye to El Guapo, our three-year-old Siberian Forest Cat. He passed this morning, after chasing plastic Easter eggs, in the sunbeams in our front room. Apparently there was some thickening of the walls of his heart (cardiomyopathy) and it gave out.

Thank you, Guapo, for being in our lives. For stealing dog treats to feed to the dogs, for making it so that we could never have fresh flowers in the house. Thank you for letting our daughter pull on your fur, and smack you in the face, and for loving every minute of it. Thank you for playing fetch, rough-housing with our two large dogs, and for your general species confusion. Thank you for warming up the stroller, the car seat, the bouncy chair, and the highchair for our baby, and always staying out of her crib. Thank you for your visits to us in the bathtub - and the shower. You were an amazing cat, and a wonderful and truly unforgettable presence in our lives. We were blessed to have you, and will remember you every time we put flowers on the dining room table, or pass a paper bag, box, or basket that is not full of cat. You were as crafty and intelligent as you were handsome, and you kept us both amused and on our toes. I will miss you in the studio with me, and the way you were always on my lap when I was trying to work. I will also miss the way that you always came to me when I was sad and needed comfort. Guapo, what I wouldn't give now to hear the sound of your meow, to feel your purr, and to hold you in my lap just one more time. My baby kitty, I hope you loved every minute of your life. You have made an incredible impact on ours, and we will carry you in our hearts always. We love you, El Guapo, and we miss you.