Thank you

Thank you everyone who have sent supportive wishes and purrs for me and for my mom. Eventually she plans to thank you all individually. The love and support means so much. Meanwhile I am adjusting to life here at Rainbow Bridge. It is such a wonderful and colorful place and I can see all of the colors, which I couldn't do on earth! I have made really great friends with Pepper and he thanked me for looking out for his mommies Amy and Erin; but Erin especially because she had such a tough time losing him and had so much trouble making friends. But he said he always kept an eye on everyone from afar and that we would both watch out for them now too. There are so many wonderful dogs and cats here that all romp and play and get along. Some of us get together and help keep an eye on the families of some of our friends. I truly can watch out for my family better from this side than I could when I was so sick and not feeling good. I hope my family knows that they made the right decision. I will always and forever eternally love you all with every whispery fiber of my now immortal spirit.
Love, Kitty

Goodbye

The struggle was long, and I stubbornly held on much longer than I probably should have. I weighed 5.5 pounds but I still had my spirit. I purred, and looked around alertly at everyone around me. I even struggled a bit when they wanted to put the needle in my leg. But I had not eaten for three days; and the people who loved me believed struggling to keep me alive through one more brutal winter was not kind. I was not walking well, my coat was a mess, and holding me in their arms was like holding a skeleton. Mom had been anticipating my loss for quite some time. Every time they thought I was going I somehow managed to bounce back. But I was tired, and lonely, and just plain didn't feel good anymore. My mommy Amy, and Miss Doris were there with me and there was a lot of crying. But it happened so quickly the next thing I knew I was floating above them. I was met by this plump lady with an angel's face and another cat who said his name was Pepper. The lady said her name was Lawanda and that she had been Mr. Donnie's mother. She said that my mommy Erin had asked her to come and meet me and that was exactly what she was doing. I noticed that my coat was full and beautiful again, that it didn't hurt to walk. My feet felt better and I let the nice lady pet me. I sniffed noses with Pepper, and he told me that he had visited mommy Erin already to let her know that I would be all right and that he would be here to greet me and take care of me. I don't want anyone to feel guilty about anything. No one could have taken better care of me. I had a wonderful life and I can tell that the people and animals here are amazing and I don't think my wait will be long until I see everyone else again. Please don't mourn me too much or be sad for me. No more could have been done and my love for you all has gone nowhere. Soothe your hearts, you don't need to worry about me anymore. I have taken up residence in that extra-special place in your heart reserved for the truly loved but gone. Love to you all, Miss Kitty

long overdue update

I am still hanging in there but I am still far too thin. I get my pill every single day and I am eating but you can still feel all of my bones. I am due to go back to the vet in the very near future so we should find out if there is anything that we need to be concerned about. I have trouble grooming myself and my hair can get knotted up fairly easily. But my humans take as good a care of me as they can given my status as an elderly lady. I have lived far longer than most outdoor kitties like me and I have had a very good life. For now I'm still hanging in there, I am not thriving but no one can count me out yet.

What a pampered pet I was!

Mom came for a visit and it was absolutely wonderful! Though mom usually lets me in to visit a while before she puts me outside; this time mom let me stay the night in her room and sleep with her in her bed. It is my first experience with being an indoor cat. Usually this never worked out well because I always wanted to go right back outside and that is annoying for my human I think. But this time I stayed all night long and didn't ask to go out. It was very nice. Mom also told me how much better I am looking than I was the last time she came to visit. I'm not sure what I weigh now but mom says from looking at me she can tell that I must weigh more. It seems like my infection is finally gone. I don't eat the kitten food anymore because another vet told my mom that the high protein could make my infection worse, so we stopped doing that. Mom just took such good care of me. She brushed my hair and wiped me with a rag to get the dust off my fur because I can't groom myself as well as I used to (we live on a gravel road). It was kind of like having a weekend at a spa!

Wow, it is hard to believe that it has been this long since I was diagnosed with my illness. The doctors are still trying to get my levels normal and I have also been battling a kidney infection. I am on my third round of antibiotics for that and I am having trouble putting the weight back on. But even though it is coming back slowly I have gained a pound back. I am eating kitten food to help meet that goal. I know that my kidney infection hasn't helped me with that.

I know that mom worries a lot about me. Recently mom gave me the CatAge test which calculates what age kitties are in people years. My test results weren't very good. It said that I was 94.6 years old! That is six years older than I should be. Well, my challenges hurt my results. Because I am underweight and sick, and because I live outside they penalized me but that really wasn't fair because my problems are being addressed.

Well I am hoping that my humans are ready to stay put for a while. They have gone on vacation twice since I have been sick and I have had to stay at the stinky vet. The good news is that I don't get nearly as upset when I go to the vet now. I don't even poop in my carrier anymore. I finally realized that they are actually really nice to me there even though I get really bored being cooped up in those little cages. I am still pretty mad when my humans come to pick me up and take me home but they always tell me that it means a lot to them to know that someone is taking care of me and giving me my medicine when they are gone. And I usually forgive them pretty quickly.

I don't want anyone to worry about me because I am being taken care of. If my time to go comes it comes but my humans are taking care of me and giving me my medicine, they take me to the vet regularly to get my levels checked and we are trying to beat my infection. The goal is to fatten me up and normalize my levels. In the end I am one lucky cat especially to have made it to such an advanced age as an outdoor kitty, and to be so loved by my human family.

Love, Kitty

I'm doing okay

I have been taking my medicine really well. I adore pill pockets so my humans leave me one on the deck three times a day. I am blissfully unaware that there is medicine in my "treats." My appetite has gone down. Instead of five or six little cans of food a day I am down to a more normal level of one or two. Though that is good I have a lot of weight to put back on. That may take much longer than it took me to lose it. Again thanks so much for everyone who has been thinking about me or who have given me get well gifts. It is so nice to know that people care.

Don't Put Me in the Grave Yet!

Okay Mom, you had me really scared. Granted I look really terrible, even I will admit that. I only weighed six pounds at the vet. The vet thinks that I have hyperthyroidism, something that none of us had heard of before. Well, I guess you learn something everyday. Monday we should get definitive blood results. In the meantime everyone is stuffing me silly which is fine by me. Thank you so much to everyone who has been thinking about me and purraying for me it means so much to me and my family. Right now I can tell you I have no intention of going anywhere.

A sad day

It would break ones heart to see me now. I have always been skinny, but when mom came to visit this time she almost cried when she touched me. I am completely emaciated like an animal that you would see on animal cops. My humans have been trying to fatten me up. They feed me three cans of catfood a day, not realizing that there are sicknesses that can make me this way. I don't seem to be in any physical pain but I am ravenous all of the time and my body is eating itself. Mom suspects that it is diabetes. We are going to the vet today but Mom is bracing herself for the saddest of outcomes. If I have to leave this world today I do it with the knowledge that I have had a long and happy life and that I was loved by my people. Mom will always remember snuggling up with me during the cold winter months. I would crawl in her coat and I could sure purr my head off. I remember batting at the balls hanging off of the Christmas tree, and tearing up toilet paper. I will cherish all of the days I got to hunt and play in the woods. And I will always be their little elevator butt, assuming the position so they would know I wanted them to scratch my back. I may not look as beautiful now as I did when I was in my prime but I hope that they will remember me as I was. I love them all. I go to the vet today not knowing what will happen, but I am in horrific shape and I am prepared to go if I must. I don't want to go but sometimes a lady knows when to leave, and if that is what the doctors feel is best I will be a lady and join Pepper in heaven.

Cold Weather Stinks

I like it when the girls come to visit me. Erin and Amy came last weekend! It was great. Erin let me come in and spend time in the living room. It's always a lot better when that moron Schnookie doesn't know I'm there. If he's asleep I can be inside for hours and he wouldn't even realize it. He can't hear anything, you know. And if you ask me he's not the brightest bulb in the lighting fixture. I could totally take him if he ever messed with me, but mostly I think he's so unimportant that I just ignore him entirely. Anyway, I got lots of love and attention. I adore being brushed. I like it so much and it feel so good that I just can't stop moving! I'm sure it gets annoying following me. But after a few days they went back home. Mom is mad because now I want to stay upstairs and she has to chase me down to put me in the basement for the night. Oh well, mom needs the exercise!