Karen and Chispa (GA)
Very Active Member
My little fighter pilot has flown her last mission and earned her angel wings. She was 18 and over the last five years had been diagnosed with one thing after another -- hyperthyroidism and hospitalization for I-131 radiation treatment, followed by CKD, then IBD, then hypertension that caused a retinal detachment (twice), and of course arthritis as she got older, and the progression of her IBD to SCL (presumed; she was never biopsied), and the eventual loss of her vision, and very early heart disease as of last October, oh and did I mention she was diabetic? Each time I thought it would be the end of her, and each time she karate-kicked the obstacles aside to go on living and loving life. How incredibly brave she was! How incredibly lucky I was!! So when she finally stopped eating and the ER vets found a large tumor in her intestine and another near her kidneys, it was finally time to say goodbye. She died peacefully in my arms on Saturday night.
She was the sweetest creature of any species I have ever known, and I always said that no one would ever love me more than she did. She was the coziest company. We were the Best Girlfriends Adventure Club. She made my house a home. I know there will be a Chispa-shaped hole in my heart forever, but somehow it still feels like she's everywhere. I can still feel her soft, cuddly, warm little body in my arms. The vet listened to her heart with a stethoscope, twice, before nodding to say she was gone, but I knew she hadn't left me. I held her until my arms and shoulders ached, and then I placed her in the little bed they'd brought her in on and kept talking to her, thanking her, telling her I loved her so, so, so very much, until it got very late and I finally felt that she was safe and I could go.
How could I be anything but grateful?
She came to me as a rescue on 20 September 2007. She had wandered into a barn where a friend kept her horse -- no one knew where she had come from, but I was happy to take her home. My Costa Rican then-boyfriend (and still BFF) named her Chispa -- Spanish for "spark" -- for the way she hopped around when playing. He thought he was a dog person. Haha. When they brought her to us in the feed room, she immediately went over and flopped down at his feet. I guess she knew he was the one to win over, and boy did she ever. When we got home she made a complete circuit of the apartment, belly to the ground, then ate two bowls of food, drank a bowl of water, and finally hopped up on the bed and fell into a sound sleep. I knew at that moment I would love her forever.
I hope you all know that without this forum, she never would have done so well for so long. I wouldn't have either! How can I thank you all enough for your friendship, wisdom, and support along this road? At the end of her vet visit last October, the wonderful internist said, "If I told any of my colleagues that you have an 18-year-old cat, with as many issues as Chispa has, that is doing as well as she is, they would not believe me." "She's a tough little cookie," I said. "Yes," he replied, "but that spreadsheet doesn't fill itself out. It's because of your care that she's here and doing so well."
I know he would say the same to each of you.
First night at home
Getting to know the newcomer, Chulo
Kitties' first snowfall (my holiday card that year)
A favorite snoozing spot
Crinkly paper -- THE BEST!!!
One use for a bluetooth speaker that I hadn't thought of
Welcome, spring
Sweet angel in the sun
She was the sweetest creature of any species I have ever known, and I always said that no one would ever love me more than she did. She was the coziest company. We were the Best Girlfriends Adventure Club. She made my house a home. I know there will be a Chispa-shaped hole in my heart forever, but somehow it still feels like she's everywhere. I can still feel her soft, cuddly, warm little body in my arms. The vet listened to her heart with a stethoscope, twice, before nodding to say she was gone, but I knew she hadn't left me. I held her until my arms and shoulders ached, and then I placed her in the little bed they'd brought her in on and kept talking to her, thanking her, telling her I loved her so, so, so very much, until it got very late and I finally felt that she was safe and I could go.
How could I be anything but grateful?
She came to me as a rescue on 20 September 2007. She had wandered into a barn where a friend kept her horse -- no one knew where she had come from, but I was happy to take her home. My Costa Rican then-boyfriend (and still BFF) named her Chispa -- Spanish for "spark" -- for the way she hopped around when playing. He thought he was a dog person. Haha. When they brought her to us in the feed room, she immediately went over and flopped down at his feet. I guess she knew he was the one to win over, and boy did she ever. When we got home she made a complete circuit of the apartment, belly to the ground, then ate two bowls of food, drank a bowl of water, and finally hopped up on the bed and fell into a sound sleep. I knew at that moment I would love her forever.
I hope you all know that without this forum, she never would have done so well for so long. I wouldn't have either! How can I thank you all enough for your friendship, wisdom, and support along this road? At the end of her vet visit last October, the wonderful internist said, "If I told any of my colleagues that you have an 18-year-old cat, with as many issues as Chispa has, that is doing as well as she is, they would not believe me." "She's a tough little cookie," I said. "Yes," he replied, "but that spreadsheet doesn't fill itself out. It's because of your care that she's here and doing so well."
I know he would say the same to each of you.
First night at home
Getting to know the newcomer, Chulo
Kitties' first snowfall (my holiday card that year)
A favorite snoozing spot
Crinkly paper -- THE BEST!!!
One use for a bluetooth speaker that I hadn't thought of
Welcome, spring
Sweet angel in the sun
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