My Beloved Cat Socks R.I.P.

I have always been of the mind that pets are family. It was certainly true of our cat Socks. He spent his entire life with us, from his birth onwards. He cuddled with us. He slept with us, sometimes my sister, sometimes me. He watched television with us. Socks loved us and we loved him. He was closer to us than all but our closest friends. Sadly, Socks died this morning, December 16, 2025, at the age of 13 years and 8 months. To say I am devastated would be an understatement.

Socks was born on April 3, 2012, behind our sofa. He had three siblings. His brother Boots was adopted by a nice family. Sadly, his sister Batgirl died when she was only a year old. His brother Sylvester disappeared when he was about two years old. We suspect he may have gone off to live with another family. Through it all, Socks remained. He was a cat as faithful as he was loving. He loved to sit on us and be petted, and he had the loudest purr. You could hear him clear across a room. When he got older, following the death of my cat Malcolm, he took Malcolm's place in watching television with him. For whatever reason, he seemed to like Midsomer Murders.  As I said earlier, he slept with us. 

Socks was also an extremely intelligent cat. He knew more words in English than any cat I have ever known. He not only knew his own name, but my name, my sister's name, my brother's name, and the names of the other cats. He knew several other words as well, including "food," "treats," and "chicken." Socks loved chicken. If we had chicken for dinner, he would actually beg for it, something he generally wouldn't do for any other food except maybe treats.

Socks was definitely the head of our house's pride of cats. The other cats generally acquiesced to him. They would often let him eat first and would not bother him if he was sleeping. Indeed, Socks was a bit of tough guy. I always called him "the James Cagney of Cats." He would chase stray cats off our place. And he thought nothing of attacking dogs, even ones much bigger than he was. One time he even chased a bobcat off. I honestly don't think Socks ever knew fear. 

While Socks was hardly a young cat, it still feels as if he died too soon. I keep expecting to see him somewhere around the house. I expect to see him lying on the sofa in the living room or on my bed in my bedroom. I will certainly miss petting him and cuddling him. Socks was a very good cat and one of the most loving cats I have ever had. It hurts that he is gone and I have already cried a good deal. Socks wasn't just a pet. He was one of the family.