No one is immune from the pain of companion animal loss, if we have animals in our lives. Our hearts broke when we let our beloved Oliver Monkey kitty go on July 3, 2023. What we originally thought was a tooth issue turned to shock and devastation when we learned it was a growth under his tongue-- Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
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In other words, cancer.

The treatments came with a poor prognosis and would have given us only a few months, at best. We felt it would be inhumane to subject him to that, despite us desperately wanting to hold onto our beloved friend and companion. We brought him home, sharing almost every moment together, creating countless pics and videos, and repeating how much we love him.

In his 14 years, our very sweet, extremely curious, playful, and loving Monkey loved nothing more than head boops and head kisses. His original name was Oliver, but after his antics as a kitten, his name changed to Monkey. He was so attuned to us and dog-like and he wanted to be near us at all times. He loved his rope scratchers and would knead the air when he’d flop over on his back. It looked like he was waving. The only time we ever heard him hiss was at a broom.

He was our Little Gray Man and I know he’s looking over us now as he loved to do from the top of the stairs.

It's ironic or fitting that I'm in the middle of writing a self-help/self-discovery book about pet loss. Either way, there is an even greater intention on my part that I create a book that helps people who are dealing with this agonizing pain. Losing an animal is still stigmatized, despite the fact that some research shows that, for some people, losing an animal can be as difficult as losing a human. Part of my Life’s work is to continue to validate and create space for this grief and help us find ways to heal and honor our beloved animals.

Closure is a myth when it comes to grief. We don’t get over it, we get through it. As we heal, it becomes a part of us. Please cherish every moment you have with loved ones. We really never know how long we have.

Monkey, we hope you have met up with your brother, Bubby, and the two of you are back playing together again.

Rest well, Monkey. We love you.