Mongo was my long and lean Maine Coon, who had giant mitts and who once topped out near 19lbs. The last year he was dealing with significant arthritis throughout his frame, a condition where his body was not absorbing his food, a heart murmur, and other conditions. He was 12 lbs today, dehydrated and his abdomen was inflamed.

In his 16.5 yrs with us, he bridged 9 dogs and over a dozen cats and was a gentleman to all of them. He was the first animal my daughter ever bonded with, he followed me around the farm like a dog, he tamed all of the cats (and the dogs too), and was a benevolent ruler of the cats and dogs of the household - always happy to share his food bowl, his place on the bed or his grooming skills with his underlings.

The vet, without realizing it, provided the perfect eulogy for him this morning when she said “Wow, he’s chill.” That was Mongo.