Woke up this morning to find my old friend Chessie dead beside the bed- he must've been on his way to jump up, he always slept next to my legs at night. He was 14-15 years old- it must've been very sudden and quick, he looked perfectly relaxed.
Chessie was part of our legendary NJ feral momma cat Sophie's third litter- he came to GA with me in 2010, my roommate kept the other 3, Skye, Fiona and Willow. Willow was pretty completely feral, she died of diabetes last year- Fiona's very social, as is Skye, and Chessie was always a sweetheart and a major lap cat and cuddler. He was a large, handsome classic tabby with Sophie's little white face-mask and big bat-ears, he had the best facial expressions of any of our cats- he could flatten his ears and scowl and any drama class would instantly say "DISGUSTED!"- he was hilarious. He was COTD many years ago, circa 2009-2010 perhaps- people commented on his expressions even then! He'd been dropping a little weight lately, but no masses palpable and his blood work was perfect- must've just been age....... as recently as last evening I was fussing him up on our bed and he was purring his head off, loving every minute of it...... he especially loved table food, like chicken and turkey, but he was always well-mannered and would quietly wait to get bites- unlike his brothers and sisters who practically get on our plates to grab food. He was a very special, very warm and friendly guy- really gonna miss him a lot.
If someone can provide an address for pics, I can supply some - he was a very handsome guy..... he should be remembered-

Send purrs from RB Chessie- your half-sisters Chloe, Mookie and Tiggi miss you, as do we- play hard and wait for us- we'll see you again one day-

bowlkat