Pets have a way of crawling into your home and into your hearts and for many, become closer to you than many family members. Their quirks, sounds, and habitual companionship make some pet-owner bonds so strong that the human treats the animal as they would another human. No different was it for Lindsay Ruiz and her beloved cat, Cinnoman Puff Luiz.
Yes, Cinnoman is spelt wrong, but that’s how now 27-year-old Lindsay Ruiz spelt the spice when she adopted Cinnoman 18 years ago. Before receiving Cinnoman, Lindsay had two cats that died within a short span of each other, and left her a “depressed third grader.”
There are a few things you can do to combat depression. Hop on some medication (probably not a good idea for a 3rd grader), go outside, or adopt a pet. So that’s exactly what her Grandmother did for her. The bond started there and grew tremendously until her tearful death 18 years later. The cat’s final months were a “long and costly decline”. The cat’s appetite fell off and it withered away from 12 pounds to about 6. Ruiz fed 18-year-old Cinnoman whatever she wanted at the end. Cheez-Its became the cat’s go-to treat.
Good call, Cinnoman.
After realizing her time had come, on Sept. 30, Ruiz took her cat to the vet one last time. She clipped some of Cinnoman’s hair and placed it in a locket that she now wears everywhere.
“It was the hardest decision of my life,” she said. “She gave me the sign that she was ready.”
This process is never easy for anybody. But Ruiz is making sure she is milking every benefit possible of a feline afterlife. She ordered a custom urn for Cinnoman’s remains, and she vowed the remain connected to her soulmate, even in death herself….huh?
“When I die, I want the urn put in the casket with me,” she said.
That may seem a bit far-fetched, but she must not be alone, because her wish now complies with the law after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation last month that allows New Yorkers to be buried with their beloved pets at certain cemeteries.
Ruiz has since memorialized her 18-year-old female Maine Coon with a death notice published in the Times Union, eulogies at online pet bereavement sites and on Cinnoman’s Facebook page.
“I thought of her as my daughter and if she were human, the next logical step was to write an obituary,” Ruiz said. “She was very special and I wanted to do something special for her.”
The best part? The cat is still sassy in its afterlife.
RIP Cinnoman.
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