This year was different...
Animal Stories from All-Creatures.org

FROM Gary Loewenthal
July 2019

Since losing Mike, I have a whole new appreciation - I'm not sure that's the best word - for people faced with grief. It's not just an abstraction; it's an upheaval..... As we always told you, and as we have written on your memorial box, you were the best kitty ever...

Cat Mike

This year was different. The run-up to the awful anniversary date was more subtle. Usually the dark memories start creeping in by late May. This year it was late June when it hit me.

The days turn languid, the Rose of Sharon blooms and attracts the bees, the hedges and weeds in the backyard become overgrown and droopy. It's as if this corner of the earth prepares for a reenactment each year.

I was in my mid-40s when Mike arrived. I thought I was rather settled: a computer programmer, a guitarist in a rock band, a peaceful life with my wife. I had no idea of the big shake-ups that were soon to come.

Over the next several years, I learned about the many horrible ways we abuse animals in puppy mills, rodeos, circuses, fur farms, hatcheries, slaughterhouses, and industrial and even small animal farms. I also learned the steep ecological cost of commercial animal agriculture and fishing. Veganism became a central pillar of my moral sense, and a guidepost to my actions.

I veered off the corporate track for several years and started and participated in animal-centered ventures. I looked at so many things differently, with new eyes - with Mike always by my side.

He was really my teacher, my inspiration. I suppose it started when I got to know him, and saw how rich his life was. I just extended that to all animals.

Cat Mike

I think I'm usually an easy-going, upbeat guy. When Mike died, five years ago today, I felt like I was punched in the gut, and couldn't breathe. We had spent practically every waking moment together. We were a team. I was not prepared for such a profound sense of loss. At gatherings, you might not have been able to tell the difference. I could slip into my regular personality, make jokes, converse about topics.... But I'd go home and often be catatonic, wondering how he could be gone, and what to do next.

Since losing Mike, I have a whole new appreciation - I'm not sure that's the best word - for people faced with grief. It's not just an abstraction; it's an upheaval.

Each day I thank Mike for opening my eyes, for empowering me to do better. The world became both much darker and much brighter because of him. I met countless people working with all their heart and soul to end our exploitation of animals. That includes most of you reading this. ❤ All the wonderful, meaningful times I've had with other animal advocates, the new friends I've made, the beautiful rescued rabbits who have graced our home, and many of the experiences I continue to enjoy today...I can trace it back to Mike; I can trace it back to the day he clip-clopped across our wooden floor, and into our hearts and our lives, forever changing them.

I will never forget you, friend. As we always told you, and as we have written on your memorial box, you were the best kitty ever.


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