Pinkie here. We’ve been a little quiet lately, and here’s why:

Mr. Cat, TRGAW’s venerable and handsome gentleman muse, was checked into the animal hospital on Monday morning after a puny weekend. I was expecting that old age in combination with tummy trouble would have him out of commission for a couple of days, and that he’d be back to normal soon. However, during his day at the vet, it became apparent that he was very ill, and yesterday, test results confirmed that he was in advanced renal failure. Because the only available therapy for chronic renal failure requires daily, invasive treatments that would offer Mr. Cat a less than fair quality of life, I made preparations to say goodbye to him this morning. He spent most of yesterday sedated for his comfort. Cindy went with me to the clinic this morning to bid him farewell. Mr. Cat passed on of his own accord shortly after the vet brought him in to visit with us. It was time.

Mr. Cat came into my life when he was already an adult, through a coworker who was relocating from Austin to Seattle. One look at Mr. Cat, and I was smitten. (I like my cats like I like my men—lean, angular, scary smart and painfully pretty.) At the time, he was known as Gilligan, and his official name of record remains Gil, though it’s never suited him. If myth holds true, he’s kept his real name a secret, but he deigned to answer to Mr. Cat. He was with me for just over 10 years, there through marriage, divorce, and a cross country move. During the last few months, which have been pretty difficult for me for various reasons, Mr. Cat was an especially good companion. In retrospect, I think he’d been holding on to take care of me, faking his way through to comfort me through hard times and heartbreak, and continuing to fib about his age. Mr. Cat was a righteous dude.

Anyone who met Mr. Cat quickly became aware that he was a lot more than the average cat. Mr. Cat was an impeccable judge of character, an expert listener, an excellent heating pad, and was always the most handsome man in any room. I’m going to miss him very much. Cindy will too.