On Tuesday, my wife and I sat with Lexi as we said good-bye to her.

Lexi joined our home in January 2011, and as far as we could guess, she was maybe a year younger than our youngest daughter. According to Purina, she was about 80 years old when she died.

I will miss the way she slept on my arm and performed gentle acupuncture with her paws. I won’t miss the way she clawed my legs and feet in the morning.

I’ll miss the way that she showed up whenever she heard the ice dispenser. She was really expecting a kitty treat, but she actually enjoyed drinking ice water, as well.

She also appeared every time she heard me put up the foot rest on the recliner. She’d make a nest there and expect to have her head scratched.

For the first time in over fourteen years, there are no fur babies in our house. There’s an empty spot in my heart and home.