Miyo goes to heaven

My cat Miyo just died and I am truly truly sad.

This is the first time that a cat died on me. All the others just went away one day and didn't come back. That's how I usually lose a pet cat. So this one's really traumatic for me.

He was just two years old... a common house cat which looked a little different. As my friend J puts it, there's something different with his face. It's probably the shape of his eyes or his jaw. No matter, he's this adorable little dweeb who served as my own personal stress fur.

I remember when we, well, pop snatched him from the streets. (But later on, our neighbor's daughter claimed that he was hers but I didn't give him back obviously. Let's just say that if we went to the court, I won the custody battle) He was so small and scrawny, with a long tail that look like a rat's. He looked so disgusting. A few days of extreme pampering, feeding him generously with cat food and cleaning him up, he eventually started looking like a certified spoiled house cat.

Miyo was the reason why my sister and I had to take anti-rabies shots five times due to the scratches and bites we both got when we attempted to give him a bath. That was the first and the last time.

He doesn't look like a typical barako... we even had a hunch that he's gay because if he's a person, he is so effeminate. He goes out, touring the neighborhood everyday but makes sure that he goes home before the sun comes down. Most of the time, he comes home looking like a cat-hobo. And just to piss him off and as a punishment, I would dust him with cat powder 'till he's too annoyed to complain.

He sleeps like a human, sometimes flat on his backside or rolled up in a fetus position. He's so warm and cuddly and I like it when he snuggles to my side, never caring if I play with his nose or his tail. He also has this habit of sleeping on my bed, sometimes making my tighs his pillow.

Miyo's the biggest muncher I knew. He's so addicted to chips that even if he's on the other side of the neigbor's fence, once he hears the sound of a chip bag being opened, he would immediately go back home and pester you with his 'meowing' until you give him some. He eats all kinds of food - potato chips, chocolate mallows, ice cream, cake, even lollipop. But his favorite is Happy Peanuts. =) Mom often goes bananas because he keeps on ransacking mom's sari-sari store, eating whatever he could. I often end up paying for what he ate or destroyed so as to prevent mom's wrath.

But last Sunday, I went home and found him lying on my bed, all bloody and weak. We suspected he got attacked by a dog because he had deep puncture wounds on his jaw and neckline and his right front paw is all mangled up. My sister said there were blood everywhere and Miyo insisted staying on my bed (so guess where I slept) and didn't really want to leave my room. There were blood spatters everywhere because every time he shakes his head, the blood spills . It was all messy but I didn't mind. I just wanted him to get well. I nursed him the whole day that I was home last Monday (I'm sick as well). I tried feeding him and suture his wounds but the bleeding won't stop. We took him to the vet because he's already lost a lot of blood and he's really weak. It looked like Miyo really hated me for bringing him to the vet because he hates being held by people he didn't know. I thought he would get better after being confined for two days (with a dextrose!) but he looked worse. And I couldn't help thinking what would have happened if I just let him heal by himself at home. =(

I really really miss Miyo. He's my only stress buster... Some people might think that I am probably over-reacting but I couldn't really help it. I am sad as sad can be and I haven't cried like this in a long time.

There are many what ifs in my mind right now. What if I guarded him well last Saturday so he wouldn't be able to go out of the house? What if I just let him be... and let the cat's magical healing do its wonders? (But considering that he's been in other accidents a lot of times already in the past, the nine lives have been probably all used up)What if I didn't take him home tonight? I just wanted him alive - no matter how smelly and dirty he is - sitting here on my bed or at the couch doing his favorite thing in the world - sleep.

Do animals go to heaven? Because if they do, I am thinking he's there.

I wouldn't be getting a new cat soon. =(