Good bye Dynamite

At 14.5 years old, our cat, Dynamite, suddenly passed away early Thanksgiving morning.  Michael and I were both heartbroken.  The first week was especially rough dealing with the grief of losing her.  She was so much more than a cat or pet to us.  She was family.  She was our baby before we had a baby.  She was our muse.  She taught me a lot about love and honesty.  She provided so much love and joy to us.  She gave us a million moments of absurd hilarity, and millions more moments of perfect, quiet companionship.  Our family feels like it's missing an important piece now.

A quick glance through my doodles will show you that it's mostly cats.  It was all inspired by Dynamite.  The art that flowed most easily and joyfully out of me was always those doodles of cats as I envisioned Dynamite on all kinds of imaginary adventures.

Her passing was a devastating loss for our family, but as I dig up memories of her, I am inspired to resume sketching and dreaming.  I spent the last 3 years diving deep into technical skills.  Now I emerge from it feeling empowered.  But art and story was always food for my soul.  And I can think of no better way to honor Dynamite's memory, than resuming my "Official Kitty Cat Business" comic and just drawing a ridiculous amount of cats.

A month later, the crippling grief is gone (nevermind, it still comes back every other week or so), but the sadness is still there.  I think we'll be okay, but we'll be feeling this for a long time.  We still miss and think about her everyday.  I still listen for her taptaptap on the hardwood floors.  I still look for her in my closet.  I still think about the last affectionate head bump I got from her.

Dynamite, my sweet girl, you will never be forgotten.  Thank you for spending your life with us because you made every moment sweeter.  Thank you for your love, your sass, your inspiration, and the profound impact you had on my relationship with Michael.  I will love you forever and ever.

And here are some new cat sketches.