Losing Leory - 4 Years Ago Today 11/29/09

4 years ago today I lost my Leroy - he was an 18½ year old Maine Coon. Few humans have ever been honored with such a companion - clown, investigator, mess-maker, and trouble maker extrodinairre. I can hardly believe you have been gone this long. Your picture hangs above me with the caption - "Miss You Mom". God knows I miss you too sweetheart. Your buddy Richard visited your grave today - he not only remembers you, but his girlfriend lost her Eskie today also. I know you feel their pain Leroy - and if you were here, you would surely try to comfort him. I know you are always with me now- watching over all of us - including your two brothers and a sister that we have adopted over time. You are one of a kind Leroy and we forever love and thank you for all the joy you brought to our lives.
Love, Mom, Dad and Richard

Living Without Leroy

I need someone to tell me HOW to start living my life without my Sweet Beauty. I read somewhere about changing your routine - he was a part of my WHOLE ROUTINE. He was my alarm clock in the morning - no need to have the real thing - he got me up before my alarm went off looking for breakfast. I hate making meals now because he would always be right there reaching up to sample what I was cooking. I had to turn the handles of pans inward on the stove for fear he would pull the pan off just like a small child. When I go in or out I still think Uh Oh is the door shut and I check because he used to like to try to sneak out. I want to sleep all the time to just avoid feeling all this pain and I can't even do that because all I do is think about how he used to be here with me, his head butting under my hand when I read a book for a good head rub. I want to sit by the fire in our pellet stove we just got but he loved the warmth of the fire that he not only slept in front of it on colder days - that's where he died. I feel like I have got to snap out of this but I can't. I cancelled a shopping trip tomorrow because I just can't deal with all the holiday stuff right now - but I will have to sooner or later - and I guess it will have to be later because I just can't handle much of anything right now. Help me. I miss him so, so much.

Losing Leroy

Many thanks to those who have replied to my post about Leroy. I came back here at 4:30am since I couldn't sleep just to talk a bit more about my Sweet Beauty. A distant relative's mother was moving and could not take him with her so she let him loose in some woods near where she lived when he was just one year old. My cousin went back after a week to look for him and by some miracle he was still there and took him home. He put the word out in the family that he had a cat that needed a home (he has rabbits and couldn't keep him) so I decided the time was right for me to have a pet so I took him. At the time his name was Leo - but I decided I wanted to give him my own name but something close enough that he would learn to respond quickly and that's how I came up with Leroy. I was going through a nasty divorce and had a 3½ yr old son at the time and Leroy quickly became my only source of comfort. Many weekends when my son would visit his father, Leroy and I would just sit in a chair together for hours at a time and he never left my side. I had many cats as I was growing up, but Leroy was the only one I ever had who never hid when he was taken to a strange place. During his life I moved 5 times and every time he just took over like he knew he owned the place - no hiding under beds - he would walk from room to room inspecting everything and then come right back to where the people and the action was. His last move with us was this past August and I am so glad he had some time here. We moved to a home in the country on a little over an acre where he enjoyed the patio (only when we were out with him) and watched the birds from the windows. Just 7 wks ago he caught a mouse out there (yuk!) that my husband had to pry away from him - just didn't want to give up the prize catch! He loved it here and I could not bare the thought of not having him around so when he passed away, my husband built a secure box to bury him in and we wrapped in a blanket with some of his toys and buried him behind my gardening shed. I put several stones made of slate and one decorative one in the center and I will plant a small garden there in the spring.
Well, I'm in tears again. Thanks for letting me ramble on about my Sweet Beauty. I miss him too, too much.

Losing Leroy

To all of you here, my heart, what is left of it goes out to you. I searched and searched until I found this site to just express myself and share a common bond with other aching souls. My 18½ yr old Maine Coon died yesterday morning and I am devastated beyond words. Leroy was my constant companion, a faithful friend when I had none, and a trouble-making joy. He would "trill" us awake way too early, eat way too much - including things like thawing strip steaks on the counter that he helped himself to and come to bed with me every single night. This house is so quiet without him, I can barely stand to be here. The grief I feel is so overwhelming it is driving me crazy - sometimes I swear I hear him walking across the wood floors or meowing from another room. I can't sleep yet I'm exhausted. When he passed away, he took part of me with him and I'm not sure I'll ever get it back. Won't be too much Christmas spirit this year without Leroy under the tree, in fact I don't even want a tree this year since he won't be here to knock the ornaments off.
I'm grateful for a space like this to grieve openly about him. Thanks.