I lost my cat, Dawg, one week ago. He had to be put to sleep because his heart murmur had gotten so bad that it had caused one of his lungs to fill up with fluid and he couldn't breath,and there was nothing the vet could do for him. He was only 4, and we had adopted him when he was 6 months old. He was such a beautiful boy, and when I had cancer, he never left my side. He would wait until the kids got home from school to eat, or go to the litterbox, because he wouldn't leave me alone. If we left the house, he'd be right there at the door waiting for us when we got back. And when friends or family came over, he would "talk" to them until they said hi to him.
About a month ago, we adopted another cat, a kitten named Baxter. For the first couple of days, Dawg didn't want anything to do with him, and then, by the third day, they were thick as thieves. Wherever Dawg was, Baxter was right there with him.
The day I had to say goodbye to Dawg was the hardest day of my life, and a week later it's still hard. I still cry for him, I still feel like I did the day it happened. And, I know this sounds bad, but I still can't stop comparing Baxter to Dawg. When I walked into the house after buring Dawg, Baxter was right there. I picked him up to cuddle him, but I couldn't take it...he wasn't the one I wanted to hold, he wasn't the one I wanted to see in the morning, he's not Dawg. What do I do now?

What do you do now? You keep hugging Baxter and you keep missing Dawg. You never forget the love and never forget the pain. You let the loss fade over time but try to hold on to the memories that make you smile and laugh. You make sure Baxter doesn't miss him too much and when he does, you give him all the hugs TWO cats should get.

You move forward, living your life as fully and as completely as you can. You do all the things you ever wanted to do and some of the things you thought you've never get the chance to try. You live one day at a time, one love at a time - the world belongs to you and you alone and it's yours to take advantage of. The sun on your face, the wind in your hair, the birds flying by, the sounds of children laughing, the whole damn world around you - you are it's master and it's yours for as long as you are here.

Just like a Dawg.