Last night, Willy lost his fight with cancer. We bawled. And talked about all of foods that made him super happy and all of the ways he blessed our lives. He was the coolest cat ever. Brisa and I took him everywhere. Plane and car trips from Orange County, CA to UC Davis. A long road trip from UC Davis to Kansas State University. Plane trips from Kansas State University to Washington, DC. Plane trips from Kansas State University to Orange County, CA. Road trip from Kansas State University to Brooklyn, NY. Road trips from Brooklyn, NY to Washington, DC. And then finally a road trip from Brooklyn, NY to Houston, TX. And that’s just in the last 9 years that I’ve known him. Who knows how many trips he made with Brisa in the 2 years prior to that or the 4 years prior to Brisa adopting him.
Big Willy, Big Pimpin, William Wallace, Willyopoly and Little Buddy were just some of his nicknames. His most annoying yet most endearing characteristic was his need to be close to us. Often times in college when I was working on papers or later on when I was editing photos, he insisted that he needed to lay on my keyboard or on my hands at all times. I’d move him off and then he’d just jump back on and start purring and give you that big-eyed look that just melted your heart.
Thank you Willy for being so awesome and for bringing so much joy to our lives. Thank you for taking care of Brisa all of these years and getting her through high school, undergrad, veterinary school, an internship and into residency. You were always her rock and she loves you sooooo much. We will have other cats in the future, but we’ll never have another Willy. You will be missed and never forgotten.
This is why he was called Big Pimpin – surrounded by multiple pillows on a bed PLUS the remote!
Willy at the largest ball of twine
Willy at Taco John’s
A very happy Willy at the Salt Flats
Willy & Pork Bun at Christmas
The last few days were really really tough on all of us. Willy was losing an excessive amount of weight and he wasn’t eating at all. We knew that his time was coming.
His paws were probably his cutest feature and it was really sad to see how noticeable his weight loss was even in his little legs
Goodbye, Little Buddy…
So sorry for your loss. I’m in tears just reading about Willy, even though I never met him.
Gah. That last picture did me in. A wonderful tribute to a friend you’ll never forget.
Oh my goodness, I just read this. I have tears streaming down my face, and I feel for you and Brisa so much. The images of Brisa and Willie together at the end are so, so beautiful. I’m so glad you captured those.
Chris, I just read this post and I have tears in my eyes. I, myself was never a cat lover until about a year ago when my husband and I adopted 2 cats, and I love so much. When you said your thanks to Willy for being there for Brisa over the years, that started the tears, because my cats have already done so much for me in a year. What a wonderful tribute and beautiful pictures of Willy. Thank you for sharing..