Rest in peace, Charlie.

Charlie was put to sleep this morning.

Charlie is my mother's cat, and he has been since I was 13 years old. He had been sick for almost two years now, and the vets never figured out what was ailing him. I'll spare you the details, but every few weeks, he would go through a bout of suffering. The episodes had been coming more frequently lately, and he had lost even more weight. My mother said he couldn't even walk last night, and the vet had trouble getting the needle in his vein because he was so dehydrated.

Charlie was one of the most awesome cats I have ever known. He always had a voracious appetite, and he even sat at the table with us one Christmas morning because he was so interested in our food. I told my mom that I am sure he is at an endless cat food buffet right now.

Charlie was one of the prettiest cats I have ever known. A Maine Coon, which probably also attributes to the friendliness. I wish I had taken more photos of him.

Charlie was hands down the friendliest cat I have ever know. He was so freaking friendly, you would not believe he was a cat. Charlie liked to hang out on the sidewalk in front of the house, and when strangers would walk by, he would flop on his back to expose his belly, demanding petting. As friendly as he was, he was most definitely my mother's cat. She used to joke that Charlie only liked her because she fed him, but the truth is, he just loved being with her. My mom knew that when Charlie couldn't even purr when he was with her that it was his time.

Love you, Charlie. We will miss you.