We buried Cassie yesterday. Where Magnus could be a complete asshole at times, and he was definitely a one-man cat, Cassie was everyone’s true love. She jumped in everyone’s lap immediately, purring and rubbing up against them, no matter who they were.

She curled up every night with us, and she loved rolling around on the deck in the sun. She loved playing with a toy bowtie and bunny finger puppet at night, a game appropriately called Bowtie and Bun-Bun. She would lick my hair at night, laying on my pillow and reach out to grab your nose and pull you in for kisses if you weren’t paying enough attention.

She had special bonds with her brothers and sisters, and they all miss her. Even Mazy, our new Great Pyrenees/Golden Retriever mix, who was only in the house for ten days with Cass while she was sick, loved her. Watching Cass follow Mazy around and Mazy nuzzle her, I prayed that Cass would get better, so we could witness that connection grow for years to come.

Sadly, it was not to be and on the heels of Magnus dying only ten days earlier, I was absolutely devastated. I’m as depressed as I’ve ever been.

I keep reminding myself that in the future, when I’m sad about the normal, day-to-day bullshit, that this is true sadness, not that other navel gazing nonsense. Magnus and Cassie sad.

Love hurts, but I think of it this way – it wouldn’t hurt so bad if you didn’t love so deeply, and a life with love that deep is always better than one devoid.

Goodbye, Cassie. You were the best girl. You set a standard very few cats could ever reach, and life is going to suck without you. We love you.

Target: 1200 words
Written: 355 words, novella: The Mungk