My missus and I got a kitten 10 years ago called Socks
Socks lived with us for a year or so until we decided to move back to our respective homes and save for a mortgage. Fiona's mam was scared of cats, so Socks came with me. I spent about 5 years at home and Socks grew very attached to my mam and the house
Socks loved the outdoors, was a prolific killer of small mammals, but she was also very sweet. When I was laid up with gastritis she stayed right by my side for almost the entire thing, sleeping on and beside my stomach for relief. She went missing for a few days once and we were in absolute agony, but she came back and to this day we have no idea where she was.
We ended up being home for about 5 years before having enough for our own house, and by then Socks had made a home, with a woman who loved her and waited hand and foot on her. We decided not to uproot Socks, and there she has remained for the last 4 years. In the last year or so, Socks developed a very pronounced heart murmur which affected her day to day life. She started eating a lot less and generally stayed indoors. My mam called me last week and said she seemed very ill, so I came home. Didn't see much of Socks as she slept in a little cupboard and I didn't want to disturb her. When I was going to the toilet one night, she came in to me and said hello (she always liked watching humans pee for some reason)
My mam rang me again on Wednesday to say that she thought she was on her last legs and wanted to know if I was ok with bringing her in to the vet so she could go asleep. We scheduled it for today at 6pm and I headed home again last night to be there with my mam. It was lucky I did, after we had hung out with Socks in our front porch this morning, she went underneath mam's bed and passed away peacefully in familiar surroundings and on her own terms. She hated the vets, so we were sort of thankful that she didn't have to endure that final journey and she got to deny them their prize.
I have 4 more cats at home and it's a reminder of what an emotional timebomb they are, but it is worth every second of grief just to have been able to be a part of her life. I would encourage anyone who has the capacity to bring a little friend into their home to do the same. RIP Socks, we love you and are going to miss you
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