We almost made it through the whole year without losing a cat. Alas, it was not to be. We inherited Bob and Tippy when my daddy died in 2016. They have been my gaming buddies for several years; I play video games while they lay on my chest.

In mid-November I realized that Tippy’s left eye wasn’t opening fully. I then realized that she had a small bulge in her forehead over that eye. I took her to the vet where x-rays revealed bone cancer. The vet wanted to see her in a month so we scheduled a follow-up on December 26th.

I spent that month loving on Tippy extra hard while the cancer progressed rapidly. By the time we returned to the vet, the bulge had grown to the point where her left eye was a mere slit and it showed no signs of stopping. I made the decision to let her go.

So, as I always do, I held my girl while the vet administered the euthanasia meds. I made sure that the last things she felt were my hands petting her and the last thing she heard was my voice telling her how much I loved her and how much I will miss her.

Farewell, Tippy. Bob and I miss you.