Merlin – My Little Batman, Forever Part of Me

Yesterday, we said goodbye to Merlin.

Even writing those words doesn’t feel real.

Seventeen years.

Seventeen years of life, memories, mischief, and love. My son said something that stopped me in my tracks—Merlin had been there for half of his life. Half a lifetime of growing up, and Merlin was woven into it all. Not just as a pet… but as part of our family story.

Merlin wasn’t just any cat.

He was a character. A presence. A little force of nature in black fur.

My little Batman.

He lived in seven homes with me. Seven chapters of life, and he was there through all of them. If I’m honest, I’ve always been the kind of woman who chooses her home around her animals. Their happiness matters just as much—sometimes more—than my own comfort. And Merlin… he always found his place, wherever we were.

But these last three years… they felt special.

He had space. Freedom. A life that felt like it was truly his. Our little secret garden, as I call it, became his kingdom. Rabbits, birds, the quiet movement of nature all around him. He watched it all, stalked it all… and occasionally, proudly brought it all into the house as “gifts.”

He was so pleased with himself when he did that.

That was Merlin.

Independent, instinctive, but always connected to us.

And yesterday, I was with him as he took his final breath.

There was peace in that moment. Real peace. The kind that comes when you know… you’ve done right by them. That they are safe, that they are loved, and that it is simply their time to go home.

I truly believe that.

I know he will have been met by those who went before him—my beautiful Belle, and all the other souls that have shared our lives. I don’t question that. I feel it.

But knowing that… doesn’t take away the pain.

There’s this idea that when you lose an animal, it should somehow be easier.

“It’s just a pet.”

“You can get another one.”

But anyone who has ever truly loved an animal knows that isn’t true.

They are not “just” anything.

They are part of your daily life. Your routine. Your comfort. Your energy. They sit beside you in silence, they sense your moods, they walk with you through life without needing words.

And when they go… they take a piece of your heart with them.

Every single time.

And yes, I am a medium.

Yes, I understand the spirit world.

Yes, I know he is still here.

But grief doesn’t disappear just because you understand where someone has gone.

If anything, it makes you feel it even more deeply.

Because love is still present. Connection is still present. But the physical presence… the weight of them beside you, the sound of them, the little habits… that’s what you miss.

That’s what hurts.

Today, I feel a little lost.

And I think that’s okay to say.

But alongside that grief, there is something else too—gratitude.

Gratitude for every moment.

Every memory.

Every “gift” left on the floor.

Every move, every home, every chapter we shared.

Merlin wasn’t just part of my life.

He was part of me.

And I know this…

He’s not gone.

He’s just moved differently.

I can feel him in the garden already.

That was always his place. Watching. Waiting. Stalking those rabbits.

Still my little Batman.

If you’re reading this and you’ve loved and lost an animal… I see you.

Please share your stories. Your memories. Your photos. Let’s honour them together, because they deserve to be remembered, spoken about, and celebrated.

They are never “just pets.”

They are family.

They are soul companions.

And they never truly leave us.

With love, always,

TJ Higgs