My cat is gone.

Amber was always a very shy, skittish cat. For the first five years of her life, she spent a lot of time hiding but when she started living with just me, she became a much more vocal, outgoing, affectionate cat. She liked to be as close to me as possible, preferably on me, and if that wasn't possible, she wanted to be able to see what I was doing. When I slept, she was either on her pillow (yes, there was a pillow on my bed reserved for Amber) or sometimes crowding my head out on my own pillow, or if she was especially cold or desiring of affection, she slept on my chest or legs. So it was fitting that in her last hours with me, when she insisted on hiding out under the bed, I lay down on the floor beside the bed so that I could be as close to her as possible.

Goodbye, my dear cat. I'm so sorry that we didn't have more time together and I miss you already.