On New Year's Day, just over three weeks ago, my beloved cat Artemy passed.
I'm sure many of you are already aware of that since it's been mentioned on social media and in my livestreams, but the scope of my audience extends well beyond just those streams and Artemy has been such a consistent presence on this channel (and in my life) that it just doesn't feel right to not make some kind of announcement.
Artemy was healthy (if fat) his whole life, but regular veterinary visits can't always prevent sudden and severe health problems. He developed blockages in his ureters (the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder) and unfortunately, the best possible care just wasn't enough. I and Artemy's household watched as he fell more and more ill, and then, cruelly, on the brink of death, miraculously recover (the clinic was astonished), only for the accumulated kidney damage he'd sustained to bring him back to illness, and, eventually, a quiet and comfortable death in the arms of the people who most cared about him.
There are lots of things I want to say that are obvious, and I feel trite saying them, but I want to say them anyway. I loved him very very much, and still do, and always will. He was a really special cat. Every morning he'd jump up onto my bed and lay against me, purring loudly enough to wake me if I wasn't already. Almost every stream and video you've seen on this channel, he was in the studio when it was recorded, laying like a loaf and listening to my voice. He'd wait at the door when I left the house for errands and my roommates tell me he'd get grumpy and standoffish when I was gone for more than a day.
Anyway, I just really miss him. I'll miss showing him off to stream too, holding him up like a big fat fish.
I delayed in writing this in part because the weeks leading up to his passing were so stressful and so sad, and in part because of everything else going on in the world and in this country, and in part because it just feels a bit silly typing it all out and being so saccharine. I'd probably be a little more quiet about it if Artemy hadn't been such a frequent guest to my streams.
I was also prompted, yesterday, to write something like this. I recieved a very very kind gift (the final image in this post) from Progressive Victory, the canvassing and advocacy group I've worked with so many times before. It really took me out when I opened the package and saw what it was - I really cannot thank PV (and the artist, Alexandre Shiffer) enough, this was an unbelievably sweet reminder of how much we cared for him and I know I'll keep it with me forever.
Vaush
On New Year's Day, just over three weeks ago, my beloved cat Artemy passed.
I'm sure many of you are already aware of that since it's been mentioned on social media and in my livestreams, but the scope of my audience extends well beyond just those streams and Artemy has been such a consistent presence on this channel (and in my life) that it just doesn't feel right to not make some kind of announcement.
Artemy was healthy (if fat) his whole life, but regular veterinary visits can't always prevent sudden and severe health problems. He developed blockages in his ureters (the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder) and unfortunately, the best possible care just wasn't enough. I and Artemy's household watched as he fell more and more ill, and then, cruelly, on the brink of death, miraculously recover (the clinic was astonished), only for the accumulated kidney damage he'd sustained to bring him back to illness, and, eventually, a quiet and comfortable death in the arms of the people who most cared about him.
There are lots of things I want to say that are obvious, and I feel trite saying them, but I want to say them anyway. I loved him very very much, and still do, and always will. He was a really special cat. Every morning he'd jump up onto my bed and lay against me, purring loudly enough to wake me if I wasn't already. Almost every stream and video you've seen on this channel, he was in the studio when it was recorded, laying like a loaf and listening to my voice. He'd wait at the door when I left the house for errands and my roommates tell me he'd get grumpy and standoffish when I was gone for more than a day.
Anyway, I just really miss him. I'll miss showing him off to stream too, holding him up like a big fat fish.
I delayed in writing this in part because the weeks leading up to his passing were so stressful and so sad, and in part because of everything else going on in the world and in this country, and in part because it just feels a bit silly typing it all out and being so saccharine. I'd probably be a little more quiet about it if Artemy hadn't been such a frequent guest to my streams.
I was also prompted, yesterday, to write something like this. I recieved a very very kind gift (the final image in this post) from Progressive Victory, the canvassing and advocacy group I've worked with so many times before. It really took me out when I opened the package and saw what it was - I really cannot thank PV (and the artist, Alexandre Shiffer) enough, this was an unbelievably sweet reminder of how much we cared for him and I know I'll keep it with me forever.
10 months ago | [YT] | 9,318