We say Goodbye to you today, Chubby.
My heart, however, is not broken Chubs.
It is full, thanks to you my boy. Your lust for life, your fighting spirit, your inimitable style, and ultimately your love and humour all buoyed me up and I'm happy today, yes, happy that here you found sanctuary, peace, companionship and real love in this life.
Your legacy has been my education, my fulfilment, my conversion, my pleasure. I owe you a great deal.
You were destined for the scrap heap: violent, wounded, scared, not coping, until you limped into my life. Even the warden said you were untamable. I defied them, picked you up (got savaged) put you through the mill of neutering, tooth extraction and blood tests (got savaged again) and on finding you were FIV+ went on to discover enlightenment through Purrs In Our Hearts, and through this medium you brought me this most precious gift of companionship.
I owe all this to you my boy. My scruffy, smelly, worrisome, obstinate, unfathomable, independent boy. My Chubby, my project, my vocation and my hobby, my satisfaction and my chagrin, my Feral and my Pet.
You were everything, and All In One experience, a challenge in whom I (and Pursley, your forever BFF) could see from the very start contained a Heart of Gold.
I got there, Chubs. I was right. The pure love you supplied in our last weeks together was most unexpected and for that more fulfilling, welcome and embraced than any that came before you.
You filled my heart and my home with joy, with your filthy fur and your even filthier looks. But you Purred, oh my did you Purr. All night sometimes, you would sit at my feet and you Purred so hard I thought you might choke on them.
I went to try to explain to Pursley that you'd gone, Chubs. My words failed me, but she already knew. I'll look after her in the coming cold weeks, I know she was your first friend, and she'll miss cuddling up with you probably even more than me.
Thank you, sweetheart, for giving me Christmas. You knew I wanted it so badly, and you came through for me. Bless you, darling.
You were a special man, in more ways than I will ever know, and for just being part of my life I thank you, and will love you always.
Time to stop fighting now my Angel, go get some fun on the Bridge, it's not too late for the big party...there are friends there waiting for you.
RIP my Chubster.
xx