^^Really?
He’s gone.
I’m sorry.
Please accept this as a friendly hijack, but Alan E. Nourse wrote a Sci-fi story ca. 1950’s, Star Surgeon, about a fictional Star-Trek-type medical dude who had a companion/pet, a “Fuzzy.” The Fuzzy was “only” a pet until he/it was used to solve a problem in a alien environment, where his/its metabolism was different, significant, and critically, usefully, important.
Your description of Fuzzy as a ball of fluff reminded me of this story, as Star Physician Dal Timgar’s pet, “a blob of protoplasm,” was described much the same way.
(My first thought on seeing the thread title was H Beam Pipers “Fuzzy” series.)
My tears for you both Sarabellum. You were both lucky; you know love and how to love. And while the pain will fade over time, the love won’t.
Aw. He had a good life and a relatively easy death, and he sounds like a wonderful companion through the different stages of your life.