Farewell, Peaches

I tried to do this last night, but Blogger was offline. Peaches was a small poodle who loved cats and adored her humans. She lived with Loa's family for 16 years. She didn't get much coverage in the blog, but what pictures there are of her mostly show her napping with the cats. I imagine that she is delighted to find so many cats at the Rainbow Bridge and is probably in the middle of the biggest nap pile ever right now.

                                   The time came when Peaches got old and tired.
                                   Because she was so loved and admired,
                                                  Her folks helped her go
                                                  To the Bridge, although
                                    That was the very last thing they desired.

Farewell, Gizmo

I got the impression that Gizmo would have preferred to be an only cat, instead of one of four. He much preferred the company of his humans to the company of the other cats. When they still lived at the old house, with the big yard, where they could all go outside to play, he would wander off by himself, instead of joining Casper and Patches in the frog hunts. He was originally adopted by the Daughter, but ended up with his Mom. Something happened that must have really bothered him, because when the Daughter would come to visit, he would hide from her. Gizmo was the only cat who liked to have his belly rubbed. He would even ask for belly rubs. His Mom is really missing this. Gizmo wasn't a loner all the time. He would occasionally join another cat for a nap, but these occasions were pretty rare. Gizmo was nearly 15 years old and his health had been failing. He was down to 5+ pounds the last time he went to the vet. They found a cancerous mass while feeling for his kidney. The vet thought that the tumor was operable, but in his already poor condition, it was very likely that he wouldn't survive the surgery. His Mom felt that it was much kinder to just send him on his way to the Rainbow Bridge, so that is what she did. Gizmo's Mom has really been through a lot lately, with both her Daughter and Son having had surgery recently. They both came through very well, but the anxiety must have been terrible, and then Gizmo's passing on top of it all. She really could use all the support we can give her.

                                 Cancer led Gizmo right up to the Bridge.
                                 His Mom helped him cross, which really took courage.
                                        Now he can leap and run
                                        And have lots of fun,
                                  But we are sad because he has gone to the Bridge.

Farewell, Charlie

Daughter Amy decided to adopt Charlie from a shelter. She was looking for a big ginger cat with lots of catitude and Charlie fit the bill perfectly. He wasn't all that big at the time, but it was obvious that he would grow quite a bit. Charlie had been rescued from being a full time barn cat. When he discovered that his new family had a barn on their property in Vermont, Charlie was thrilled. During the summers, he only came inside to eat, and that only if he hadn't managed to feed himself enough, as he was a mighty hunter. This was a great arrangement, as the family already had an Alpha Cat, Buddy. Charlie was the Boss of the Barn and Buddy was the Boss of the House. The only rough times were the winters, when they both stayed inside most of the time. There was some hissing and swatting then, but both of them spent most of their time eating and sleeping, so things went along pretty well. Charlie even made friends with the skunks who hung out around and in the barn. Things got a little more tense when the family moved to New Hampshire and no longer had a barn on the premises. From what I have read, Charlie eventually made himself the Alpha Cat, as he was the one who laid claim to the bed and would chase off any other cat who wanted to sleep there. He still spent as much time as possible outdoors, as the family had a large rural property and he had plenty of room to roam. He would come inside every night at about 10:00. One night he didn't come home. The family was able to reconstruct what had happened. Poor Charlie got ambushed by two coyotes near a wooded area. Coyotes don't fool around when they attack, so Charlie probably didn't suffer anything more than a moment of terror and pain. It's sad, but Charlie would never have been happy as an inside cat.  I am sure that the Rainbow Bridge has enough room for every Alpha Cat to have his own territory and pride of cats who want to follow, with no need for fighting about it.  Charlie has probably already found himself a barn and a group of followers and lots of mice to hunt.  Maybe even some skunk friends.

                                   Charlie came to grief near the wood,
                                   So he ran to the Bridge as fast as he could.
                                        Now he is the Boss Cat
                                        Of wherever he's at,
                                  While we shed a tear when we think of that wood.

Farewell, Max

Little Girl, a tortie, left her two kittens under car for their future Mom to find when they were only three weeks old. Evidently, she was unable to care for them, but the Mom knew just what to do. They were both bottle fed and cared for and adopted. Little Girl also joined the family. Max was a very calm and loving cat. His Mom called him Mild-Mannered Max. He was just six years old when he went to the Rainbow Bridge. He had recently visited the vet, who found nothing wrong, but he had liver cancer. I don't think anyone should get mad at the vet for not finding it, as cancer in cats is often very hard to diagnose. Max's cancer was very swift, as it only took about a month. He went to the Bridge with his Mom beside him, comforting him as best she could.  His family is missing him very much.

                                   Max went to the Bridge on his own.
                                   He closed his eyes and faced the unknown.
                                         Now he can run and play
                                         With his friends all day,
                                    But his family feels bereft and alone.

Farewell, S'more

S'more was a ten-year-old tortoiseshell with just a touch of tortietude. She was taken to that last trip to the vet when her kidneys failed to the point where she could hardly stand or walk. S'more had a rough start in life when her first family abandoned her in an apartment complex when they moved. She was starving when a nice person found her and took to her a vet's office who offered to keep her until a home could be found for her. Her forever Mom found her there and brought her home. This treatment led to a slight eating disorder. S'more would often try to eat every bit of food in her bowl as quickly as possible, which led to barfing it all up again. It took her a long time to accept that there would always be food for her in her new home. S'more just loved to give her Mom kitty kisses. She was a very loving cat and was much loved in return. She will really be missed.

                                        S'more had to be helped on her way
                                        To the Bridge where she can run and play.
                                              She'll have a great time
                                              In that place sublime,
                                        While we weep a bit 'cause she went away.

Happy Fourth of July

This is Yankee Doodle Donkey wishing all of you a very happy and safe Fourth of July. I hope that the fireworks don't upset you kitties and woofies too much and that you get lots of time with your families.

Farewell, Dakota

Thanks to Zoolatry for the beautiful graphic. Dakota was a beautiful white Siberian Husky with ice-blue eyes. She was a kind and gentle dog with a big heart. She welcomed Phantom and Thunder when they were added to her family and, before she got sick with Cushing's Disease, romped with them and had loads of fun. She was a little sensitive about her tail and would get just a little ticked off if either of them tried to play with it, but other than that, it was all good playtime. Dakota also loved it when the grandkids came over, especially when it was time to eat. The little ones drop a lot of food and Dakota was always willing to clean it up. Every type of dog has their own special sound. With Siberian Huskies it is a sort of soft howl, called a woo. Dakota was the best woo-er of the family. The Cushing's Disease was making Dakota sicker and sicker and for the last few months, she mostly rested, though she still went for a short walk every day. The end came when she went out to do her business and apparently lost her footing and rolled down a shallow incline. This would have been nothing at all to a healthy dog, but the disease had caused her muscles to atrophy and she tore up a muscle. It would not heal without surgery, but the surgery itself would be very traumatic and painful to a dog in her condition and it would not buy her any more time, so her family made the incredibly painful, but merciful decision to help her to the Rainbow Bridge. She had almost twelve wonderful years with them. Dakota had lots and lots of friends in both the Cat Blogosphere and the Dog Blogosphere and is being missed terribly.

                                             Dakota was a husky with loads of charm.
                                             She was kind and gentle and never did harm.
                                                     When she went to the Bridge
                                                     There was a college
                                             Of Siberian Huskies who woo-ed their alarm.