Less than an hour ago, we said goodbye to our cat, Sarah. This is the second time we’ve decided to put down an old cat (she was 19) who was deteriorating before our eyes, unable to hold her bladder and not even purring anymore. I had a hard time with the decision — I hate these adult responsibilities of having to deal with life and death. My wife and I thoroughly talked it through and we brought her in to the vet together. The vet, Dr. Ullman, was truly amazing. Very compassionate and great in that she went through all the scenarios between putting our cat down or letting her go. The reality was that Sarah was so miserable and she was not going to get better.

Thankfully, we had told our kids that this was likely to happen and they had said their goodbyes. The fact is that, while the kids liked her, the cat loathed being last in line for attention behind the boys. After our second child arrived, out of revenge, Sarah peed — many times - through our bedroom carpet all the way through to the wood baseboard before we figured out exactly what she was doing.

Still, I’m writing this blog to try to sort through the emotions of letting go of a cat who had been with us since my wife and I were in the second year of couplehood. I will miss her strange meow (like a pouting infant) and chubby tummy. It was time to release her. Rest in peace, Sarah.