Losing a beloved animal friend is always hard, but it is even harder when they are taken from you too soon.  Last night, unexpectedly, our beloved kitty Fluff passed away at the age of 6.

Fluff in December.

He apparently passed very quickly, and without any warning signs. He had just had a vet checkup the week before, and even the morning he passed he was energetic and happy.  It seems likely that the cause of his death was a congenital heart or brain defect that caught up with him suddenly.

It is impossible to truly convey in words what a special kitty Fluff was.  He was a perpetual kitten, looking for and giving love to whomever he could.

He was an adorable kitten, too. We first met Fluff when he was one of a litter of three foster kittens: Buff, Puff, and Fluff.  All three were charming kitties, but Fluff stood out, both in terms of his loving and that he was the only long-haired kitty of the litter.

Fluff, Puff, and Buff.

All three of them got along splendidly with our other kitties, though Fluff in particular seemed to thrive on cuddling with the others. And the other kitties were happy to reciprocate.

Fluff napping with Sophie, back in 2011.

He worked his magic on humans, too, and Beth and I feel in love with him. On one wild day, post-kitten-showing at PetSmart, we decided to adopt Fluff along with Cookie and Rascal, kittens from another litter.

Fluff and Cookie, in November of 2011.

What was most remarkable, however, is that Fluff decided to make his own kitty family. He quickly adopted Sasha, Beth’s older cat, as his mother, and they became quite inseparable.  He would sleep with her, eat with her, and they would groom each other when needed.

Fluff with his adopted mama Sasha, in December of 2011.

Fluff and Sasha, again.

The kitty family wasn’t complete yet, however; Sasha decided that another foster-turned-family named Mandarin would make a good husband, and after they became a couple Fluff became their adopted baby, a role that he relished.

Fluff, Sasha, and Mandarin with a lion cut, from June 2013.

We would often find the three of them together, loving on each other or just cuddling.

Daddy Mandarin, baby Fluff, and Momma Sasha.

There was no indication that Fluff would be of unusual size when he was a baby; but he grew rapidly, and ended up a huuuuuge kitty: some 15 lbs. as an adult!  And he only grew more fluffy as his size grew.

Fluff, happy.

Fluff never seemed to realize how big he was; he loved to climb onto our chests for some cuddling, and would do so on command.  He never stayed long, but just loved the contact.

Fluff on my chest, May 2015. A really good closeup. He looks angry, but that is his contented face.

An even closer look, from July 2015. Fluff had no problem being right in your face.

Something else that Fluff was exceptional at: posing.  I have so many lovely photos of him just being dignified and content, even though he was an incredibly silly cat.

Fluff from July 2014.

Fluff, from July 2016.

That doesn’t mean that Fluff didn’t have his share of silliness, too. The pose that follows is one that he regularly got into, which we called the “airing of his junk” pose.

The airing of the junk, from May 2016. I have so many of these.

I often forget that Fluff had an affinity for cozy spaces, as I have lots of photos of him curled up in a blanket, or a bag, with only his face peeking out.

Fluff all curled up, from May 2015.

Fluff had a real penchant for looking like a Jedi in his robes when he was doing this.

Obi Fluff Kenobi performs an old Jedi mind trick.

Beth’s fancy bags were not immune to Fluff’s curiosity.

Fluff claims Beth’s bag as his territory.

Peek-a-boo. November 2015.

Fluff was also incredibly vocal. He had a loud proud meow, almost like he was talking to us, and was happy to ask for pettings, and follow Beth around until he got them.  When we had cleaning people coming to our home, he would follow them around and meow at them, too, which left them confused, amused and exasperated.

Fluff in mid-speak. Taken last month.

I think I have a few videos of Fluff at play.  One that always stands out to me shows off his curiosity, as he checked out my magnetic levitation demo and the terracotta warrior I had placed on top of it.

There is so much more I could say about this beautiful, perfect boy, but I am still reeling from the loss.  We loved him so much, and he was Beth’s special baby boy.

Fluff was taken from us far too soon. But we gave him all the joy we could in the time we had, and he did the same for us. He will be missed.