Where do I begin. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Miles was my first baby, and the man in my life for many years. I had my feline friend prior to marrying my husband. As you can see from the picture, he was an incredibly handsome, majestic, flame-tipped Siamese and part Himalayan cat. He listened to me, no judgments were ever made and the best part is that he didn’t talk back. The perfect male, right? Miles waited patiently for me to come home from work every day, so he could dine on his favorite treat, Fancy Feast. Definitely not the breakfast of champions (in fact his vet once compared it to French fries), but he loved it, and that’s all that mattered to me. We spent many hours cozied up on the couch together. You see, it was just me and Miles for a long time. Then, life happened and things changed.
Now, enter a new home, husband and dog. If you’re a cat owner, you know that moves are incredibly stressful on our beloved kitty cats. He not only had to get used to brand new digs, but another smelly 4 legged friend…….and Ryan (the hubs). Miles handled this all in stride. Then, our first daughter, Lucy came along. She LOVED Miles with all of her heart. Kids know no boundaries when it comes to physical strength so Miles endured his fair share of hugs, tugs, tackles and drops. Yes, it’s true cats always land on their feet, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some pain involved. Despite his growing anxiety, he and Lucy developed a very special bond. They played together, napped in her princess tent and skowered the backyard for hidden treasures. 
After our second child, Alice, we moved to another new home. Miles took this move a little harder and his behavior started to change. Now with two littles chasing after him, he no longer had as much time to bask in the sun, and spend his sleepy days relaxing. By the time we had our third baby, Guy, Miles was getting older, anxiety ridden and sick. Our home wasn’t a respite for him anymore, rather, a place overcome with noise and chaos. It was clear to us he needed a change, but change was exactly what was causing a decline in his health. Fortunately for us, my parents agreed to take Miles in. This way our girls could still visit with him, but he would have all the comforts an aging cat should have. Things were great for a few months, but things eventually started to take a turn for the worse. Miles’ health was deteriorating and his quality of life was at stake. I was NOT okay with that. After a few consultations, we made the difficult decision to put him to sleep.
I wasn’t new to this process since we had put my childhood cat (Poppins) down, as well as my husband’s dog (Lucky) to sleep after a fierce battle with cancer. We knew that we didn’t want Miles to suffer and go through any sort of treatment. The aspect that was different this time around was having kids involved. How would we explain the loss of THEIR pet?! My initial thought was to not say anything since he had been staying with my parents, but my gut told me otherwise. We had to tell the girls. Alice and baby Guy are too little to remember, but Lucy is 5, and a complete and total cat LOVER (just like her momma). I sat them down and told them I had something very sad to tell them. I explained that Miles was sick, and he had to go to kitty heaven, but that this was a very special place where he could relax all day and still watch over them from above. They had a million questions, and then a million more, but they seemed to find solace in knowing he wouldn’t be in pain anymore.
Then, the very moment I had tried to avoid, was upon us. It was time to say goodbye. My parents came over before taking him to the vet. The girls drew a picture for Miles, and we held and snuggled him one final time. The tears rolled down our faces, as they are now while I write this. It was one thing for me to say goodbye, but to watch sweet little Alice and Lucy give their kitty one last squeeze was almost too much to bare. How have you handled loss of a family pet with your kiddos? Did you have a little service, or a burial? Did you get their paw print made, or spread their ashes somewhere? I would like to know because I feel connecting with others during grieving helps the healing process. We won’t cry because he’s gone, rather, smile because he was in our lives. So long beautiful Miles. May the sun continue to shine on your magnificent mane.
