Dixon – September 1990 – April 5, 2010

I said goodbye to my cat today. Dixon is named after a fictional character’s fictional character. I decided to adopt a kitten, intended to get a male – decided before picking the cat to name the cat “Dixon” from Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Dixon Hill. Yes, after Captain Picard’s alterego.

Dixon and I found each other on December 30, 1990. She was the only kitten at the Humane Society. She was 12 weeks old when she came home with me. She clung to the door of the cage, not wanting to go back in. When I picked her up, she snuggled into my neck and purred. That was it. That was also one of the last times she willingly snuggled while being held – until this week.

Dixon was a lively cat. Large at her peak. She was a companion, a roommate, and family. I’m going to miss her. We’ve been together way to much together. She lived a good long life, but in the end – she was old. We took her in this afternoon at 4:30. The vet said she probably only had 2 – 3 days left anyway. This was kinder, but not necessarily easier – and we got to say goodbye.

Dixon will very likely be the last cat I’ll ever have – Jimmy’s allergic, but he handled it for my sake. I’m really going to miss my cat.

Tags: death, Dixon