The Dude passed away this afternoon. Beatriz finally had to make the decision to release him from his suffering after watching him become weaker over these past two weeks, barely able to eat or walk. I’m so sorry I didn’t get the chance to see him one more time (just got home from holidays yesterday). I was planning to check in with Beatriz this week.

He was an exceptional cat who touched many people, and indeed became a bit of a “tourist attraction”. He was the cat of a hundred names. I called him The Dude because of his laid-back personality and the way he “abided” ruling over his kingdom in Barrio Santa Cruz for more than 15 years. Beatriz called him Cani due to his cinnamon colour. Together we called him Cani-Dude…

This is a photo I took of Beatriz and Cani-Dude the last time I visited. Thanks to Beatriz he didn’t die alone in the street, he passed in a loving home, knowing he was cared for. I can’t really say much more right now. Too sad. I always thought I’d see him one more time again…