In Short – Issue 5 (Spring 2026)

May 31, 2026

Image credit: Yelp

4.5 Stars Put Down

By Caitlin Farrugia

I went with Michael as the mobile vet to euthanize my cat slash best friend of 20 years because he was described over and over again on Yelp as “an earth angel.” At the end, Miss Kitty Cool Guy was a bag of bones and her veins like tissue paper, so I was grateful that he lived up to such reviews. No joke, I’m even kinda convinced he had a golden aura. He was merciful and softly spoken, nursed her tenderly—really, it was a great put down, if not, you know, completely crushing the way loss is. But perhaps where Archangel Michael could do better in the future is to organize the payment before murdering the animal. I mean, it was quite jarring to have her slack body in my arms, her last breath exhaled from her lungs and dissipating into the atmosphere, those eyes all large and black, my wounding raw and desperate grief—and then, his voice low and gentle: “Yeah…. She’s passed now… So, will that be cash or card?”

Caitlin Farrugia (she/her) is a dark comedy writer fascinated by human behavior and everyday suffering, as well as intergenerational everything and absurdism. She is the author of the short story collection, Search Histories (Vagabond Press). You can find her at www.caitlinfarrugia.com.