A gift?

Dear friends,

I just noticed SIXTY zealies have mysteriously popped up in my account! Whoever gave this generous gift, please let me know so I can thank you more personally...

Until then, THANK YOU. Your kindness has put a happy ending to this tough day.

~Penny

One year anniversary...

Today is the one year anniversary of my death. My girl is pretty sad today. She misses me sooooo much sometimes, I wish I could just be with her again and cuddle one last time. I'll let her write the rest...

Hey catsters, friends,

I will never forget your generosity and kindness that you gave me this time last year. I wish I was stronger, but being a part of catster was so painful for me sometimes, I fear I had to stay away more often than not... It isn't because I don't love you all... but my heart, even after a whole year of grieving, is still raw and painful. Seeing how much you love your cats only serves to remind me how much I loved mine. I am under the belief that I will never find another soul like Penny. She was willful, annoying, nasty, beautiful, clever, hilarious, gentle, and my best friend. He personality matched mine so perfectly that I didn't even know it until she was gone. I love Tiramisu, my parent's new cat, but she is not my soulmate as much as an annoying little sister. She is a pain, but very sweet and loving. I think Penny would laugh at her antics. Tira is Penny's antithesis. Sweet and gentle, but demanding of attention and food.

I have a new dog as well, Sport. He is amazing and clever and devoted to me. Again, he's no Pen, but he is a good substitute for a bed warmer.

I miss Penny with every fiber of my being. I realize now how much her life and death affected me. I am a different person today than I was a year ago. I am more focused on school, on my animals, on fulfilling my goals and following my dreams.

I hope she is happy us at the Bridge. I hope she is waiting for me. I hope she knows how much I love her.

Forever, your girl

I am loved and new kitten in the future

Darling Alfie gave me a lovely gift today. He is always so sweet. He also wrote in his diary about my girl getting another cat. She has started scouring the rescues and shelters the past few weeks for a little orangie boy cuz she loves us Orangies, but she doesn't want to compare the new cat to me. She is fostering a pup right now that isn't too friendly, so she might have to wait. We shall see. My girl says that when the time is right to get a new kitten, she'll know. And then I will be sure to let everyone on catster know too!!

Purrs, Penny

Wally?! Wahhhhhhhh....

Kitties,

I don't think I can take this anymore. I know the Bridge is great and all... .BUT YOU NEED TO STAY ON EARTH! Your mommies need you. And my girl just can't stop crying. This has been such a sad time on Catster and I just can't understand why this is happening...

Wally, Sydney Rose, Buddie, McKenna, Jessica and all others that have joined us recently:
The Bridge is much brighter now with you here. But part of me wishes it wasn't so... I wish there was no such place and that we could all be home with our families. I miss Christmas. I miss snuggles from my girl. I miss... life.

My girl and I are so sad about all the tragedies lately. We are hoping that these are it for now. Please, please let it be done for now. It is too close to Christmas.

Sad news - Dear Buddie and McKenna

My girl is just so very sad right now. I wish I could make her happy...

Buddie and McKenna both came up here. I told my girl that I will help McKenna settle in just like Buddie. We will romp and chase and then my favorite: NAP! Not that they really need me! There were sooooo many good catsters here waiting to welcome her at the gates. Just like they were for Buddie, just like they were for me. I am so happy to have so many friends here. I know that Buddie and McKenna and all their fursiblings are so happy to be reunited....

But my little kitty heart is breaking for their family. My girl was so sad when I left her. I am purring for them. Everyone is! So many are purring for them that the clouds are rumbling! We love you! Know that your kitties are waiting right here for you, and that once you are all reunited, you will never have felt such joy.

Purrs, Penny

An update.

I was going to post this in the forums... but I have no idea where I would write it. If anyone has suggestions Pmail me.

I just wanted to update all of my wonderful Catster friends about what is going on in my girl's life right now. She hasn't been on catster a lot lately... I think she gets sad seeing my old pictures. It has been a whole month since I left her and I miss her a lot. She misses me too. Although she got this *dog* that seems to think he can sleep on *my* couch and lick *my* girl's face. The nerve! Oh well, my girl said he is only temporary and that she is only fostering him so whatever. I am glad she has someone to cuddle with though. I was worried that she was going to get cold when winter hits.

She did finally talk to her landlord about what happened. Unfortunately, her fears came true. Our neighbors got a letter today telling them they needed to get rid of the dog. She got really upset by that and started crying. (I don't know why she defends that monster.... but she always did have a soft spot for those horrible curs. She is very odd, my girl.) She is going to try to talk to the landlord and she hopes that they can all figure out a better solution. My girl says that it is not fair for two families to lose their pets over this. I guess I understand that. The neighbors are paying half the bills.

I miss my girl, but I want her to be happy again and I don't think she is there yet. I will keep sending her cuddly cats and even those dogs to keep her company. She says they keep her distracted. I don't mind that, I guess. I will keep watching her though. I can't wait to see her again.

- Penny

Enough to turn a girl's head...

Today was Penny Day. It really was a sea of Pennys. There were 10 pages on the photo stroll but Alfie says that not everyone tagged theirs.

So many kitties selflessly put up her picture in spite of other things going on in their lives. Like beautiful Sophie who was celebrating her fourth birthday... or darling Mandi who sadly passed away the day after my girl. It took my breath away.

On another note, I uploaded some old photos from my camera today and found pictures of Penny that I took the day before she was attacked. My roommate and I were laughing so hard because she was pouncing on her kitty condo and it collapsed halfway. She decided that it would be the perfect place to take a nap. She was so crazy that night. My brother also sent me a really sweet picture of her from last summer. I am getting a lot better at not crying every time I think of her... but this sent me over the edge. I think I will put them up. It is so lonely without her around. I was studying late last night and it was just so quiet. Even when she was fast asleep, she had this presence about her. She really was something.

Thank you Everyone. (KC - I don't think I thanked you personally. You really helped to make Penny Day a reality. Thank you.)

Thank you Penny. You were such an amazing girl. I am glad that all these Catsters could tell that.

Love, Ali

Tears, laughter and sighs.

Again from my Girl, Ali:

This past week was the longest week of my life... however, it was also so short. How could I lose my best friend in the span of five days? It was just so weird because I really thought that she could pull through this... Sometimes I just can't believe that she is gone. When I come home, I instinctively look towards her bed for her. I miss her.

My family has been very supportive through this time. They loved her very much as well. We will sit around telling stories about her. Laughing at her crazy antics makes her absence more bearable. Remembering her life as opposed to her death. I also talked to my vet, who was out of town through this whole ordeal, as well as the vet that did the amputation. They talked to me about their understanding of the situation. I won't go into specifics, but it was very interesting and odd. They were both very sweet and cried on the phone with me. I am so lucky to have them not only as my vets, but as my friends and mentors.

My brother and I went to the animal shelter today. We just went to play with the cats. We pet them and talked to them and hoped that someone would take them home soon. Very sweet. I remembered the first time I saw Pen at that very shelter. She was in the first kennel and I walked right past her looking at a gray kitten. She didn't mind. She just sat and watched me and when we decided that the gray kitten was just a bit to crazy for us, Pen looked right at me and meowed. I looked over at her and she reached her perfect little paw out to me and meowed. I took it into my hand and she pulled my fingers and my heartstrings. I was lost from that moment on.

I wanted to thank everyone for Penny Day. Jules Vern, Alfie and family, and everyone who put/will put her picture up. I also wanted to thank TC and Autumn for Penny's wings. I will put them up soon. They are still making me pretty sad... it is just one of those things. I really do appreciate them though. I am so lucky to have found Catster. Penny is too. She has a bunch of new friends up at the Bridge because of you. And that makes me happy.

-Ali

The worst day of my life.

As written by my girl, Ali:

As some of you know, Penny was seriously injured yesterday by my neighbor's dog. I never thought I could feel my heart break like that.

Moments after I left the house yesterday afternoon, my roomate, Adam, called me frantically telling me to turn around and come home. Penny had ran into the yard after him and the Rottie that shares our yard chased and got a hold of her. Thanks to Adam's dumb bravery, my cat survived with a puncture wound to her abdomen and a severely broken hind limb. After a few minutes of freaking out we ended up driving her to the CSU Teaching Hospital where they whisked her away and left us standing there unnoticed. Well, I won't tell you all about the horror of the next few hours trying to figure out a plan. It was just horrible not knowing what was going on with her and hearing from the vets every hour or so. Ultimately, we decided that with the injuries sustained on her leg, it just wasn't worth trying to save the limb and that amputation would be our best bet. Unfortunately, being a friday afternoon on labor day weekend... CSU would not do surgery on her until Tuesday! So I called every vet I knew, and many I didn't. I had to find a vet that would consider doing surgery on Saturday. No one would. Finally, after two straight hours of calling people, Susan the vet tech from Olde Towne (the clinic I work for in the summers) called. While I had been calling vets in FoCo and Loveland, she had been calling vets in Longmont and Boulder. No luck there either. Dr. Muench, my vet, is currently in Paris and Dr. Garcia, the vet filling in for her, had other business on Saturday.... but then Dr. Garcia called me back saying that I could bring Penny down to Longmont that night and we could do surgery then. It was about five by then and I had been at CSU for about five hours. My amazing friends at Olde Towne were willing to stay hours past closing to help my poor kitty. We did surgery at around 6:15 as soon as I could get into Longmont and I brought her home to recover.

I did not sleep but an hour last night. Poor Penny was in a horrible amount of pain and would scream anytime I moved, she moved, or whatever else...

I am so amazed and humbled by the amount of love I have received on my cat's behalf. Much thanks to my friends and family, as well as Dr. Garcia, Dr. Sullivan the CSU vet, and Susan.

Please Purr for my baby.