Remembering Carmine on His Third Angelversary

Today is Carmine's third angelversary. On May 26, 2023, Carmine went to the Rainbow Bridge at the ripe old age of 18. We were together just two weeks short of 18 years (Carmine told me he was coming home with me as a 14-week-old kitten, and of course, I obeyed him).

I miss so many things about my sweet heart cat.

I miss how compassionate and loving he was to me and to his kitty friends—everyone migrated to Carmine when they didn't feel well because they knew he would watch over them and take good care of them. 

I miss how soft he was after his lion cuts and how nice he smelled after he had a visit with the groomer. 

I miss how playful he was, especially when he was young. He always entertained us with his silly antics. 

I miss seeing him up on top of the kitchen cabinets, in his cushy cat cubes, and enjoying his heated bed. 

I miss how much he loved chicken and ham and how he patiently waited for me to share some when I had it for dinner. 

But do you know what I miss most of all?

I miss his constant presence. How he made my world better just because he was in it. How he gave me a purpose. How, even at the very worst of times, I knew we would find a way through. How I knew he loved me just because I was me and how I was always good enough for him without even having to try. How I knew he adored me and felt the same deep soulmate connection with me that I did with him. 

From his very first night home with me and Lita, he slept with me at least part of every night. He typically slept with me for most of the night, especially as he aged. When he was a kitten, he loved to bounce off the walls, run up and down the hall, and play with Lita and Emma, but even then, he always had to know where I was, and he'd get upset if he couldn't get to me (he hated if a door separated us, so I quickly learned that I needed to keep them open at all times). 

After Lita went to the Rainbow Bridge in 2018, our bond got even stronger. We became inseparable. He was by my side constantly. We served as each other's comfort and support. It was a beautiful and rare kind of love.

I miss him every single day, and I know I will miss him until we are reunited someday. 

Carmine

Forever Loved, Never Forgotten

Feb. 18, 2005–May 26, 2023