RIP Ginger girl

I feel so guilty for leaving you behind on vacation now. I thought you would be safer at home. I will never leave my cats behind again.

Ginger, I'm so sorry I wasn't here. I'm sorry there were strangers in your house that scared you. I'm sorry you didn't get as much outside time as you were used to. I'm sorry I wasn't here to comfort you, and that my husband wasn't here to be your bed. I wish you hadn't been so scared of the sitter. I wish you hadn't gone looking for me. I came home just 3 days too late, baby girl. I wish you could have waited a few more days before you missed us so much that you ran away from the sitter.

I miss you so much. I miss you climbing up on hubby every night at 10 and telling him your were ready for bed. I miss you running to the bedroom and curling up on the end of the bed when we said "bedtime". You would rest your chin on your crossed front paws and look up at us, begging us not to move you. If I had known I would lose you so soon, I would have let you sleep with us every night, no matter how long your purring kept us awake.

Rest well on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge, and know that I will be there when it's my time. I'll hold you and cuddle you again, sweet sweet girl.

Oh my God, I am so sorry to hear this...
Yeah, kitties are usually safer and happier at home then at boarding, but petsitters should never ever be allowed to let them out on your absence....
I am so so sorry you are going through this...
RIP Ginger

Oh I am so sorry to hear this...Ginger was so very loved.

You are right, you will see her again forever next time.

RIP sweet Ginger girl, mom and dad love you.

Awww hun, I am SO incredibly sorry. Rest in peace precious little one.

I am so sorry for your loss

Thank you for your condolences. I am going to take down Ginger Girl's profile before too much longer. I have pictures of her at home, but seeing her picture right in front of me while I'm online is just more than I can really handle.

I want her back, so badly. I keep expecting to see her waiting on the doorstep, looking through the glass door. That I lost her while I was away and I was unable to say goodbye -- that was so awful. I donated her body to the local university, though. I figure that maybe some kid might learn how to save another cat's life if he gets to practice on her body.

RIP Poor Ginger. Cats should never be allowed outside when there is someone caring for the cat other than the owners.

RIP Ginger, your mummy and daddy love you very much,
Jackz, Jazzy & Ginga.

Condolences on losing your Ginger Girl. Please try not to feel too guilty - you were doing what you thought best and you did the best you could. I can imagine that the pet sitter feels horribly guilty as well. Perhaps if you had taken Ginger, she would have been excessively freaked out at being in a strange environment. It's hard to know why things happen when they do. Over the course of some pretty big losses of my own (nephew, husband, oldest brother) I have come to realize that when He decides he wants us over RB, we have to go - it's just "our time" , I guess. My brother was on his way to work (he left early) and a drunk driver ran a red light at 5am - for a long time, my poor SIL had guilt because my brother had taken the time to get the coffee pot ready & on the timer and had started some oatmeal in the CrockPot and my SIL felt that if he would've just left for work, he'd have been thru the intersection before the drunk driver came by. Only Heaven knows ...You will be in my thoughts and prayers tonight. Hugs, Susan

so sorry....

No, Ginger never really did travel all that well. She took it pretty stoically, but where we stayed would have been way too much for my cats. We were at my MIL's house for 16 days, and she has 4 adult german sheps, Ten 3-week old shep puppies, a pitty, and a pomapoo dog, all of which have the run of the property; my cats would have been confined to a 8 foot by 8 foot spare bedroom. I could not do that to my babies, but now... I wonder if I should have taken them after all.

And yes, the sitter called me crying, so very upset. She has come over every day to check on us and make sure we've got everything we need. She feels worse than me, it seems. She covered all of the vets bills already, using what we paid her for sitting and everything.

I wish I had my girl back, but I think maybe she's alright where she is now. I would rather have her with me, but maybe she was needed for something more important. I'll never forget my girl.

Apparently the cat that the sitters found on the side of the road was not ginger.

Ginger came home this morning, after all of this grief, but she's far from well. She has a huge infected gaping wound on her neck from her collar getting under one of her legs. I don't know why the safety function didn't work. The elastic has bitten into the side of her neck, creating a huge chunk of fleash that's just flopping around.

We're leaving for the vet's in 5 minutes, since she just got here and the vet opens at 8. please please send us vibes. I will post pictures in Health later.

Oh my. I just now saw this thread. I was grieving right along with you until the last post. I'm so glad Ginger is home. that she heals quickly.

RIP in poor stranger kitty, whoever you were.

I've always thought that Ginger's coat color was too strange to be common, but apparently it was common enough. I'm still so very sad for the stranger kitty that was hit and killed, And I still hope it rests easily by rainbow bridge, but I've got a strange mixture of elation and fear now for my Ginger girl.

I'm headed over now to post a picture of Ginger's wound -- it is very graphic -- and continue this story there. Thank you so much. This has been so unexpected.

RIP stranger kitty. Even though I'm thankful you were not my Ginger, I will still be there to hold you when my time here is done. You have my gratitude and my love, little one.