#in another universe perhaps Santino can take care of Vitko for me

[bluelolblue]

Day of the Dead - Svi Sveti (Croatian name)

In Croatia, this is more of a sad day, a day to remember and visit your deceased dear ones at the cemetery. I want to remember my beloved Vitko since he was a family member, even if he was a cat.

He was too old to recover from a disease that he caught, he was 15/16, younger cats would've survived it but this just attacked him on the inside, I think first it was his liver that gave out and then just everything else. He lost fur on the back of his neck, his skin was yellow, he could barely walk and was in some corners of rooms, probably sensing that his end was near. We really tried everything to help him for a very long time, but like I said, he was too old for that fight. The vet, who also knew Vitko since he was a kitten, suggested that it was best to put him to sleep so that he wasn't in pain anymore. Since he truly was in pain, he wasn't showing it because he was always like that, but I remember how tired he looked. At some point, he couldn't even walk anymore. His eyes, those beautiful green eyes, he was looking at me, but it was like he was looking through me.

But I'll never forget the last look when my mom was holding him, preparing to go to the vet with him. There was something in his eyes, in that look, like he was saying goodbye to me.

And I'll never forget what the vet said afterward. "His heart was beating for a long time. He had a very strong heart." The only organ that wasn't infected was his heart that was still beating for a long time after the given dose to put him to sleep.

He was my best childhood friend, the only true friend who appreciated me and never wanted to leave me. He knew me before I was even born. My mom told me he loved to sleep under my kinderbet and was doing it more often after I was born. It was like he knew we would be best friends. And it was just like that. He was my everything.

Every time I see a random white cat, I remember him.

I've never met a cat like him and everyone who knew him would always say he was special. With that personality, like a gentleman, calm, affectionate, sometimes drinking water from the bathtub's pipe, he had a funny phase where he ate his food with his paw, sleeping next to me and so on.

He is one of my biggest inspirations for so many things.

Vitko will never be forgotten, my beautiful little gentleman, I sincerely hope his soul is having peace. You're still missed, Vitko 🤍