Farewell, Sooty

I don't know a whole lot about Sooty, as she started her blog when she was diagnosed with lymphoma in May. I did learn that she moved halfway across the world to New Zealand with her family and she liked it there. Before she got sick, she liked to go out in the warm weather. She was the family's official greeter, always there at the door to welcome any family member returning home. When she was feeling bad, she stopped doing this, but she rallied a bit not long before the end and started doing it again. Sooty's tumors were in her intestines and at her age of 13 and the fact that she had lost so much weight before she was diagnosed persuaded the vet that an operation was inadvisable, as she would probably not survive it. Sooty was put on chemo, but it didn't work. She seemed to get better for a little bit, then got worse again. The hoped for remission didn't happen. Sooty went through all this in good humor. She willingly took her medicine and tried her best to eat and gain back some weight. When the vet discovered that the cancer had spread to Sooty's liver, her family made the hard decision that it was time to send her to the Bridge, to spare her any more suffering.

                                         Sooty lived to a goodly age,
                                         Then cancer took her in a rage.
                                                   Her folks helped her go
                                                   To the Bridge, although,
                                          They hoped to keep her to a ripe old age.