After 19 years living together, Alba Parietti had to give the saddest farewell to her cat Pepito. “You were a special cat, a leader, a predator, a ruthless but very sweet and affectionate hunter – wrote the popular showgirl in memory of her on her Instagram profile – you were a life partner, a family member, the head of the family. You were proud, you were jealous, you were always the head of that little family of four, the house was yours and every corner belonged to you. Very spiteful with us, possessive and very jealous of your few affections. You were the only one who could sleep on my bed, yet it didn’t surprise me, when I didn’t see you again, I knew you wouldn’t come back, I knew you would proudly choose to die as a free cat as you always were. It pains me to think that I will no longer see you waiting for me at night, waiting for me and entering the house with me. You participated as a silent master in the life of 19 years spent together, you made terrible scenes of jealousy when I brought you the black cat and you succeeded in not letting me create the same love that bound us with the newcomer. Pepito I know you left as it was right, I already knew you were gone to die and I would have preferred not to know, but now I see you again little, in my hands so funny, scary and overbearing. Then a puma, a predator in love only with me and your home. Very tender and faithful to his freedom. Have a good trip Pepito, you will stay with us and our memories until the end. From that house, as from my memory, no one I have loved will ever leave again”.
A long, painful but emotional tribute to the companion of an important piece of Alba’s life, ready to return to TV after several years but now grappling with a mourning that will surely leave a mark. Although, as she herself underlined, Pepito’s conditions had been decidedly precarious for some time and, also due to his advanced age, treatments and therapies certainly could not work miracles, the farewell to the cat was decidedly painful. Parietti’s words are imbued with memories and feelings that speak volumes about the empathetic and emotional relationship that has linked the two for years.
The last months of Pepito’s life weren’t easy. The progress of the disease and the progressive detachment from the life and affections of the feline marked the days and weeks preceding the farewell. Emaciated, fearful, slow but proud of having been important to the Turin television presenter, Pepito dragged himself forward with the pride of an animal that didn’t want to give up. On the other hand, as Parietti herself wrote, the hope was that “the dramatic moment of having to take the drastic decision that I had to make several times in the past with anguish and horrendous and indelible memories in my mind would never arrive: to accompany who do you love to die”.
Thousands of messages of support and solidarity posted on social media a few hours after the sad announcement. Among the many also that of the actress friend Sandra Milo. “I understand your pain and I embrace you with sincere affection”.
