I met a woman many years ago through work at an event for the cancer center at the hospital I worked for Valerie Harper (Rhoda) who has since passed from brain cancer, was guest speaker for the event. This woman came through the line I was checking people in at, and somehow we struck up a conversation. We exchanged information we liked each other so much. Fast forward many years since, we occasionally exchange emails. She has been through A LOT. Talk about resiliency, she has had every imaginable thing wrong with her, and somehow stays positive, in fact she is what I call inspiring. Anyway, her mom donated tome recently in memory of the passing of Karen's beloved pet "Sweetheart". I didn't know if it was a dog or cat or what, so I responded to a kind message Karen had written me in late February, that I hadn't gotten around to answer (thats me), and mentioned 'did you recently lose a pet?'. I just want to share this story - the story of a feral cat that turned into a house loving human loving animal. Here is a snippet from Karen's email:
"...and
worst of all last Saturday I had to have my Sweetheart euthanized . It came out
of nowhere Janine. He had his annual exam 2 weeks ago - he was in great health
as usual with the exception that she noted he had a mild heart murmur - but
wasn't concerned. Tuesday he was throwing up nonstop...I though maybe he had an
obstruction from grass he ate on the beautiful Monday we had...it went into
Wednesday. I called the vets office first thing in the morning. They were too
busy to see him. This was Bayview Animal Hospital. I called Animal Junction - I
had never been there before and they took him right in. Did bloodwork, xrays
etc etc etc...his blood was filled with toxins...they weren't sure if it was
lymphoma or pancreatitis that went into his GI tract. He hadn't eaten or had
water since Monday morning. All the years he was with me he never was
sick...till now. Do you remember me telling you about him?
Sweetheart
was a feral cat I took in 3 days before I had the surgeries for my lung cancer
in 10/2013. I was feeding him for almost 2 years with the hopes of getting him
and two other feral cats homes. I couldn't even look out the window at him
without him running away. 🙂 When I found
out I had new cancers in my lung, a week before my surgery (in 10/2013) I sent
a prayer up to St. Francis and I told him I wanted to take him in before winter
came, give him a home. The next day I went to open my side door that went out
on to the driveway and back to the garage where I kept the cats food. There
Sweetheart was at the door like he was waiting for me. What?!! He followed me
to the garage and followed me to the back porch (first time in two years!!!!)
and he let me stand about 3 feet away from him while he ate. The next day he
was at the door again - same thing - he followed me to the garage and to the
porch but this time, this time, he let me stand next to him while he ate. The
third day he was under my car in the driveway waiting for me. I had gotten some
cat treats with catnip for him and filled my hand with them and knelt down by him
with my outstretched hand. He wanted them in the worst way but wouldn't take
them out of my hand. So I lined them up to my hand and he ate his way to eating
out of my hand. The fourth day he was once again in the driveway waiting for
me. This time I opened the screen door and put the latch on to keep it open and
I went and stood in my dining area and didn't move. He came in, went downstairs
and went back outside. Then he turned around and came back in, walked through
the kitchen, past me in the dining room and down the hallway to where the
bedrooms are. He went back out. Came back in. He's been mine ever since. Two
days later I went in for surgery to remove two wedges of my left lung. He would
come when I called or whistled for him, he followed me like a puppy dog. My
puppy kitty. Every single solitary night he would get up with me a million
times while I dealt with my radiation ravaged intestines. Every obstruction,
every surgery he would snuggle up to me and pet my head. Every night he would
tuck himself under my left arm and snuggle up against me. my shadow. the sun is
shining radiatenly today but inside it is so dark and cold without him at my
side.
my broken heart split wide open and has poured out. it appears my L.B. (little buddy) Sweetheart's guts were filled with lymphoma...just two saturdays ago he got a clean bill of health at yearly exam from another vet except for a newly detected mild heart murmur that she wasn't really concerned about...he threw up all day tuesday, wednesday until i got him into new wonderful vet (old vet couldn't make room to see him) - hadn't eaten or drank all week...visits to the vet wednesday, thursday, friday (iv fluids, antibiotics, steroids, anti-nausea meds, pain meds) and yesterday the dear vet called me before she started seeing patients to check on him...she felt it was time to let him go but could put a feeding tube in him if i wanted...we got there and i asked her to just check him see where he was at before we did anything...fever again/still and his liver was starting to shut down. my l.b. was my shadow every single day, 24/7...he'd get up with me a million times, he'd follow me everywhere, he'd stroke my brow with his sweet little paw when i was in horrible pain...he'd be snuggled up with me right now as i write this if he was still here...the irony...i worried about how he would be when i died. i never imagined he would go first. it's so empty without him. my sweetheart. I called Bayview on Tuesday to cancel his appointment in August for his leukemia vaccination - told them Sweetheart had to be euthanized and to please tell Dr. Gebby. I realize everyone is busy but, sheesh, you'd think I'd here something back??? Nope. Nothing. How in the world did you know that I recently lost a pet (Sweetheart)?" (I haven't told her yet her mom made a donation in the cat's memory)
Amazing!~
I have rescued two more kitties this past week. One was an older cat I've been feeding for years now on Parsells, who lost hers, and several other cats, shelters that protected them from the winter and storms we have, and due to the A$$%@e that wouldn't let me keep shelters in the vacant lot next door, none of the cats have had any shelter this past year. I feed them on the sidewalk, even in zero degree and storms. I noticed she finally started to let me pet her - get close enough to pet her. I noticed her belly looked a bit rounded. I decided to rescue her because there was a spot at the clinic waiting for the other pregnant cat on Garson that Lori has been unsuccessful at trapping, so far. In the meantime, the same morning, Lori did trap a third kitten at Garson, the one that got away. Georgie and Giblet's brother. My heart broke knowing I didn't know this kitten was left. So I grabbed the white one on Parsells, and we took the other to the clinic, for spay/neuter. Sheryl has kindly offered to take the female to foster, and the other is at the clinic who offered to keep him until we can figure it out, and I still don't know what we will do with him He is just scared to death - but OH SO CUTE. Here is his picture: And then hers:
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