"This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you "My Orange, my beautiful, beautiful Orange. You left us last night and left a place in our hearts that only you can fill. I kissed your nose one last time, for it was the softest nose I ever kissed. You gave us the five most beautiful years with you--filled with wonderful, happy memories. You were always a pillar of strength, and so courageous...even at your last moment. You looked at us as though to tell us it will be ok where you're going. I pray to God that you're happy now. We will miss so many things about you, our friend...we will miss your purr, the loudest I've ever heard...we will miss your paws. as they pawed for our attention every morning...we will miss your warm body as it lay beside us safe and cozy every night...we will miss you playing with the milk container lids (your favorite toy)...we will miss your somewhat clumsy way as you would bound over us and paw through the window blinds when we were sleeping...but most of all, we will miss your heart, for it was the most beautiful, warm heart that I've ever held close to me. Your siblings will miss you too, for they respected your leadership and strength. We love you, "Orange Head", and will welcome the day when we hold you again. And until that day...you will always be in our hearts and not a day will go by that we won't remember your loving, wide-set eyes as you looked at us with your unconditional love. I hope you will always remember us and will welcome our big hug when we see you again...

Tuesday, 15-Jul-97 12:42:24

My beloved Freddie

My sweet baby Freddie, how I miss you. You brought so much into my life. You showed me unconditional love, something I never experienced until you. You shared all the most important events in my life. You were with me through very difficult times and very happy times. You are the most special cat anyone could have had. Your birthday is coming near, and I know it will be hard, but I think of all the happiness you brought to me during the 14 years I shared with you. Soon it will be a year that you left for the rainbow bridge. I know you're happy and I know that someday we'll be together again. I miss you everyday. You'll always be in my heart forever... I love you, and God bless you...

I sadly would like to share the sad news of the passing in her sleep at age 19 of Precious the Cat. She was a dear friend of Muriel Hine, who wrote the book "Simply Precious" in her honor. This special Cat touched the lives of many, many people and animals in her therapy work with the elderly and shutins, and her story has done much for the cause of furry ones everywhere. Goodbye Precious! You'll always be remembered lovingly.

I'd like to say goodbuy to Tator. She was a beautiful all white kitty. I had her for four precious years. She loved me deeply and hated when I was away. She LOVED to play fetch. She was obsessed with paper wads and continually begged me to one for her. She shared my pillow at night. I left her temporarily at my sisters house until I could find an apartment. She was accidentally let outside and I never saw her again. I love her so much and it hurts me deep inside to think she may have had a painful death. I shouldn't have left her--she trusted me and I let her down.

Goodbye Tator, I know I'll see you on the other side. Mommy loves you.

Pandy, I am so very sorry...when I scooped you up out of the sun on the windowsill and put you in the carrier with promises that we'd be gone only a little while, I thought I was telling you the truth. You'd been losing weight for a couple of weeks, but mommy had been playing "find the very very best premium food available" game again, so I thought you just hadn't adjusted. With twelve furbabies in the house, one furkid on a hunger strike isn't unusual. So when I noticed the weight loss, I started feeding you seperately. After only a couple of days, you knew to run straight to the bathroom when you saw me with that little Iam's can in my hand--you were such a smart little girl! The others, of course, weren't getting canned food, so you felt so special; I'm glad of that now. But even though you were eating happily, you still weren't gaining the weight back fast enough... so off to the vet we went. My best case scenario was hairballs, worst case was diabetes. After all, how could a healthy, playful eight year old be fatally ill? On the way to the vet, you were so good; when you looked at me from the carrier uttering that silent miaow that could always melt my heart, I was grateful that you weren't one of your very vocal brothers and sisters who have screamed my nerves raw by the time we arrive! But when the vet took you from the carrier and placed you on the table, things started to go wrong. He wanted to test you for leukemia and AIDS. Not possible, I said. After all, you were an indoor-only cat--and for pete's sake, you were born in my closet, I knew your history! But he was so sure, so I let him test you--and felt smug when both tests came back negative, as I'd known they would. Then he wanted an abdominal x-ray, and started talking about lymphoma. I knew then, baby, that I wouldn't be returning you to your sunny windowsill in a little while. I don't know how I knew, wee one, but I did... So while they were doing the x-ray, I called your auntie Mary and asked her to join me at the vet. They brought you back to me and you cuddled down in my arms and purred. But every once in a while, as we waited for the results, you'd lift your head and try, with the silent miaow, to entice me into taking you home. I couldn't even get the words out to give you a false promise... The vet came back with the x-rays. You were full of lymphoma, baby. There was no food--none!--in your intestines, and your rectum was virtually sealed shut. Your abdomen was all tumor, and there was another one on your kidney. Any faint hope I'd been harboring about chemotherapy died in that moment. My sweet girl, I had no choice; please forgive me. All that would have been left for you was another few days of unknowingly starving to death, even as you gobbled down your Iam's and there was no place for it to go. Auntie Mary had arrived by then, and she and the doctor gave me a few minutes with you. I told you all about Rainbow Bridge, and alerted furangels Cinder and F. Scott to be ready to give you big hugs when you arrived, and to wash your head very gently--you always loved that. I insisted that we not move you from your comfortable spot on my lap where you were purring, your paw curled lovingly on my shoulder. Here we were, about to take your life--and you were thinking that it was almost time to go home to return to your sunny ledge... oh, honey, I'm so sorry... You went to sleep quickly, and I handed your warm, soft body to Mary for the final shot..... And then you did get to come home. On the tree in the sunshine at the very spot I'd picked to bury you was the most beautiful lizard! He had a ruby-red head, his front legs were a deep blue, fading to teal on his body. His back legs were a lavender blue, finally culminating in a hot pink tail. A rainbow lizard, certainly--and the clearest sign from my wee one that you'd made it to the Bridge! Thank you, Weepers, for that final and exquisite gift to your grieving mommy... I love you, Pandora.