Yesterday, was a soul crushing day…
by Rita Reimers, Multi Cat Behavior Expert
We brought Missy into the safety and warmth of our sanctuary during the Winter Holidays, along with her brother Scooter. They were already 15 years old; their human had passed away and the two of them were at the Lancaster County Animal Shelter, scared and huddled together in the same cage.
Upon arrival at the Shelter, Missy quickly showed me who was boss as she made the techs chase her around for her shots, even lunging at one of them. She was just scared. Her brother was more carefree about the whole situation.
Bringing them home
Scooter quickly settled in with his new cat friends and made himself at home in my upstairs office. Missy was more of a challenge, but over they years she grew to trust me, and maybe even love me a little bit. Her hard shell melted and she became a lap cat, and even befriended some of the other cats (as long as they didn’t get too close to her that is!
Losing Scooter
Scooter was soon diagnosed with Hyperthyroid, and put on the usual twice a day medication. He learned quickly how to fool me into thinking he had swallowed his pills, only for me to find them later spit out into his food dish. The little stinker! Switching to a transdermal medication helped, but his then 16-year-old body was so frail that he soon passed away…
Missy without Scooter
Missy’s Turn
The End Came to Fast…
In the end, I did what was best for Missy. How I felt didn’t matter, it was all about ending her pain and suffering. She let me know it was time to go, and so I did what needed to be done with my wonderful Dr. Glenn being ever so gentle as he helped her out of this world and into the next. I am sure she has reunited with Scooter and with her original human momma, Melanie.
Thank you for being a part of my life for the 5 years I was lucky enough to be your Cat Mom… 💗