Goodbye My Sweet Cleo

This is a much more somber post than usual my friends, but I had to write it. This week on Tuesday Marc and I had to say goodbye to our very beloved, sweet kitty Cleo and we are still processing the loss. This post is a tribute to him and how much he meant to us. For me in particular it has been hard because he was my first cat ever. He predated Marc by 7 years and saw me through some turbulent times and life changes. I adopted him within a month of moving out on my own into my first apartment when he was a scrawny, flea ridden kitten rescued from a hoarder.

He quickly filled out and became a huge 18 pound mush ball. Just look at that big, fuzzy belly. He rarely left my side, with his favorite spot being at my feet whenever I was home. I also just loved how chatty he was. Whenever he walked into a room to find me he would chatter at me as if to announce “all is well mama, I’m here”. I also never heard anything like his demanding meows when he was hungry for his meal! No matter what was going on in my life, he was there keeping me grounded with his sand paper kisses and cuddles.
When our other two cats Magoo and Tinkerbell came along, he very much became the ring leader. They looked to him to teach them the house rules and the feeding schedule for sure. He also was always so quick to pick up on where the food was kept each time I moved and within a week of coming home with me he figured out the sound of a can opening. I never saw him run faster than when he heard a can from anywhere in the house. The best was when he learned how to play fetch like a dog with his favorite rubber soccer ball toy. When Marc came along Cleo took to him right away, and that’s how I knew Marc was a good egg.

We were devastated when the vet gave us the news that a small mass we found on his leg was cancerous. It had already spread to his paws and lungs as well. She gave us the advice that at that point treatment would do no good at his advanced age of 14.5 years. Once it spreads to the lungs there is no going back. Surgery or radiation would have just been needless pain delaying the inevitable. So we made him as comfortable, happy and pain free as we could for 4 weeks after the diagnosis. He was showered with all of the love we had and everything he loved to eat until we knew from the pain in his eyes that it was time. I still cry about him sometimes, but I am trying to find comfort in his two siblings and the fact that we gave him a good life. There is really nothing like the pure, unconditional love of a pet, they truly are family. So thank you all for reading this tribute as we mourn our wonderful boy and process the grief.

Goodbye My Sweet Cleo
Goodbye My Sweet Cleo

10 thoughts on “Goodbye My Sweet Cleo”

  1. Oh, I’m so very sorry for your loss. It look like Cleo was loved and knew it. You were lucky to have such a wonderful companion.

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