Remembering Smokey, My First Cat!

I always think about my first cat, Smokey, because it was on this day in 1993 when he was put to sleep.  He had fallen ill two days before.  He was very old.  In human years, he was in his early 20s.  In cat years, he was well into his 90s or maybe older than that.  My family and I never knew his exact age.

His death hurt me a lot.  I cried for days.  I remember hearing the song, My Best Friend, by Queen playing on the clock radio the day after Smokey was put to sleep.  I cried heavily.  At the time, I only had Cap, my black cat, with me in that apartment I was living in.  It was a few blocks away from Prudential Center and Copley Place in Boston, Massachusetts.  Cap was good at comforting me during those difficult days.

Smokey gave me tons of joy while I was growing up in Suburban Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC.  A lot of kids at school didn't like me and picked on me without mercy.  Smokey was the only best friend I had during those years.

Thanks, Smokey!

"My Best Friend" by Queen