When we got Maggie, in early 1994, I noticed a gorgeous black cat visiting. He came to our home to drink from the fountain out front. He never stayed long, but he was around often. I thought at the time that he was a Maine Coon. He had long sleek fur, very shiny.
As the years went by, he still came around. He was obviously intact. He was a fighter. To be honest, he was always a little mean looking, a cat you didn't dare mess with. He traveled the neighborhood as if he owned it, he was the king. He wasn't afraid of anything. The lady who helped with Lonee and OC said she saw him being attacked in the street once, by two dogs. She chased the dogs away and the cat limped off.
Because he always had some bald spots on his body, we thought he was owned. The spots looked like shaved areas. As if he had gone to the vet and had wounds attended to, and needed to be shaved because of them.
But since taking in Ciara, I had started to take a little more notice of him. Back when Ciara was diagnosed with her URI, I got two prescriptions for Clavamox, thinking that it would be nice to have them on hand, should any of our other cats catch her cold. None did, since it wasn't a URI and I had noticed that Blackie didn't look well. So, I started grinding up a pill, mixing it into Fancy Feast and walking it out to the rock where Blackie like to lay in the afternoon, at the side of the yard. He ate it. Gradually, he would show up in the mornings and I gave him the pill then. He was getting comfortable enough with me, that I was able to pet him. And look him over. Those weren't shaved spots at all, he was extremely matted and he had been pulling the mats out by the root.
This led me to believe that this guy didn't have owners, but he was dumped. Or maybe his owners moved and left him. Whatever the case, I felt so sorry for him. I brought this up to Brian. He was reluctant, saying "Where will it end?" I reminded him that I no longer mention bringing OC here. I've finally realized that OC is happy being what he is. And Brian acknowledged that this was true. And he said, "What about Ciara?" I said that Ciara was a special case. He knew that I had always wanted a blue eyed kitty and that the only way I would ever get one was through rescue. And that's how we got her. Okay. He gave in. "But," he said, "no more."
I made the appointment for Blackie at the vet's office. To have him tested (if he was sick, then they need go no further, just euthanize him), bathe him, shave his mats off, neuter him, check his ears and his teeth. The appointment was made for the 9th of April. And he did fine. The vet put his age between eight and ten years. He was a tough old boy and he liked it here.
I told Brian months ago that all this guy needs was a good meal and a warm spot to sleep in. He had a rough life and hopefully, it was an easier life from then until we lost him on May 24, 1999.
I had noticed before that he seemed to be breathing a little more quickly than the other cats. This morning, he was breathing much heavier than the other cats. Scared, I called the vet and they said bring him in. X-Rays showed fluid in his lungs. The vet said that tapping the fluid would make him much more comfortable and that he would have the fluid sent out and tested. I left Blackie there. It was about 11:30. I was to call them after three to see how it went. The phone rang at 2:30. It was the vet. Blackie's heart stopped while on the table. He had been lightly sedated and the vet was drawing the fluid when Blackie went into cardiac arrest. The fluid was blood. The vet said that Blackie most likely had a tumor. There wasn't anything we could have done. I take comfort knowing that the last days of Blackie's life were days of comfort and love. His soul has left his diseased body and we'll meet again at the Rainbow Bridge. *tears* Rest in peace, Blackie Cat.
Boojie ~ Born 1989 Became an AngelKitty May 16, 1997 Hutch ~ Born June, 1999 Became an AngelKitty July 13, 1999
To my Boojie Baby and Little Hutch Kitty:
I am positive neither of you were ever mistreated or ever had to want for anything while you were with me. I also know you both know how much you were and will always be loved and how much you will be missed my beautiful Angel Kitties. You take care of each other till we meet again, my children... Love always, Mom XXX's & OOO's
Bobby is the oldest of our kitties. He was found in a paperbag on Pacific Coast Highway. The person who found him, brought him to a vet's office. He was probably about a week old. One of the women that worked for the vet took it upon herself to raise him. The vet wasn't very positive about Bobby's chances of survival...but she perservered. Once he was old enough adopt out, a friend of mine told me about him. I went to the vet's office from work and fell in love. I took him home.
The night soap opera television show "Dallas" was popular at the time and another friend suggested the name Bobby. And that's what it became.
Bobby, as a kitten, had a huge appetite. I could put down a plate of leftovers and he would start eating. The pile on the plate could be bigger than him. The phrase "dive right in" comes to mind.
When we moved to our current house, we let our kitties have the run of the neighborhood. We kept the screen out of the laundry room window and the cats could come and go as they pleased. Bobby got sick from the fights that he had been getting into. At one time I was worried that we would have to have him put to sleep. Fortunately, he pulled through. But that was the end to his night roaming. Actually, it ended all of the cats' night forays.
Bobby didn't want to quit going outside at night. He was quite determined. He was able to pull at a screen until he had it loose enough to push open. Then out he would go. We took care of that by closing the window. He figured out a way to push at the window ( the windows are double paned and heavy) and slide it open just enough to get to the screen. He already knew how to work the screen, and out he would go once again. So we had to lock the window. This was in the summertime. It was hot at night and we had all of our windows shut and locked because of our little Tuxedo Bob.
We still let the cats own the neighborhood during the day and we got them in at night. One summer afternoon, in '92, a neighbor's Akita dog/pup got out. Bobby was laying in our driveway. The dog attacked Bobby. By the time I got Bobby out of the dog's mouth, the dog owner was there. He put his dog up and took Bobby and me to the vet's office. We left Bobby there. Bobby's back leg had been ripped apart at the knee, like a turkey wishbone, hanging on with fur only. The vet's called us at 11:30 that night to give us our options. We opted to try to have the leg saved if at all possible. Bobby was in the hospital for nine days. He wouldn't eat for them and they said that I could bring him treats if I wanted. I brought his favorite, boiled chicken breast and avocado pieces. He was so happy to see me, he would have eaten anything I brought to him. He still had his leg.
Once home, he slept for days. Then he slowly started to check things out. I would take him into the backyard and he would explore. His leg made a clicking noise from the pins in it. When I took him in (six weeks after going home) to have the pins removed, I got the bad news. The bone hadn't healed at all. As a matter of fact, it had disintegrated. The leg would have to be taken off. Bobby lost his leg and both hip joints. This made it very hard for him to get around. He couldn't climb like he once had. No more sleeping on the bed. No more sleeping on top of the refrigerator. The up side was, we could open the windows at night.
Then Bobby pretty much slept away his day. He liked to sleep on the couch. He loved to have his head rubbed and ears scratched. He developed the want to go outside and lay in the sun in the backyard. He went in cycles of wanting to be in during the day, or wanting to be out. He seemed to be happy. I was glad we still had him. He still had his appetite.
I guess I should add this now, even though it's in greater detail elsewhere on my site, but our cats no longer have the ability to roam the neighborhood. They can't leave the yard. Brian modified our fence in January '94. Pictures and instructions are on this page of my site.
On June 26, 1999 he was peeing blood. The vet diagnosed hemorragic cystitis. Bobby was put on antibiotics. The following Saturday, he blocked. It wasn't crystals, it seems that he was having a problem with his urethra. He was in emergency until July 6th, at which point I took him to our regular vet. He was able to come home during the night and I took him back for the day, so that the doctor could watch his urine output. A few days later, the doctor said that Bobby wasn't urinating properly. He said that surgery wouldn't work because of where the urethra was spasming closed. He kept Bobby until Saturday, the 10th. I brought Bobby home. Bobby didn't do well. It seemed to be one thing after another. He wasn't eating much and he had diarrhea. He was also throwing up. His last morning with us, I got some medicine that would stimulate his appetite. I gave him one pill, but as the afternoon wore on, he got worse. I took him outside in the sun a little after five. I saw how bad he really was. I called the vet to tell them I felt it was his time. I took him in, the vet examined him. Bobby had lost two precious pounds since his initial problem, on the 26th of June. He was down to a little over five pounds. The vet mentioned how yellow Bobby looked. The vet agreed; it was Bobby's time.
The vet sedates cats before he euthanises them. Bobby was laying on a soft blanket and I had my arm around next to him. He lay his head on my arm and fell asleep. I said my goodbyes and left. Bobby's ashes will be here next week.
Born August 15, 1987 Became an AngelKitty June 30, 1999
Camille was adopted on August 15, 1987 at the RSPCA Home For Lost And Starving Dogs in Bristol, England. I was there for an extended stay, took one look at her, had to have her, and brought her back Stateside.
Camille was a typical Brit, frowned upon every other living being, except myself who she allowed to cater to her every whim. Unfortunately, in April, 1999 Camille was diagnosed with Cutaneous Malignant Lymphoma, an extremly rare cancer. The girl was not doing as well now. I decided to make her as comfortable as possible and treat her accordingly.
Camille had three chemotherapy treatments and a week or so later, the veterinarian told me they were not working. On June 30th, the final decision was made.
Camille was put peacefully to sleep in my arms as I sat holding her and rocking her back and forth in a rocking chair, in a special room called the "Quiet Room". I miss her with all my heart, and due to her heritage I have no one to run the home as Camille did for twelve wonderful years.
Goodbye, My Beautiful English Rose...
August 15, 1987 - June 30, 1999
"Farewell, Master, yet not farewell,
Where I go, ye, too, shall dwell.
I am gone, before your face,
A moment's time, a little space.
When ye come where I have stepped
Ye will wonder why ye wept."
~ Edwin Arnold ~
In Camille's Memory, if your veterinarian ever says the word "Granuloma" to you, immediately ask for a biopsy. If for some reason they don't want to do one, for your pet's sake, go elsewhere. Lynnda
Chi Chi aka The Cheeser ~ Matt and Laurie Goll
Born July 6, 1994 Became an AngelKitty January 1, 2000
In Memory of Chi Chi aka "The Cheeser"
If tears could build a stairway
And memories were a lane,
We would walk all the way to heaven
To bring you home again.
No farewell words were spoken,
No time to say goodbye.
You were gone before we knew it,
And only God knows why.
Our hearts still ache in sadness
And secret tears still flow.
What it meant to lose you,
No one will ever know.
Chi Chi "The Cheeser" came into our hearts on August 30, 1994, on Cody’s 12th birthday. Cody had received money as a birthday gift from his grandparents and while shopping at the mall on his birthday he wandered into the pet store and found a kitten that stole his heart. At the time we did not have any cats in our household, only two dogs, Nugee a basset hound/husky mix, and Nikki a Siberian Husky. We were hesitant at first when he asked if he could purchase this kitten with his birthday money because we were unsure of how this small kitten would survive with the two large dogs in our home. Cody assured us that he would take full responsibility for her and care for her every whim, so Chi Chi was purchased on that day and brought into our home and hearts forever.
Blue aka Kitty Boo, a plush gray female cat, came into our home to join Chi Chi in November of 1994. She was a one year old stray who showed up on our window sill looking for someone to care for her. We welcomed her into
our home and she became a great companion for Chi Chi. We said goodbye to Nikki, our Siberian Husky, in June of 1995. After being with us and loved deeply for 15 years she crossed the Rainbow Bridge to wait there for our arrival. In May of 1996, Kiska, a 2 1/2 year old female Siberian Husky, joined our family. Nugee was ecstatic as he missed Nikki terribly. On October 13, 1998 we were once again blessed when Nugee and Kiska found an abandoned six month old male kitten in our backyard. Rudy joined Chi Chi, Blue, Nugee, and Kiska in our home. It was wonderful for Chi Chi as she now had a brother and a sister to play with.
Chi Chi, you taught us all about falling in love with cats. From the moment you arrived in our home you touched our hearts forever. You were definitely the gift that kept on giving. We’ll miss you playing with
jewelry, loose change, or anything that would make noise on our dressers so you could wake us to let us know that you wanted to have breakfast. We loved seeing you lay in the sunshine on the dresser in the bedroom
watching bird TV out the window. Anytime a lap was open, you were up in it and willing to love whoever it belonged to. You always made us smile when you sat in the chair at the kitchen table and swatted at Nugee’s
wagging tail, or laid on the floor behind Kiska and kicked and chewed on her tail. Kiska and Nugee never minded at all, and they want you to know that they miss you. Kitty Boo misses the great baths you gave her, and Rudy misses his wrestling mate.
I don’t have to tell you how much Cody misses you because I know whenever he was away overnight you missed him in the same way he is missing you now. Nights are long and lonely for him and he misses cuddling and falling asleep with you next to him. He wants you to remember all those "nose" kisses and special "side" pets he gave you. He loves and misses you so much.
There are several things we wanted to apologize again for since time did not allow us to do that before you slipped away. We’re so sorry for those annual rides to the vet for check ups and vaccinations. We know that the 60 mile round trip in the car was unbearable for you. It hurt us too, but we knew we had to do it for your protection. We’re also sorry for the time you got scared of Nugee and Nikki in the back yard and ran straight
into their fence. Most of all, we’re sorry when we took you to see the vet in October that a definite answer was not found for why you weren’t feeling well. When your symptons continued and didn’t seem to get much
better, we should have taken you to see another vet for a second opinion. Please forgive us!
Thank you, Chi Chi, for waiting for us to arrive home on New Year’s Day to say goodbye. You waited to take your last breath until all of your family was home with you. We wish you could have told us how sick you
were that day so we could have taken you to the doctor. But we realize now that what must be, must be.
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunshine on the ripened grain.
I am the gentle Autumn rain.
When you awake in the mornings rush,
I am the swift uplifting rush of
quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there. I did not die.
Chi Chi, we loved you so, ‘twas heaven here with you,
Mom, Dad, Cory, and Cody
Nugee, Kiska, Kitty Boo, and Rudy
