Earlier this year, I lost one of the first loves of my life - my cat, Ming. He was 19 years old. He was a feisty black cat with yellow eyes.

I got him from a farm in the Midwest when I was a kid. Initially, he was named Chopsticks, but my mom would call him Ming and it kind of stuck. Plus, Chopsticks just doesn’t roll off the tongue.

A couple of years later we moved out to California and he made the trek with us. Like myself, I think the West coast weather better suited his lifestyle. He loved himself a good nap in the sunlight. He also enjoyed a bit of time out on the porch. When he was older, he and my dad developed a weekend morning routine where they’d go out on the porch together to chill and read the paper and have some coffee (Ming wasn’t so much into the reading and coffee bits).

He wasn’t the most friendly to strangers, but he was really good to his family. As long as you showed him respect and gave him his space, he did the same to you.

In his younger years, Ming was was full of energy. He loved to play hide and seek and help me make the bed (kind of). As he got older, he grew to be more cuddly, with my mom especially. She had a way with him. He would always snuggle up with her on the couch. Whenever I visited home, I’d do everything I could to get him to cuddle with me. I’d lay out his favorite cozy blanket, drape it over my legs, and then act like I didn’t notice him as he made his way over. When he’d curl up near me or on my lap, it felt like I had won the lottery.

Did I mention he was a talkative cat? Sometimes you could carry entire conversations with him. I loved that about him.

When he passed away, I was crushed. Not sure I’ve felt that kind of sadness before, or at least, not in a long time. My BF was super sweet and supportive every time I’d randomly start bursting into tears (like the nasty, snotty ones). I asked my parents to cremate him since I wanted to keep him with me, and so here we are today.

I don’t trust sending Ming via the mail so my BF and I decided to road trip it down south to pick him up and bring him back to the bay with us.

Read on...A Cozy(ish) Road Trip