August 24, 2005 (person)

You don't know what "truely-shitty-shitty-shitty" feels like until:

• You and your wife agree to take care of the kitten that belongs to the ten year-old girl next door while the family is away for a week.
• You help hand-feed the kitten.
• You hold the kitten in your cupped hands as she sleeps.
• You watch over the kitten to make sure she's safe.
• You diligently remind your other cats that the kitten, though small, is absolutely not a new funny looking kind of mouse.
• You let the kitten perch on your shoulder and giggle as it bites your ear and plays with your hair.
• You return the kitten to your neighbor, bigger and happier than when you got her.
• You watch the kitten romp and play in their yard.
• Two days later while moving a couch out of their house, you forget for one minute that there's a kitten in the house and you set your end down directly on her head.
• Only, you haven't simply killed her, though that would be bad enough.
• She's only mortally wounded and in pain and the emergency vet says she needs to be put to sleep and the little girl is sobbing.

You don't know.

You just do not know.

Tigerlilly, we all loved you. And I'm so sorry.