Tiger

We have had a rough weekend here.  On Saturday, our awesome cat, Tiger, passed away.  He was ten and a half years old.  Edward and I adopted him from the Humane Society the month after we got married, just after we moved to Florida.  He really was a wonderful pet for our family.  He got sick very suddenly and was rushed to the Urgent Care overnight on Friday.  On Saturday afternoon, the vet called to say that he was even worse and in a lot of pain, so I opted (and vet totally agreed) to have him put to sleep.  It was really sudden, and we didn't get to say good-bye.  The kids LOVED Tiger, and they are really upset.  Add that to everything else we've had going on over the last few months, and it's a lot for any kid.  We are really going to miss our cool cat.  He has been such a great companion to all of us.  Last night, it felt pretty lonely sitting up, watching tv.  He ALWAYS would sit behind me on the couch, and he has slept on our bed pretty much since we got him.  He will be very, very missed.

Tiger lived a great life.  He was  true Army cat, moving from Florida to North Carolina, North Carolina across the country to Arizona, and once again from Arizona to North Carolina.  He did so well on this past move.  He rode in the "boy" car, as Luke called it with Edward and Luke.  Luke, in particular, is VERY attached to Tiger.  He's taking it very hard.

Tiger fit into the palm of our hand when we adopted him.  The first night we had him, he was too little to climb the stairs of our townhouse.  He stood at the bottom step meowing until we carried him upstairs because we didn't realize he couldn't climb the steps yet.  He absolutely loved Florida, catching lizards in our backyard all the time.  Tiger evacuated from hurricanes three times.  He's been here to see each baby of ours come home from the hospital, and he's always adapted well.  He's been around as each toddler has learned how to "nicely and gently" pet him.  He was a great deployment companion too. 

This moring, Luke came into my room and asked me if Tiger was in Heaven yet.  He's trying to understand all of this, and while people tell me we'll get through it (yeah, I know), it doesn't make it any easier to try and take care of all of their emotional needs right now.

Rest in Peace, Tiger.  You were a great part of our lives.