Remembering Dalinar
Yesterday my wife and I had to say goodbye to our handsome five year old cat named Dalinar 😢 We learned last week that he had an advanced stage of intestinal cancer in two locations, and best case only had a few weeks left to live. We thought we had at least five to ten more years with him, and to have it all cut so tragically short is heart breaking beyond words 💔 we were able to give him medicine in order to have a relatively normal week of cuddles, treats, and lots of love from us - but saying goodbye is never without pain 😭
We got Dalinar when he was just eight weeks old. He was named after Brandon Sanderson’s character from the Stormlight Archive shortly after my wife had started reading (and fell in love with) “The Way of Kings”. We mostly got him to be a companion to our then-six month old cat so that she wouldn’t be lonely - and after a few days of grumbling, they bonded better than we could have possibly hoped for 🥺
We also got Dalinar as a way for my wife and I to prepare ourselves for starting a family. After five years without success in that endeavor - in spite of all the benefits that science and modern medicine have to offer - losing him feels like being kicked while we’re already down. But that’s not how I want to remember him; he brought such tremendous joy and happiness to our lives ❤️
He was incredibly cuddly, playful, talkative, expressive, and curious to a fault. We had to get child safety latches for the cabinets because of him. He certainly earned the monicker “the Blackthorn” from his namesake for how furiously he played, and his meows could be heard from anywhere in the household - especially when he carried around his favorite toys in triumph.
And while we were close, he and my wife were even closer. Every night he would cuddle up with her in bed, pressing his wet nose into her cheeks and purring sweet nothings while he kneaded her for comfort. His love was always so endearing - which made it hard to be mad at him when he caused a ruckus at three in the morning because he wanted to cuddle.
Losing him is more painful than words can describe, and I know that healing is going to take a long time. His love for life - and those that were a part of his - was felt by family and friends alike. Today our home and our hearts are a little quieter, a lot emptier, and greatly saddened without him. My only hope is that, whatever spiritual existence might come next for him, it is enduring and filled with love, treats, and plenty of warm sunshine to bask in ☀️
He was our handsome boy; our Blackthorn; our High King. We love you buddy - you will be sorely missed 💔😭
