Time goes too fast. If there was one thing in the world that I could change, it would be to make time move more slowly.
Oreo’s gotcha day was August 25, 2013. He was found outdoors by my brother-in-law. My sister is highly allergic to cats, so I offered to take him in. It didn’t take long to fall completely in love with him. Oreo had a rough start and was quite ill for the first few months of his life due to a nasty parasite, but with lots of love and care, he pulled through. At that time in my life, I was in a very dark place, and Oreo inspired me to put my positive energy into creating. I began creating artwork of him, taking photos and filming videos, and posting them online. A large creator that I was working with at the time (N2 The Talking Cat) saw Oreo’s photo and asked to share it on his Facebook page. I accepted, not thinking much of it, and woke up the next day to tens of thousands of followers on his page. This tiny disheveled kitten was suddenly of interest to people all over the world. This is how “The Oreo Cat” was born and how I began my journey as a content creator.
From a popular Vine account to a full-on explosion on Musical.ly (known as TikTok today), 2016 became the beginning of a now full-time content creator career. Working with Oreo was a joy from day one. He was very intelligent and what I would call a great “Catctor”.
Not only was Oreo an amazing colleague, but he was also a very dear friend. He helped me to pull through a difficult divorce in 2018 and gave me much-needed hope for a new life. We moved to a new city and I bought my first home, a modest condo in Saint-Zotique, Quebec. Then Covid-19 hit. During the pandemic, I decided to begin going live daily on Facebook for people who were quarantined and alone. This resulted in our Facebook page exploding with a plethora of new followers. In 2021, I quit my job as an ESL teacher and began creating content full-time.
Over the past few years, we have amassed millions of followers across our social media channels and built an amazing, caring, generous, and supportive online community. Our followers are really among the best in the world, and I am so grateful for each and every one of them. They have seen us through thick and thin and been there through the toughest of times.
Then, in late June of 2024, I got the worst news I’ve ever had in my entire life. Oreo had cancer. He had been ill for a few weeks and was in and out of the vet clinics without any concrete diagnosis. We finally decided to do an ultrasound, which ultimately led to his diagnosis. The moment I found out, it was like my heart was pulled right out of my chest. This little wonderful being who had given me so much and never asked for anything in return was now quickly on the inevitable path to the rainbow bridge.
Oreo had large-cell lymphoma. He had multiple lesions in his GI tract. I was given a few different options as far as treatment, but even the best one didn’t yield a very good prognosis. I was ready to do whatever it took, but at the same time, I needed to consider Oreo’s best interest and not be selfish. It’s the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life. It’s still gut-wrenching to think about.
The clinic that he was being treated at was over an hour away. He would have had to go in for weekly intravenous treatments for the next few months. There was also no guarantee the treatment would work. So I looked inside myself and I asked Oreo what he wanted. I knew just by the way he looked at me that he wanted me to leave him be.
I even took an appointment with our Animal Communicator to discuss it, and when she asked Oreo what he wanted, Oreo said exactly what he showed me to her. He wanted me to leave him be. He wanted to stay at home with his family and to enjoy the time he had left, however long or short. He knew exactly what was happening. So, I honored his wishes. We did the least invasive treatment, which was a chemo pill that he had to take once a month and a cortisone pill that he took daily.
The first couple of weeks, he started doing better. The cortisone seemed to really help him, but only for a short time. Unfortunately, he began to deteriorate quite quickly after the third week and ultimately passed only five weeks after being first diagnosed. The day he left was both sad and a relief because he was no longer suffering. Oreo passed peacefully at home in my arms on August 14, 2024, just a few weeks shy of his gotcha day (August 25th). I still miss him every day.
It took quite some time for me, as well as my other cats, Onyx and Pudding, to come to terms with the loss. I am grateful that we had one another as comfort. Thankfully, in October of 2024, we welcomed Olive, a feisty little calico who shares the same birthday as Oreo, into our lives. She is much like he was, and I really believe Oreo sent her to us.
Time goes too fast. If there was one thing in the world that I could change, it would be to make time move more slowly.
Featured images provided by Tina Modugno, <a href=”https://www.instagram.com/theoreocatofficial”>@theoreocatofficial</a>
Where to follow Tina, Onyx, Pudding, and Olive:
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