I thank you all for your replies.

Toy has been gone for almost six years now and I'm just beginning to recover from the loss. I wrote that poem about a year after she died.

I posted it here because I see so many cat lovers here who are in pain, very real, very deep pain and I want them to know that its ok to feel and express that pain.

Every time I hear the phrase, "Its just a cat(or dog)", I just about go nuts. Our companion animals are family members! I don't think humanity will ever reach the point where we'll be given three days paid leave from work, but hopefully there will be more empathy from co-workers, neighbors and family in the future.

That's why I wrote it and that's why I posted it here.

Thanks for reading it,

Karel