In our hearts, the cherished memories live on... This site is created in loving memory of our beloved FancyBoy and JoJo.
"For although we may not be together in the way we used to be,
We are still connected by a cord no eye can see.
So whenever you need to find me, we're never far apart
If you look beyond the Rainbow and listen with your heart."
~ Author Unknown ~
AngelKitties 21
Cleopatra Pence: A Tribute to a Jazzcat
Forever loved, cherished, and missed by Shawn and Melissa Pence
Adopted January, 1991 Became an Angel Kitty July 8, 2004
Cleopatra Pence adopted Shawn Pence at a local Florida shelter sometime in January, in 1991. She passed to the Rainbow bridge on July 8th, 2004.
Cleo liked company. The more the merrier, in her golden days. A more friendly and sociable cat I can never recall meeting. Her outgoing and playful nature has even gone so far as to convince an initially anti-cat friend of mine to adopt a neighborhood stray (or rather, to let himself be adopted by one). So in her own way, Cleo has given another cat the gift of the same love and affection that she received from Melissa and I. I take comfort, and indeed pride, in knowing that my little girl accomplished such a wonderful thing.
Cleo has been my dearest companion for 13 years, through college, through good times and bad. When Melissa joined my life, Cleo promptly adopted her as well. A better friend I've never had. She was as constant as the northern star and the one thing I could rely on the remain unchanged. She woke me each morning with loud and ornery yowls of "Wake up and feed me, you lazy fat man!" and curled up near me each night as I lay down to sleep.
Her absence weighs heavy on this place and my heart like a dark cloud. Why isn't she sitting on the mouse? Why isn't she perfectly positioned to block my path to the ashtray or my view of the monitor? Why isn't she doing the water dance on the desktop?
She isn't there because she is resting, finally. No more will she need to jump and check on me or Melissa because we have a cough. No more will she need to wait for me at the door to return home from work. The Vet was a kind man, and one I'd not the pleasure of dealing with with Cleo before. He was kind and compassionate, and considerate of my little girl. Cleo's final sleep began quickly and peacefully in my arms like it had so many times in her life. It is one of the great ironies that the last and best thing we can do for a friend that has given us so much life is to take theirs, but to end my baby's pain I would have moved mountains, so this is the very least I could do.
We laid my little queen to rest in soft Florida clay just outside her favorite window; wrapped in her blankie, bound securely in her favorite cardboard box. She is surrounded by green grass, trees, birds, squirrels and lizards to chase, and plenty of warm sun on her always so soft fur. She is always just outside my window should we need her. I would build a monument to her if I could, but I find that the impact she has left on us and those around us is more of a testament to how truly special a being she was than any marker or slab of stone could ever be.
Memorial Written by Shawn Pence. Tear Touched by both.
Rest in Peace, Punkinhead, we love you!
Poem for Cleo written by Melissa Pence:
I dream of
Paw prints on my pillow
Soft cold noses on my cheek
I hear you calling me
from so very far away,
But no matter how fast I run,
It seems I cannot reach.
I turn my head a little,
when it's quiet
And I can't think.
Oh! There you are
around the corner,
There you are
just out of reach!
I see your sweet face,
reflections in heart broken glass.
I hear you scratching gently
But I cannot find the door.
I see you in his eyes,
when he thinks I do not see -
Oh baby you are everywhere,
and I just cannot seem to reach.
Today I opened my bedroom window,
let all the sunshine in.
It wouldn't chase away the shadows,
It didn't warm against my skin.
I opened up the window,
and thought I saw you there -
But when I leaned to catch you
It seemed I just could not reach.
Miss you so much. Momma.
My Darling Subaru
Forever loved and sorely missed by Seanna Jordan
Born 1990 Became an Angel Kitty January 29, 2004
I lost my darling Subaru after 13 years. It was months ago, but still I miss her sorely. I miss her cuddling with me every night, either under the covers or under the chin.
I heard wailing, sounded like a wounded animal one November evening in 1990. I narrowed the crying down to a white Subaru. I knocked on all the neighbors’ doors till I found who owned the Subaru. She was just a sick little kitten with goopy blue eyes.
She and I went through so much together, miserable endings to romances, moves, and finally a new, old house. She got lead poisoning right after I had the exterior repainted and that is probably what contributed to her short life. She was with me for another five years, dying of liver failure on Jan 29 2004.
Her last few days were horrid. In retrospect, after her diagnosis, I should have brought her home to die in peace. Instead, I took her to a specialist to see if her type of liver disease could be treated or cured. They shaved her and gave her an MRI. That didn’t reveal anything. Then, they opened her up for a biopsy and saw that one of her glands had impacted. They opened her up further and fixed that. They recommended that I not see her that evening. I called the vet around 10 am and the vet at the time said she didn’t look good. The lead vet called me back and reminded me that she had gone through major surgery and to not get too upset. I left work anyway.
As I drove nearer to the specialist, I realized I hadn’t eaten anything since the day before. I was shaky. I decided I would try to find a fast food place. I got lost instead. I ended up at a Barnes and Noble near the hospital and was in line to pay for the sandwich when my cell phone rang. The vet tech said that Subaru was having an emergency. She had stopped breathing. Did I want her resuscitated? I was only two blocks away. I said yes, that I was almost there. I grabbed the sandwich, threw it in my car, and raced to the hospital. I ran into the building. They ushered me in back. She was in an oxygen cage. It was so obvious that she wanted to die. She was virtually unresponsive to me – whom she always rallied for. I decided to help her over the rainbow. The veterinarian and I were both sobbing as she injected the needle while I held her.
I took her home and buried her in my yard. I planted pansies and a pussy willow over her grave.
She is still so sorely missed. I think about her every day.
I love you, Subaru. You have left a gaping hole in my life.
Sweet Gray Danube
Forever loved and deeply missed by Seanna Jordan
Born Summer, 2004 Became an Angel Kitty Summer, 2004
Danube and Minehaha
The River Kittens
Sweet souls now at rest
Littermates, Danube and Minnehaha, their three sibs and their lovely teen-aged mother Althea lived with me since the kittens were 3 weeks old. At 9 weeks, they were starting to find their forever homes. Being responsible rescuers, we made appointments at a local spay and litter clinic for the three biggest, Euphrates, Danube, and Yangtze, and Althea.
The spaying was done on a Sunday. There were many cats to be spayed and the vet and their helpers paid no attention into which cat carrier the cats were deposited. Euphrates and Danube were separated from each other and their carrier and placed with stranger kittens. By the time I got them back in their own carrier, one of them or all of them had been exposed to panleuk, unknown to me.
They all acted healthy, but a little sore when they got home. Althea developed mastitis and a fever that wouldn’t descend. I took her to the vet and got meds, but her fever continued to spike and she went to the hospital. On a Sunday night, I noticed Danube, my personal favorite, was a little listless. I had had a garden party that day and thought that she might be overtired, not that she got to attend (all foster kittens were locked in an upstairs room), but that there were strange people and energy in and out of the house. I thought to myself that I might need to take her to the vet in the morning.
In the morning, I went into their room and the other four kittens were scampering over their limp sister. I scooped her up, grabbed a cat carrier, and went out the door. She was in trauma by the time I got to the vet and there was nothing that either of the vets could do. We didn’t know what the problem was then. Kittens go fast, I was told. But, I took all the kittens in, they were examined, and two of them were found to have temperatures, although no one acted sick. Each kitten was prescribed wide spectrum antibiotics.
Dainty Minehaha
Forever loved and sorely missed by Seanna Jordan
Born Summer, 2004 Became an Angel Kitty Summer, 2004
I was preparing to leave for a trip (my father’s 80th birthday) and hustled to get ready, letting the cats go to their forever homes with their little bottles of medicine. Minnehaha, the runt, and her brother Tigres were going to live with two young architects in a beautifully kept 1920s apartment building. Only Euphrates, and his mother, didn’t have a home yet. I was going to let Euphrates and Althea, still recovering from her mastitis, stay in their room. My boyfriend would come twice a day to feed them and the rest of my feline family.
As soon as I got the call from Jenn, one of the young architects, I knew something had to be wrong. Minnehaha had died. They got up in the morning and she was playing, but by evening she was dead. The vet thought it might be panleuk. I was so sad, but also worried about Tigres, the little boy who I thought needed a pal. They agreed to take Euphrates and I dropped him off at his new home.
After a long conversation with the foster coordinator, we agreed that I would take Althea to her house where she would isolate her and treat her with another strong antibiotic. I was leaving the next morning. It was already 10 pm. I did not call the other family that had Yangtze – I was not thinking clearly and it was already 10 pm.
While I was gone, Yangtze got ill, but she pulled through. Euphrates (now called Gingko by his mom and dad) had sniffles but no big fight, Tigres (named Bamboo by his mom and Dad) got sick but never that sick, and Althea recovered.
It could have been worse. But I miss sweet gray Danube and dainty Minnehaha.
Tiny Skeeter
Cherished and Deeply Missed by Craig and Susie Bachman
Rescued October 8, 2004 Became an Angel Kitty October 18, 2004
Skeeter was barely 5 weeks old when we lost him. His mother was inhumanely killed when he and his two littermates were less than 3 weeks old. He never had a chance to play with his little brother Rebel and sister Mallie, never got to play with his little cat toys. He never got to experience the joys and wonders of kittenhood.
He was a precious little boy who never got to weigh more than 9 ounces - less than half of what a healthy kitten should weigh at his age. We'll never know what color his soulful eyes were to be - they were still the baby blue color of newborns. He was left to starve to death and developed anorexia, forgetting how to suckle and swallow. Yet, with every accomplishment he made as he daily battled for life - his first pull on the bottle nipple, learning to purr, sit, stand, walk a few steps, eat a wee bit of wet food from a spoon - we were so thankful and he looked so proud of himself.
He was terribly weak and so fragile when he came to us at less than three weeks. He never stood a chance at a good life or a long life. We promised him a better life and that we would find him a forever home when he became strong and old enough for adoption through our sanctuary. Craig and I provided him with medical care, love, food, and warmth, but it wasn't enough. What he desperately needed, we couldn't provide: he needed his mother. Some evil bastard and his can of rat poison took his mother from him and in the end, took our Skeeter's life and part of our soul.
The 10 days you shared our lives has embedded you deep into our hearts, sweet Skeeter. "Fly, fly, Little One, fly beyond" pain, illness, sorrow, and loss. Wait for us at the Bridge, dear sweet baby boy. We'll meet you there. Rebel and Mallie miss you so. Craig and I love and miss you, darling little man.
Tiny Rebel
Cherished and Deeply Missed by Craig and Susie Bachman
Rescued October 8, 2004 Became an Angel Kitty November 6, 2004
Almost immediately after the loss of wee Skeeter, Rebel went into a slight decline. He no longer played hard and fast like a growing kitten his age does, but we figured he was a bit depressed, grieving and missing Skeeter. The two of them were always snuggled together, while Mallie was more investigative and curious. She closely slept next to them, but not in a tight little wad as the two boys did. So I doubled up on my interaction time spent with the two surviving kittens.
With the loss of Skeeter, I'd been in the process of compiling an article on Fading Kitten Syndrome. Unfortunately, I had a motherboard and hard drive failure, so the article wasn't completed before Rebel's loss since I'd been without my system most of that week. I had taken the picture above of Rebel Friday, November 5. Early Saturday morning, November 6, we suddenly and unexpectedly lost the precious little boy.
As did our little Skeeter, Rebel fought a courageous battle against many, many odds and rallied back, but in the end Fading Kitten Syndrome took him from us, too. He's joined his little brother at the Bridge where they are both awaiting for us there. Their sweet little sister Mallie is missing them both.
Rebel, our brave little man, we miss your kitten antics and your deep, almost non-stop purr. You gave us so much joy as we watched you grow into a happy, playful little kitten. Our hearts are broken and our souls are weeping, but our last gift to you is to give you those little wings to fly to your teeny-tiny brother who depended on and needed you so much. May you and Skeeter romp in healthy, happy kitten bliss until we see you again, beyond the Rainbow Bridge.
Many warm thanks and with much love, dearest Di, for the Wee Boys' lovely memorial image.
