Nero

My cat's been missing for nearly three whole days now. I think it's safe to assume (no matter how hard it is to admit) that he's gone for good. He nipped out during Saturday night/Sunday morning and never came back. My mother and I spent hours Sunday afternoon calling for him, and although she apparently heard a few miaows, he never showed up and it's been silent ever since.

It's incredibly disheartening to see the food that's still left out for him, or to wake up in the night not hearing him yowling to be let in. We knew this would happen sooner rather than later; he was very old and had numerous health problems. But expecting it doesn't make it any easier to know that he won't be around any more: I've known him for nearly nineteen years and honestly, I was closer to him than I am to most of my family. I just wish I'd had a chance to say goodbye properly before he left.