Shep, My Precious Angel


Domestic Shorthair [See My CatsterPlus Photo Book]
Picture of Shep, My Precious Angel, a male Domestic Shorthair
"Mommy's sweetest boy."

Home:Columbus, OH  [I have a diary!]  
Age: 12 Years   Sex: Male   Weight: 12 lbs.

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My Videos [See My Video Book]

Handsome boy!
"Handsome boy!"

The Beautiful Hazel Lucy
"The Beautiful Hazel Lucy's gift."

Getting some sun.
"Getting some sun."

Wasssssssssup!  Mid-yawn.
"Wasssssssssup! Mid-yawn."

Pretty boy!  After fourth round of chemotherapy.
"Pretty boy! After fourth round of chemotherapy."

My impersonation of a paper-weight.
"My impersonation of a paper-weight."

Please help to sponsor my new buddy, Hugo, from bestfriends.org.  He is currently battling cancer.
"Please help to sponsor my new buddy, Hugo, from bestfriends.org. He is currently battling cancer."

16th chemo treatment, and waiting for a belly rub!
"16th chemo treatment, and waiting for a belly rub!"

Warhol me!
"Warhol me!"

   [See My CatsterPlus Photo Book]


   Leave a treat for Shep, My Precious Angel

Special Gift Box:
Catster HQ
 

Nicknames:
The Shepinator, Shep-A-Roni, Little Prince, Nosey Britches, Face.

Kitty Complexion:
 Activeness 
sleepyvery active
 
 Intelligence 
sillygenius
 
 Curiosity 
not curiousvery curious
 
 Friendliness 
timidaffectionate
 
 Vocal 
not vocalvery vocal
 

Coloration:
Gray Tabby

Likes:
Rolling around in sun beams, eating warm tuna, and cleaning his older sister, JoJo.

Pet-Peeves:
His 'going to the spa' carrier, lawn mowers, and staying overnight in the hospital.

Favorite Toy:
A patchwork catnip mouse (free), a burlap bag of catnip ($1.25), me (free), a catnip faux-sausage that Mommy spent tons of $$$ on....IGNORES!

Favorite Nap Spot:
On his chair with his sister, in the sun.

Favorite Food:
Due to his chemo., he tends to get tired of different flavors of food pretty quickly. He is currently eating Fancy Feast...at least this week!

Skills:
He is able to open and close every cabinet in the house in less than 5 minutes, at 3:00 AM, which makes me SOOOO very happy.

Dwells:
indoors

Arrival Story:
My ex found a stray tabby, Studio Cat, that turned out to be pregnant. Studio Cat had kittens. My ex gave all of the kittens away, except for one. Her name was Studio Kitten. Studio Cat and Kitten lived happily together, until one day, Studio Cat just up and left. My ex was left with Studio Kitten. Studio Kitten then became pregnant, had a litter, and took off. All of the kittens were given away, with the exception of one. That one was Shep. Upon meeting my ex, and Shep, it was decided that Shep would be neutered. Prior to the neutering, Shep would run outside during my visits, chase butterflies, and spray my car tires! Once he was neutered, he became an indoor kitty. After my ex and I broke up, he was nice enough to let me have custody of The Shep...and I've been blessed with him ever since!

Bio:
Sheppy was diagnosed with cancer in June of 2007. He has had 4 surgeries, spent countless nights at the hospital, been poked, prodded, and is now going on his final round of chemotherapy. He has finally hit the 'clinical remission' mark, and will only be going in for check-ups!!!! After all that he has been through, after every painful surgery, lung-tapping, ultrasound, etc., he does nothing but purr every time a Dr. or tech picks him up. He truly is the sweetest boy. Update: March 23, 2009. My sweet prince has crossed over to the Rainbow Bridge. After battling lymphoma for almost 2 years, his health began to fail. He had a very peaceful, and painless, crossing. He was, and always will be, the love, and light, of my life. I am a better person for having known him. I love you, my sweet boy. More than words will ever be able to express.

Lives Remaining:
1 of 9

Forums Motto:
Is that for me? Is it? No? Are you sure?

The Groups I'm In:
2007 Christmas Gift Exchange, Coping With A Cat That Has Cancer, Olde Furts, Tail Chasers Anonymous, The Hazel Lucy Appreciation Society

The Last Forum I Posted In:
Snowball in a Superbowl Commercial!!!

Background:
Many thanks to Neferkitty for her valuable background 'how-to' information. Also, many thanks to Lucy, who posted this background code on catstercodes.com. Purrs to you both!!!!

code:
Thanks Catster Codes!

My beautiful guardian angel, Abby:
Catster

Purring For Simon:
Catster



What celebrity would your pet be? I'm George Clooney! Find out at Dogster.com

I've Been On Catster Since:
June 21st 2007 More than 2 years!

Rosette, Star and Special Gift History

Catster Id:
568330

for 738 days

Meet my family

JoJo McCormick

Meet my Feline Friends
See all my Feline Friends

SMUDGE

Hazel Lucy

Ryu

Loki

Smokey (in
loving memory)

Whilton (Angel
10/24/2007)

Saffie

SISSEL

Honey P.
Sunshine

Binky (In
Loving Memory
)

Cole (7/4/1993
~ 8/4/2008
See all my Feline Friends

Sheppy's Battle With Lymphoma


Mommy's entry....after this, it's MY Rainbow Bridge entry! - So there!


April 9th 2009 6:05 pm
[ Leave A Comment ]

Hello dearest friends,
Just wanted to get one more Sheppy diary entry in, by me, before he takes over all diary entries from The Bridge. These last two weeks have been more than rough, they have been impossible. But.......
I am semi-content. My biggest wish was to be with my Shep, as he passed. And, I was. I was there to comfort him, to let him know how much I loved/LOVE, him. To let him know that I was there, holding him, kissing that soft little head, and rubbing that sweet little butterscotch belly. I don't know how he did it, but he ALWAYS smelled like Sweet-Tarts. He honestly did! I even made my parents smell him every time they came to visit. Their response was, "He smells like a blueberry Sweet-Tart!" He always smelled like candy. It really was the oddest thing.
As for his personality, he was 'one-of-a-kind'. He was goofy, he was happy, he was smart as hell, his intelligence sort of 'creeped' me out,
his devotion and love was unwavering, he was adoring, protective, (actually threw his body against my front door during a wind storm, growling and all puffed up, because he thought someone was trying to break in), he was a 'snuggle-kitty', that firmly believed in drooling, purring, rubbing, against EVERYONE. He was happy. He was so very special. That little face that I love so much is gone, and I think of him 24/7.
Thank you, to all of my friends, JoJo's friends, and Sheppy's friends. I will personalize all of my thank-you notes. But, at this moment, I would just like to send you love.
Love,
Precious Shep, JoJo, and Kate xoxoxoxoxo


Sweet Shep


March 23rd 2009 1:18 pm
[ Leave A Comment ]

Thank you all for your kindness, purrs, prayers, and friendship. My Sheppy has officially crossed over to the Rainbow Bridge. He was so tired, and his little body just couldn't handle anymore injections, medications, etc. It was a quick and peaceful crossing, and I am so thankful that I was there, holding on to him, as he took his last breath. Prior to going to the Cats Only Clinic, I took him outside, and sat with him in the sun. He hasn't been an outdoor kitty for 11 years, so I thought he might like to lie in the grass one last time. He did. He sniffed, found a spot of grass in the shade, and purred. We sat there for 30 minutes. He was content, and in no pain. By the time we arrived at Cats Only, he knew it was time. The vet was very sweet, kind, and caring, and I will be forever grateful for that. Sheppy will be cremated with his beloved 'Boogie Mat', catnip banana, catnip kitty, and a letter that I wrote to him today. The vet placed him on his mat, surrounded by his toys, and tucked the letter that I wrote in between his front legs.
I consider myself incredibly lucky, and blessed, to have had such a special and wonderful personality come into my life. He was, and always will be, so very loved. I also consider myself honored to have been loved by him. He was my sweet boy, and he loved me so. He was the definition of a 'mama's boy', through and through.
Godspeed, my sweet prince. Your Mommy will love you forever and ever.
Kate


I'm the Energizer Bunny......


February 14th 2009 6:45 am
[ Leave A Comment ]

Hello to all of my kitty friends! Mommy just wanted me to pop in and give an update regarding my condition.
The last 3 weeks have been pretty yucky. Mommy took me to Med-Vet on Feb. 6, HOPING that my blood count was going to be better. It wasn't. Which meant no chemo. for me. In fact, Dr. Fulton (my Oncologist) mentioned that it might be time to think about the Rainbow Bridge. Because my blood count was so low, 2000, my body was not fighting off any infections. I wasn't eating, my fur was falling out, my breathing was labored, and all I wanted to do was sleep. I didn't even want to be touched. I tried to purr for Mommy to make her feel better, but that made it too difficult for me to breathe. Mommy spent 5 days trying to prepare herself for the inevitable. She contacted my pill-girlfriend, Andrea, and began making arrangements for my trip to the Bridge. Mommy cried all day, every day....and it made me sad.
However, when I saw Dr. Fulton last week, she mentioned to Mommy that we still had two options. One was a blood transfusion. Mommy said absolutely NOT! Not only was a blood transfusion going to be stressful for me, there was no guarantee that it would even work. The only other option, besides the Rainbow Bridge, was to try injections.
Dr. Fulton gave Mommy syringes filled with Epogen (stimulates red blood cells) and Neupogen (stimulates white blood cells, and prevents infections). Mommy had to give me injections every day for 3 days, and then tapered off to every other day, with my last one being injected 2 days ago. Mommy was TERRIFIED! She has never had to give me an injection. Plus, I've become so thin, she was afraid that she would hurt me. But, it had to be done. Andrea came over to show Mommy how to do it....it's been years since JoJo needed them, so Mommy was a bit rusty. I began my injections Feb. 7, and by Feb. 9, I was perking up, eating, and my breathing was becoming regular again. By Feb. 12, I was my old self! I have been feasting on roast beef, turkey, tuna, and salmon! I constantly follow Mommy to the kitchen now and DEMAND my food. Dr. Fulton said to give me ANYTHING I WANT. As long as I'm eating, it's a good sign.
Which brings us to Feb. 13. Mommy dropped me off at Med-Vet for a recheck yesterday morning. By 10:00 AM, Med-Vet called, and I was ready to be picked up. Mommy was floored! Apparently, my white blood cell count was normal, AND my red blood cell count was climbing nicely! I was able to have my chemo.! Mommy was so happy. She said that I'm at that point in my life where I will no longer get chemo. on a regular basis. At this point, it's only going to be done if I start developing fluid in my lungs again. Once I do, which is inevitable, and if I'm no longer reacting to the Epogen and Neupogen, it will be time to prepare for the Rainbow Bridge. However, until then, I have made somewhat of a come-back. I'm just not ready yet!
Also, I would like to personally thank all of my kitty friends for their well-wishes, paw power, and purrs! Thank you Maggie May, Hazel Lucy, Sally Maria, sweet Abby, Alex Finnegan, fabulous Isaac, Ashley, Tailer, and, before her sad passing, precious Scootie-Scoot. Thank you all SO MUCH! The McCormick family could not go through this without each and every one of you. We love you all so much.
Much love and head-bonks,
Sheppy


See all diary entries for Shep, My Precious Angel