Dom Perignon was a big fellow. When he was 6 months old, he weighed 6 kilo already and we thought of buying a van to transport him…. One judge asked from which zoo I had picked him and German judges especially liked him for his size, never calling him fat but always “massive” or “well-nourished”. And when he stopped being a stud, he certainly didn’t stop eating….. For all his weight and bulk Dom P. didn’t have one ounce of aggression. He was sweet and gentle and had a very endearing trait: everyone, from vet to cat haters started to smile when they saw his face.

He always sat next to the bed when I awoke, so the first thing I saw every morning was his big friendly head: he made my day. He has always been my best feline friend. Yes, I know, all cats are special but some are more special than others…. At the age of nine years he was screened for HCM for the last time and he was fine. During the last three years of his life Dom Perignon had problems with his bronchial tubes: his nasal passages got blocked and more and more often he needed antibiotics to clear them. he always swallowed his pills obediently and after such a course he was happy and playful again.

Until his last week with us: he just couldn’t get them down and didn’t want to eat or drink anymore. When he stopped sitting on my pillow and greeting me first thing in the morning, I realized Dom P. was giving up on life. Dom Perignon had always been such a friend to me, he helped me through many a sad time. I couldn’t bear to see him like this and he didn’t deserve this misery. So a few weeks short of Dom’s 12th birthday the vet made it easy for him to say goodbye.

As he was still so big he needed a double dose of sedation before he could go out to meet his lost friends who will be happy to see him. For in our home Dom Perignon was the cat in charge of the tin with cat treats: first he used to push it around gently and if I didn’t hand out snacks quickly he would throw the tin on the tiles causing the lid to come off. All cats came running then and waited for their treat. I’m sure that on the other side of the rainbow many tins will be waiting for Dom Perignon to distribute among his friends. Farewell my big lilac chum, you were the best.