Remembering Archie
Last night Alex and I lost our beautiful little three legged cat Archie — the much loved third member of our family and gone way too soon at only 3 years old.
Archie had been sick for two weeks. We were concerned enough to take him twice to the emergency vet, along with his regular vet — but sadly nothing obvious was wrong with him until it was too late. He died during the emergency surgery that could have saved his life.
It’s only been one day, but I already miss Archie very much. He was my special friend and he will leave a huge hole in my heart. I know Alex feels the same — our house suddenly feels emptier and lonelier without him here.
For the past year or so I’ve worked almost exclusively from home. I didn’t fully appreciate this at the time — but having Archie at home with me every day was a true blessing. He slept at my feet. He slept at the door. He slept in his cat teepee. He slept right up against the wall. He was super awkward and a real weirdo— but that made us love him even more. He was one in a million.
I’ll be forever grateful for the special moments we had together. I especially loved it when I’d take a moment to myself on the deck and he’d emerge from the garden to come sit with me in the sun. Arriving home in the evenings was always special because he would — awkwardly of course — hop up the stairs ahead of us at full speed, and then roll onto his back for cuddles before we were allowed properly inside the house. This was especially true when returning from holidays or weekends away.
Alex and I don’t have kids, and having a dependent of sorts, even one as easy-going as a cat, was also really good for us. We’d often leave it until the last minute to organise somebody to stay at the house or feed him when we went away (“oh no — who will look after Archie!”) but I’m proud that we never booked him into a cattery — and we always looked forward to coming home so we could be with him again. He definitely missed us too — the purrs were always louder and the cuddles on the couch lasted longer. I rest easy knowing he loved his time living with us.
I’ve always struggled a bit with living inside my own head — and it’s fair to say the book “Don’t sweat the small stuff” was pretty much lost on me. I have the personality type where everything matters and I spend a lot of time worrying about details and creating imaginary problems for myself. Archie was a welcome distraction from my thoughts and my obsessions. He brought me into the moment and focused my attention to what matters. I appreciate this more than ever now that he’s gone.
We love you Archie and miss you very much. Thank you for sharing your short life with us, and we’re sorry we couldn’t do more for you when you needed us most. You will forever be our littlest bb.