Hi All,
We said goodbye this past week to Kylie, a sweet, petite calico cat, who fought hard most of her life just to survive. Our foster Dad really doted on her, and he did everything you could hope to help Kylie. Shortly after she was rescued, we found out that Kylie had not only been dodging rocks thrown by residents of the apartment complex she called "home," but she had even EATEN some of the rocks.
It was only at the end, that we realized just how long Kylie probably had been out on her own. Maybe she was a pet kitten of some residents of the apartments, like lots of cats at such sites, and when she got older, or when they had to move or were told they were not allowed to have pets, she was left outdoors. Or, maybe, she was the daughter of another homeless cat. We'll probably never know.
Kylie wasn't a strong cat. She was probably a "runt" of her littermates, and she probably had several litters herself before she was very old. All those pregnancies cost her a lot, and Kylie gave a great start to the two cats we rescued with her when they were kittens. Those two cats are her legacy to us, I suppose.
Kylie needed to have some decayed teeth removed, and while she came through that surgery fine at first, she seems to have developed a clot in her lungs, because she began panting to breath, that evening. She had gained some weight and her condition had improved in the last few months, enough to have the tooth surgery, but, not enough to let her beat this blood clot.
I only knew Kylie a little, and only saw her briefly before we let her go the other night. But I am glad she did not die alone, and I'm glad to be able to do work that means there will be fewer cats like Kylie, in local apartment parking lots, as time goes on. I wish that those apartment residents could know how sweet she was, and how little she would have harmed any of them even though in their ignorance, they tried to chase her and stone her to chase her "home" -- when the only home she had was right there!
Go gently, Kylie. We love you.
We said goodbye this past week to Kylie, a sweet, petite calico cat, who fought hard most of her life just to survive. Our foster Dad really doted on her, and he did everything you could hope to help Kylie. Shortly after she was rescued, we found out that Kylie had not only been dodging rocks thrown by residents of the apartment complex she called "home," but she had even EATEN some of the rocks.
It was only at the end, that we realized just how long Kylie probably had been out on her own. Maybe she was a pet kitten of some residents of the apartments, like lots of cats at such sites, and when she got older, or when they had to move or were told they were not allowed to have pets, she was left outdoors. Or, maybe, she was the daughter of another homeless cat. We'll probably never know.
Kylie wasn't a strong cat. She was probably a "runt" of her littermates, and she probably had several litters herself before she was very old. All those pregnancies cost her a lot, and Kylie gave a great start to the two cats we rescued with her when they were kittens. Those two cats are her legacy to us, I suppose.
Kylie needed to have some decayed teeth removed, and while she came through that surgery fine at first, she seems to have developed a clot in her lungs, because she began panting to breath, that evening. She had gained some weight and her condition had improved in the last few months, enough to have the tooth surgery, but, not enough to let her beat this blood clot.
I only knew Kylie a little, and only saw her briefly before we let her go the other night. But I am glad she did not die alone, and I'm glad to be able to do work that means there will be fewer cats like Kylie, in local apartment parking lots, as time goes on. I wish that those apartment residents could know how sweet she was, and how little she would have harmed any of them even though in their ignorance, they tried to chase her and stone her to chase her "home" -- when the only home she had was right there!
Go gently, Kylie. We love you.
