Rough night last night.

Oct 21, 2023, 9:20 AM

Last night was rough for my family. We said goodbye to our oldest cat, Reilly. I adopted him one year after graduating from Clemson (20 years ago!). He had seen a lot over his years…He saw me get married and have two wonderful children (still married by the way!). He witnessed Clemson football struggle and then win countless ACC titles and play for four and win two National Championships. Believe me he saw, he was always sitting beside me on the sofa curled up in his Clemson blanket. He also saw the Braves team I have watched since I was a kid win the World Series beating the Astros (Please let the Rangers beat them in their series!). He saw Clemson basketball…well, I’ll leave that one alone for now, maybe my other, much younger cats will have better luck there!

Yesterday he lost the ability to use his back legs so my wife and I curled him up in his favorite Clemson blanket and took him, along with my recently turned 10 year old daughter to the Vet.

As expected the Vet wanted to run a number of tests but also as expected they said it was really a quality of life decision. They may be able to extend his life a few months or even a year but he was almost 21 and likely had underlying health issues (most likely heart related).

We made the decision to let him finally rest and he passed in my arms with my daughter and wife beside me. This was a first for my daughter (third for me though it never gets any easier) and I could see she truly understood the finality of the decision as the tears streamed down her eyes.

We all knew it was the right, though most difficult, decision. We came home and looked through our pictures of Reilly and had some laughs and cried a bit more. I’m tearing up again as I write this!

I wanted to share this story not to depress anyone but to remind those that need reminding what really is important in life. I needed reminding.

Clemson sports will always be a huge part of my life and enjoy watching them, win or lose. I do wish some of our fans (not going to get into percentages) would be a bit more thoughtful and respectful when posting about our teams here on T-Net but, as with Clemson losses in any sport, I’ve learned not to take anything too seriously.

Keep your expectations high Tiger Nation just don’t let them impact your life in a negative way. it’s not worth it.

Ok, now go hug your loved ones and/or your furry friends and get ready for a beautiful Saturday (here in Charlotte anyway), and I’ll see y’all back here tonight for Tiger Football!

RIP Reilly.

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BRING IT!

Rough night last night.

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