Pooka, the boat cat, has crossed the bar

No time to work on the boat this Saturday. Instead, we had to see an old friend off, an old friend that we will miss a lot.

Our Pooka hasn't been feeling well lately. After many trips (and some long visits) to his Vet, he came home one last time and was miserable. We both think that cats have a way of telling you that they want to leave and Pooka told us that very clearly on Friday night.

After a sleepless night on Friday, we knew it was time. It was so tempting to let him stay. We both looked for signs that he was, at least a little, back to his old self but, what we wanted to see just wasn't there. And of course, what we wanted was far less important than helping him.

It was time to let him go. 17 years old. A good run for a kitty that wandered into Frances' house in Marlbrough all those years ago and then went on to live with Frances' parents in Florida and then came back to Connecticut to eventually live with Frances in Suffield and with us on the boat during the summers.

This was the cat who went with us wherever we went on the boat. Sure, he puked a little on some rides, but that guy was always ready to come out and greet whoever was there once we docked.

So, Pooka is gone and we have to move on. No more cats (or dogs) for us, at least for a while. We need some time to pass. A friend like Pooka took a lot of our love. It takes some time for us to accept that he is no longer there.