On Friday before work, when Rafferty didn’t appear at the doorway for her role as bathroom supervisor, I went looking for her and discovered that she had passed away sometime earlier that morning. After Daisy’s tumultuous last years as a senior cat, Raff’s passing felt sudden. She was 16 and had noticeably slowed down, but still had enough spunk to get the zoomies and race up and down the hallway every now and again. Raff, Raffy-bear, baby seal, little house bear, she was known by many pet names. My local baby, born and rescued on the streets of Brooklyn, she arrived with the top of her left ear lopped off, a common characteristic of cats that have been swooped up by TNR operations. She had the thickest, softest undercoat, loved belly rubs and drooled when she was really happy. She had endearingly short extremities and a heavy footstep, you could hear her stomping in your direction before you saw her. She loved to smell a finger, chewed with her mouth open, never figured out how to push open a cracked door and was all heart. After Daisy’s death she was an only child for 4 and a half years, a role she quickly grew very comfortable in. She grew more comfortable still when we moved her into
@joshuachiet ‘s apartment earlier this year. She quickly adapted and since he’s wfh, she was DELIGHTED to have someone to hang out with all day. We’re both so incredibly sad, we truly thought we had more time with her 💔 but we’re grateful that she was so happy and comfortable right up to the very end. I’ll love you forever, my little fuzzy baby. 15 years together was an incredible gift, but still it somehow feels too short. #raffthecat
