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This is my first blog post so thought I'd give a little intro. I was hoping my first wouldn't be so personal but this is the first reason Ive had for blogging. This may seem horribly out of place but Giantbomb really is my home on the internet at this point so I thought this would be the best place to post it. I know it's video game forum but please bare with me here. You don't HAVE to read it. But for those who do I truly appreciate it.

We got our second cat shortly after we had to give up a dog that we had saved off the streets because our neighbours complained about all the barking (The dog was abused by it’s previous owners, so it thought when we left we were abandoning it. It would bark for hours until we got home). It was kind of weird actually. We got this cat for free from a guy that was giving away several kittens, I initially chose another cat but it was already reserved for someone else. So we took “Whiskers” home with us that day (I know, not a particularly creative name for a cat, but hey I was like 9 years old at the time.) He was scared of us for quite a while, choosing to hide behind any piece of furniture he could, but eventually he warmed up to us and began to love us as much as we loved him. When he was really small he would sleep in my dads slippers like a sleeping bag. When he started to grow he moved on and slept in our bathroom sink for some reason.

Unlike our other cat Whiskers was extremely playful, he loved to fight us, sometimes even attacking when we least expected it. He would even follow us into the bathroom and get us when we were most vulnerable. That got him quite a lot of kicks. My parents always wondered why I let him bite me so much (In truth I didn’t really let him, it just happened because that’s how cats play) so I would often go into school with cuts all over my hands. I’ve certainly been asked why I had them by my peers. I thought it was amusing to explain it to them.

Although many won’t understand the feelings I shared with my furry pal, I considered him to be one of my closest friends. My family was forced to move to a new province when a company bought out my dads place of work and relocated us. I never really made a lot of close friends after the move, but Whiskers stayed close to me. The bond only grew as time passed. I began to develop bouts of depression and anxiety from not being able to fit in with the people at my new school, even to this day I still have problems connecting with people. Even then my cat was with me through all those long nights of wondering why no one liked me and why I was bullied. Through good times and bad, I always had my friend to comfort me.

I’m Eighteen years old now. I’ve graduated high school and still have not found my purpose, or what I want to do with my life. I know many people my age struggle with this but it almost feels like I’m alone when I see all the people my age going off to college or university, still I had Whiskers to comfort me when I was feeling lost. Unfortunately, just two days ago I found out my friend of nine years was having problems with his heart and would have to be put down. I’m still having trouble coping with it but I knew the day would come eventually, I just hoped that it wouldn’t be so soon. Our last cat lived to be Twenty-one, this one lasted until he was fourteen. For nine years he was there for me in times of need. For nine years he was my best friend and cuddle buddy, and now he is gone. I’m still not sure how I will be able to get past it. Again, many of you aren’t going to understand why this is such a big deal, and that’s fine, but when you’ve had a pet for so long that he/she is considered a family member, it’s extremely hard when it’s time to say goodbye.

I thank anybody for reading this all the way through to the end. This isn’t so much for discussion, it’s for me to let loose and reflect on this whole experience. That said if anyone has ever had to deal with this and wants to share that would be fine.

Thanks again.