ABOUT FRITTERS:I met my tabby cat Fritters when I was 11 years-old (she was about 1 year). Her previous owners had hit her with their car and neglected her, so I rescued her away. She is actually Fritters the Third since we had two previous cats with the same name. Why “Fritters”? Well, my brother had fed the original Fritters an apple fritters doughnut and the cat devoured it, so the name stuck and we kept passing it on to future cats.Fritsy and I were good companions from the very start, and we developed an almost psychic bond (cat people will know exactly what I’m talking about). She could always sense my emotional state and would check in on me if she sensed I was sad or having a bad day. She was there for me as a child, when I transitioned into a teenager, and then for me as an adult. She was there for me during all of my “big moments” (high school grad, undergrad/graduate graduation, marriage, buying my 1st home, etc.) and also during all my “low moments” (during which she would soothe me with her sweet purrs). Fritters showed me such unconditional love, especially during times when I wasn’t getting the love I needed from others. She wasn’t “just my pet”. We were truly best friends. I am so beyond lucky to have spent 17 amazing, love-filled years with this sweet girl. My heart and soul hurt–and I know there will always be a void that can never be filled–but I would go through all of this pain again and again if it means having a life where I get to love my Fritters.MESSAGE TO FRITTERS:To my Sweet Fritters (AKA Fritsy, Fritsy Pop, Stank Face, Footsy, Duke Fritters Underfoot the Third…you were a cat of many nicknames!): You’ve seen me at my worst and my best, and you’ve always showed me unconditional love. I was 11 years-old when I first met and rescued you, and we were companions from the very first day. You were always there for me–when I started having panic attacks in my youth, you were the one who soothed me. You were there when I started high school and when I went to college and then when I graduated from graduate school. You were there when I married my spouse and when I moved into my first home. You’ve always been there for me—waiting for me when I got home from work so you could cuddle me on the couch. The pain and emptiness I feel when I no longer see your sweet face or hear your welcoming meows is excruciating. I miss hearing your meows for food in the morning (you were my alarm clock). I miss seeing you wait on the stairs for me when I got home. I miss having you as my yoga buddy.I miss you beyond words.I still say goodnight and good morning to you everyday….I hope you can hear me, Sweet Girl. I hope you know how much I loved you and how much I will always love you. I don’t know what the afterlife is going to look like or if there will even be one, but I promise you this: when it’s my time, I WILL find you. You have always been my true best friend, and I can’t wait until I can hold you on my lap and hear your sweet purrs once more. Goodbye (for now), my dearest friend. I hope you are getting endless cuddles and an infinitude of catnip and tuna.