Thank you to all of you who have posted. I feel so grateful to know that there are people who understand that he wasn't "just a cat" He was my first baby, a beautiful ball of fur who stole my heart the moment I met him. I gave up living in a 21st floor Puget Sound view condo to have this cat, they did not allow pets so I moved, and I never once regretted it.
I have burst into tears many times today but I am trying to remember that he had a good life and he knew he was loved so much til the very end.
Thank you everyone. This has meant a great deal to me, you have no idea.