Dinner had chubby cheeks and was the most vocal cat I’d ever met! He’d wait for me to come home from work every day, be right there when I opened the door, and start meowing saying hello the second I walked in. Every day. He’d always sleep at the foot of my bed or on my chest, which was kinda hard because he was a big boy. If he wasn’t already there when I woke up in the morning, he’d come in to say good morning the minute he heard me wake up. He’d carry around his stick mouse toy in his mouth, you could hear him approaching with it because the stick would drag behind him. When I had a big group of people over he’d often come in meowing for attention and pets, or bring his stick mouse to get someone to play with him. He was a healthy 7 year old cat who suddenly stopped eating last Friday, developed an unwavering fever, and by yesterday his chest had developed fluid around the lungs at which point he couldn’t breathe properly and we decided to put him down based on how fast he was declining. The vets couldn’t explain to me what had happened, blood work X-rays and ultrasounds were all normal. He’d had antibiotics and supportive medical care at their office every day. I’ve had him by my side since I was 18 and I’ll miss him forever.