RachelG
Member Since 2021
It is with deep sadness that we share that Fortune has left us. He passed on Saturday afternoon while sunning in his window bed, with our arms wrapped around him. He snuggled with us in our bed all morning, and had some steak for breakfast. We found a vet to come to our home and spare him another trip, so he could snooze and relax in his sunny spot.
We knew it would hurt for him to leave, but we were so unprepared for the devastating heartbreak and the enormous hole left behind. It was so hard to watch him go, but I was determined to be strong and stay there for him, to comfort him as he left.
You never would know from how he moved and behaved that he had SCL for over 3 years, or poorly regulated diabetes. Up until the last week or so, he continued to look and act like the strong, regal kitty he was. We tried so hard to give him dignity, comfort, and love, and minimize any pain he felt.
Fortune was a resilient, strong, determined kitty full of personality and with a sensitivity about him that made him so loveable and easy to adore. He was a terrific communicator, expressing himself clearly through body language, vocalizations and a range of facial expressions that would put an academy award winning actor on notice. Fortune made his feelings on every matter known, ranging from whether he was getting sufficient pets and adoration, being held correctly, or served his food in a timely manner. Fortune would also greet us by the door when we came home from work (pre-COVID) by splaying himself on the floor, laying on his back, ready to accept belly rubs and kisses, or wait in the window for me when I had to travel overnight for work trips.
Being a desert kitty, he loved to “cook” in the heat, either laying directly in the sunlight on a window bed, on the outdoor patio in warmer weather, or in his cat ball between the heating vent and radiator in the winter.
He was a foodie through and through and got enormous joy from eating – he loved to eat EVERYTHING – even the things we prefer he didn’t eat but managed to snag off the table like challah, pizza, sushi and cold cuts. He even snuck a whole chicken breast off the cutting board once when I had my back turned, and made a mad dash under a bed so it was harder to catch him! We stood there, DH holding Fortune while I gripped the chicken breast and Fortune tried to shove it whole down his throat, pulling on it with both paws! Even now, I’m cracking up remembering what a mischievous kitty he was. Yet, he was also very well-mannered and knew how to sit and stay at a table like a gentleman, and stayed on the border of the kitchen whenever someone cooked (as long as someone was watching).
There are so many more stories and memories I could share about him – it feels impossible to capture the magic of who he was and what he means to us. Through all of the amazing moments with him, his tenderness, and meaningful gazes, he also taught us about ourselves, and enriched us as people. This was just a hastily written attempt to share some of what made him incredible, and a part of our hearts forever.
I am so grateful we found FDMB. We first came here to help Fortune feel better from his diabetes, but we got so much more from the community than that. The love and care, the check-ins, and the overwhelming support as Fortune received more and more diagnoses thrown his way - you helped us through all of it. The support during all of the late night worries about his BG dropping too low, or going too high; the times when he stopped eating and I was wrecked with anxiety and fear, to the joy and delight from his wolfing down a meal; the enormous wealth of knowledge and caring shown here towards our family in just two months has been immeasurable, and we are so so grateful. Several vets told us that his diabetes was “too challenging” and “impossible to control”, but with the help and support of this board we were able to get him to safe levels, despite many obstacles along the way.
In our tradition, one says Baruch Dayan HaEmet, or Blessed is the True Judge, which is why I put BD"E in the title. Alternatives are May his memory be a blessing, or a comfort. I lit a memorial candle in his honor after he passed and let it burn down completely in his memory. Our mourning rituals are for humans, but I found some comfort in honoring him through some of them.
The loss of Fortune is more painful than we could have ever imagined. I have lost my companion, my soul kitty, and my love. But sharing him and some of his magic with you has helped. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
We knew it would hurt for him to leave, but we were so unprepared for the devastating heartbreak and the enormous hole left behind. It was so hard to watch him go, but I was determined to be strong and stay there for him, to comfort him as he left.
You never would know from how he moved and behaved that he had SCL for over 3 years, or poorly regulated diabetes. Up until the last week or so, he continued to look and act like the strong, regal kitty he was. We tried so hard to give him dignity, comfort, and love, and minimize any pain he felt.
Fortune was a resilient, strong, determined kitty full of personality and with a sensitivity about him that made him so loveable and easy to adore. He was a terrific communicator, expressing himself clearly through body language, vocalizations and a range of facial expressions that would put an academy award winning actor on notice. Fortune made his feelings on every matter known, ranging from whether he was getting sufficient pets and adoration, being held correctly, or served his food in a timely manner. Fortune would also greet us by the door when we came home from work (pre-COVID) by splaying himself on the floor, laying on his back, ready to accept belly rubs and kisses, or wait in the window for me when I had to travel overnight for work trips.
Being a desert kitty, he loved to “cook” in the heat, either laying directly in the sunlight on a window bed, on the outdoor patio in warmer weather, or in his cat ball between the heating vent and radiator in the winter.
He was a foodie through and through and got enormous joy from eating – he loved to eat EVERYTHING – even the things we prefer he didn’t eat but managed to snag off the table like challah, pizza, sushi and cold cuts. He even snuck a whole chicken breast off the cutting board once when I had my back turned, and made a mad dash under a bed so it was harder to catch him! We stood there, DH holding Fortune while I gripped the chicken breast and Fortune tried to shove it whole down his throat, pulling on it with both paws! Even now, I’m cracking up remembering what a mischievous kitty he was. Yet, he was also very well-mannered and knew how to sit and stay at a table like a gentleman, and stayed on the border of the kitchen whenever someone cooked (as long as someone was watching).
There are so many more stories and memories I could share about him – it feels impossible to capture the magic of who he was and what he means to us. Through all of the amazing moments with him, his tenderness, and meaningful gazes, he also taught us about ourselves, and enriched us as people. This was just a hastily written attempt to share some of what made him incredible, and a part of our hearts forever.
I am so grateful we found FDMB. We first came here to help Fortune feel better from his diabetes, but we got so much more from the community than that. The love and care, the check-ins, and the overwhelming support as Fortune received more and more diagnoses thrown his way - you helped us through all of it. The support during all of the late night worries about his BG dropping too low, or going too high; the times when he stopped eating and I was wrecked with anxiety and fear, to the joy and delight from his wolfing down a meal; the enormous wealth of knowledge and caring shown here towards our family in just two months has been immeasurable, and we are so so grateful. Several vets told us that his diabetes was “too challenging” and “impossible to control”, but with the help and support of this board we were able to get him to safe levels, despite many obstacles along the way.
In our tradition, one says Baruch Dayan HaEmet, or Blessed is the True Judge, which is why I put BD"E in the title. Alternatives are May his memory be a blessing, or a comfort. I lit a memorial candle in his honor after he passed and let it burn down completely in his memory. Our mourning rituals are for humans, but I found some comfort in honoring him through some of them.
The loss of Fortune is more painful than we could have ever imagined. I have lost my companion, my soul kitty, and my love. But sharing him and some of his magic with you has helped. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
