Your Pet Loss Stories

'The Best Friend I Ever Had'

by William Daye
(Santa Rosa,CA)

Hello, My name is William and I would like to share my love for my cat KOKO with you. Back in 1995 I suffered the loss of both of my parents in a fire, I was living in Portland,OR at the time I received the news. I was devastated to see the house that I was raised in burnt to the ground (this happened in Virginia).

I was filled with the rage of a thousand demons, someone was going to pay with their life for killing my parents. Well after two months of investigating and the threat of losing my (2) jobs I flew back to Portland. The tragic loss was too much so I moved to California to be closer to my children (from a prior marriage) and some sense of having a family.

My wife got me KOKO because I was depressed. KOKO was a kitten when she gave him to me, a little bundle of gray fur. We took to each other immediately, everytime I would cry (Yes grown men do cry) and lose it over my parents death, my unemployment, my divorce, Anything that has happened in the past 12 years that has affected me emotionally, KOKO has been right there.

I'm obsessed with him my friends would say because I would put my cats first always. I have another cat her name is Sandy I love her too but KOKO is my heart, he means more to me than well let me put it like this in my life there is God, William & Elizabeth (my children) and KOKO. All the love for my parents went into KOKO after they passed, he has helped me cope with a lot of todays problems, I have laughed, cried, prayed & moved to different locations with him, I even had to let my ex-wife keep them for six months.

Wanting him back was the driving force behind my success at finding employment and a place to stay. Regardless of what I read or apply to help me cope and deal with a dying cat it seems that I'm really having a hard time with this.

I'm a combat trained soldier, I was in the Navy for 11 years and have trained with some of the Worlds best fighting forces, trained to kill if called upon to do so, I was apart of a Special Forces group and have been to every hot spot in the World.

I've been to about 86 different countrys in those 11 years and nothing has prepared me for the loss of my cat's life. To take a human life without emotion I've had Special Training by the military for this because if you hesitate on the battlefield it could mean your life. The death of soldiers in my unit, the death of my parents all are beginning to resurface.

I'm trying to be uplifting and I hope that you find some comfort in reading this. Just know that I love him more than anything in this world, KOKO means so much to me and to not hear him purr next to me in bed, greet me at the door whenever I come into the house. He was definately the king of my heart.

I will bring him home tomorrow 9-5-08 from the Vet they won't do anything else for him until I can afford them to that's why I'm so hurt because I love him so much. I have to deal with this so I will keep reading to find my comfort zone. With KOKO I was always in my comfort zone because I had someone I could talk to hug and kiss and give my love to. He will be missed Deeply.

My Best friend ever, and will be forever.