Presters

Every night I was going to sit down and write a post on Presley, but I just couldn't really do it. The vet told us to give it two weeks and then the chances of getting Presley back were very unlikely. So, two weeks passed this past Tuesday.

My best reading buddy...

I just have so much guilt and sadness. Guilt for not protecting my buddy- and sadness that he is gone and I did not get to say goodbye.

Presley has been with me for 10 years. 2000-2010. He lived with me in New Orleans when it was just the two of us. He rode in the car with me every weekend to go and visit Dave in Mobile when he was still in college. As a young cat, he followed me around everywhere and would not eat unless I was in the room with him. He would sit on the side of the tub while I took a shower, and when I went to the bathroom, he went to the bathroom. Our best times together were reading books. I mean, I can't even post kitten pictures of him because that was before digital cameras!!! All I have are paper photos!

Presley still made a shower appearance from time to time as he got older.

I am pretty sure Presley got tired of Rooney and Cayenne, but he would tolerate them as necessary. :)

Here is Presley hovering over me while I study. It was as if he knew he could grab my undivided attention. It seems that all animals know this trick....

Presley was a huge tomcat. He RULED the neighborhood. There was only one cat in this whole neighborhood that was brave enough to come into our yard. All of the neighbors knew Presley- he was respected as the biggest and baddest cat around. And, people lived in fear of him. Pet him if you dare- he may rip one of your eyes out if he gets tired of your presence. My own family was scared of Presley! I am not even kidding! Everyone was scared to pet him because he could turn on you in a second! One neighbor fed Presley every night just because he was scared that if he didn't feed him, he would start a fight with the other cats! (and Presley ate at least 5x daily here! ha ha!)

And here is the last picture ever taken of Presley. The dogs had just eaten my Los Locos arm warmers, and I was a little peeved. Every animal came out to give me kisses as I sat on the couch and worked on sewing up the rips in the fabric just to remind me how wonderful they really are.

So, I just miss him so much. I miss him every time I leave my bedroom in the morning- and every time I pull up in the driveway. I still look up in the trees to make sure he is not waiting for me to save him, and I still search for him in the neighborhoods when I run. I haven't put his food bowl or kitty litter away, and I haven't taken down the flyers yet...but I know I need to. I just really miss my friend. I have always wanted to be able to tell my animals goodbye when it is time for us to part ways- to tell them that I love them and I appreciate their company, good humor, and snuggles. I want to tell Presley that he made so many of my days better just by being around me...and that he was a good friend.

And, since he was such a good reading buddy, maybe he is reading this and he already knows this.