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How do you say goodbye?

For those of you who know... This week we're putting down the elder of our cats.. I've had him since middle school.. I was about... 12... and he's about 16 or 17 now.. we never did know how old he was when we got him from the shelter. Maybe four or so...
He's been sick for a while. He has an upper GI problem and can't process his food or absorb nutrients... The vet said they dont know how he's still alive since he weighs a grand total of one pound...
I feel oddly objective about this.. My dad has been trying since I went away to college to have the cat put down. Mainly because he didn't want to deal with it. But my last year of college he did truly get ill and worse... Somehow along the way the fluffy black/grey cat that I had when I was younger.. is now this poor dilapidated thing. He walks around the house permanently in a crouch because of arthritis in his paws. And forgive me for the graphicness of this, can't pooh and throws up most of his food. I know he's sick.. but it hasn't hit me yet that we are going to say good bye this week, until tonight.. When I thought about a cosplay of him.. and that has me in tears.

How do you say good bye to your best friend of 10+ years?