We rescued Abby from our shelter in Hays when she was a lone little pot-bellied kitten. Kristen was our "only", at not even 2 years old, but she chose our new kitten's name, and Abby quickly became one of the family. Nearly 8 years later, several other pets have come and gone, we moved many times, and three more "owners" have arrived. Through it all, Abby has remained, steadfast, calm, content, ready to occupy our laps in a moments notice. We loved her silky fur, the way she took turns sleeping in our beds (sometimes in the middle of the night finding her way to our pillows), her quiet meow, her love of fleece blankets, the way she slapped the dog (with her declawed paw) when he got too close. Never a destroyed piece of furniture; never an accident in the house (despite our random litter box cleaning methods). Our perfect cat. 
Sadly, our spring break was spent searching for our missing pet, as she escaped outside and did not return. One week later, we learned that Abby had been hit by a car, just at the end of our block, on the day she went missing. K-State Vet Clinic had made her comfortable and given her the best possibly care, but she did not recover. Our Abby was gone.
Our hearts are broken, many tears have been shed. We will never forget our beloved pet. But we will recover. We will miss her, but not so painfully. Each day we adjust, we remember that she was happy and loved and we gave her a wonderful life with us. That, while there will never be another Abby for us, there will be another perfect pet. In fact, that I know of, there has never been a well-loved house cat who wasn't "perfect". 
As we begin to move on, this tribute will be our final goodbye. We love you, Abby.
