One year anniversary update:
\tOn July 9th 2003, I sat in the waiting room of the Manchester shelter, anxious to bring home the blind old man I had seen on the Petfinder site. I had instantly fallen in love with his adorable face and I wanted to give him a comfortable retirement home where we he would be loved.
\tI was handed a frail, almost weightless, dirty, matted pathetic looking kitty who looked to be older than time itself! (I later learned that he was only 13 yrs old)
\t In shock, I brought him home and did my best to get to know him and what his needs were, what he liked and didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t like, what he could and couldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t do. Initially he could barely stand up, and looked in danger of falling over anytime he tried to walk. People who saw him were aghast, saying it didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t look as if he were long for this world. Depressed beyond words, I thought perhaps they were right.
\tA vet visit revealed that he had horribly infected teeth, luxated lenses, uveitis, and other such serious and rarely seen eye problems that a specialist was immediately recommended. I also learned that he was severely dehydrated and malnourished, anemic, and surprise! also diabetic.
\tBut, with a lot of work and help from some wonderfully kind and generous souls, my sweet boy is no longer a stiff frail old man. He was supposed to be a foster cat, but seeing the condition he was in, I decided to adopt him, after recieving offers of help with his vet bills. He was sponsored thru an online charity and I did an enormous amout of fundraising, selling kitty blankets and fudge and whatnot, to pay for his mounting vet bills and diabetic supplies, etc. His teeth were fixed, his eyes checked out, and he started on a diet of premium foods and all the treats a cat could want!
\tOne year after adopting him, he weighs a good 11 lbs, instead of the just barely 8 lbs. that he was before. His fur is gorgeous and the white parts are so clean they glistens!
\t While his diabetes is not completely regulated, his sugar is low enough that he no longer needs to drink like a fish or pee his poor little brains out. He knows his way around his home and walks confidently from room to room. He can climb into bed with me using his front legs and then of course, he *has to* hog the bed!
\t He still walks fairly slowly, he likes to take his time. Sometimes he is able to get up to nearly normal speed. If there is a treat he is after, he gets so excited, he loses his way, darting about trying to find it! He eats well, ok, sometimes he is a little piglet! And he just adores his Drinkwell water fountain. He sleeps so close to it sometimes, his tail floats in the water! He loves to stick his cheeks under the fountain to wash them before he drinks. Such a good boy!
\tHe has had a few setbacks, mostly due to the problems with his eyes, but fortunately for every step backwards he has been taking two or more forward. He has made, and continues to make, such progress that I would never have thought possible.
\tAlthough he was nearly deaf when he first came home, he can hear quite a bit now!! I do not know how this has happened but I am not one to look in a gift horse in the mouth! if I ask him if he wants to go out, he goes to the door! If I ask if he wants a treat, he goes to where I keep them. If he is heading for Mickie (who is a bit too senile to think to get out of the way herself) all I have to say is “look out Snoop†and he immediately changes the direction he is going in so as to avoid walking into her! If the girls (Mickie and my tuxedo girl Nell) are giving him a hard time by sitting in the doorways to rooms so he canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t get by, he will come to me and pat my leg with his paw, asking me to pick him up and comfort him.
\tIn the middle of the night, sometimes he will be lonely or confused and will go thru the house calling “MerUMM merUMM†which to me sounds like he is calling his MUM! I pick him up and he snuggles right down with his head on my shoulder, all nestled up close to my neck. I can hold him like that forever it seems! I love him so much, it almost hurts.
Saying goodbye:
\tthe night before Snoopy left me for the Rainbow bridge, he was restless and wanted to be held. He had become quite senile and would compulsively walk in tight little circles. I held him and rocked him, while watching my girls try to catch a bug, something I had never seen Snoopy do, of course, because he was blind.
\tNell had become especially fond of him, and would often follow him and sniff his butt. Sometimes my old girl Mickie would too, but Mickie was afraid of him and had lashed out at him on several occasions, he would not have been pleased to know she was behind him!
On Saturday, Sept 11th 2004 I said my final goodbye to my precious boy.
I came home, and this is what I wrote thru my tears- I know in spots it does not make a lot of sense, but it came straight from my heart:
I have since titled it "Room in my Heart"
Today, Snoopy let me know that he really wanted to chase a bug, you know, its been so long since i've even seen a bug, he said, i really want to see one and chase it thru the grass
i want to eat the grass and not those nasty weeds that make my tummy upset, i need my eyesight back, Mum, so i know what the heck i am eating
and oh yeah, when one of those other cats comes and sniffs my butt, i want to see who it is, and if she's really cute, well, then, maybe its ok if she sniffs my butt, but if she's not, i want to swat her away and tell her to go sniff someone else's butt. Geez, can't an old guy get any respect?
Mum, i know you love me and will miss me, but please, i want to chase a bug, i want to RUN!! i know you never got to see me do that, but i used to run, long before you knew me.
Soon, I will send you a message in a dream. so if you see a flash of bright white fur go past, you will know that was me, racing by, after that beautiful orange butterfly.
i can see it now, Mum, its so pretty!
i didn't catch this one, but maybe the next one.
i am tired of going in circles Mum and not getting anywhere. i am tired of not knowing if i will be in pain when i wake up or if i will feel ok. my body is worn out Mum, but inside there is a spirit that is yearning to RUN and jump and show off what a graceful gorgeous boy i am!!
thanks for letting me go, Mum, don't cry, i will see you again soon.
the time will go by in the blink of an eye
i promise Mum
please be happy for me now, i am free of those old bones that were dragging me down
thanks for holding me and rocking me last night, i was a little scared about this new journey of mine, and it felt so good to feel your heartbeat and smell you and feel your love envelope me. i knew that no matter where i go, you will always be with me, you love me so much, nothing can take that love away.
i love you too, Mum, i will never leave you. your heart may feel like it is breaking now, but it is stretching out, making room for me as i climb on in and settle in to stay forever.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snoops mom, althea
\tOn July 9th 2003, I sat in the waiting room of the Manchester shelter, anxious to bring home the blind old man I had seen on the Petfinder site. I had instantly fallen in love with his adorable face and I wanted to give him a comfortable retirement home where we he would be loved.
\tI was handed a frail, almost weightless, dirty, matted pathetic looking kitty who looked to be older than time itself! (I later learned that he was only 13 yrs old)
\t In shock, I brought him home and did my best to get to know him and what his needs were, what he liked and didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t like, what he could and couldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t do. Initially he could barely stand up, and looked in danger of falling over anytime he tried to walk. People who saw him were aghast, saying it didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t look as if he were long for this world. Depressed beyond words, I thought perhaps they were right.
\tA vet visit revealed that he had horribly infected teeth, luxated lenses, uveitis, and other such serious and rarely seen eye problems that a specialist was immediately recommended. I also learned that he was severely dehydrated and malnourished, anemic, and surprise! also diabetic.
\tBut, with a lot of work and help from some wonderfully kind and generous souls, my sweet boy is no longer a stiff frail old man. He was supposed to be a foster cat, but seeing the condition he was in, I decided to adopt him, after recieving offers of help with his vet bills. He was sponsored thru an online charity and I did an enormous amout of fundraising, selling kitty blankets and fudge and whatnot, to pay for his mounting vet bills and diabetic supplies, etc. His teeth were fixed, his eyes checked out, and he started on a diet of premium foods and all the treats a cat could want!
\tOne year after adopting him, he weighs a good 11 lbs, instead of the just barely 8 lbs. that he was before. His fur is gorgeous and the white parts are so clean they glistens!
\t While his diabetes is not completely regulated, his sugar is low enough that he no longer needs to drink like a fish or pee his poor little brains out. He knows his way around his home and walks confidently from room to room. He can climb into bed with me using his front legs and then of course, he *has to* hog the bed!
\t He still walks fairly slowly, he likes to take his time. Sometimes he is able to get up to nearly normal speed. If there is a treat he is after, he gets so excited, he loses his way, darting about trying to find it! He eats well, ok, sometimes he is a little piglet! And he just adores his Drinkwell water fountain. He sleeps so close to it sometimes, his tail floats in the water! He loves to stick his cheeks under the fountain to wash them before he drinks. Such a good boy!
\tHe has had a few setbacks, mostly due to the problems with his eyes, but fortunately for every step backwards he has been taking two or more forward. He has made, and continues to make, such progress that I would never have thought possible.
\tAlthough he was nearly deaf when he first came home, he can hear quite a bit now!! I do not know how this has happened but I am not one to look in a gift horse in the mouth! if I ask him if he wants to go out, he goes to the door! If I ask if he wants a treat, he goes to where I keep them. If he is heading for Mickie (who is a bit too senile to think to get out of the way herself) all I have to say is “look out Snoop†and he immediately changes the direction he is going in so as to avoid walking into her! If the girls (Mickie and my tuxedo girl Nell) are giving him a hard time by sitting in the doorways to rooms so he canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t get by, he will come to me and pat my leg with his paw, asking me to pick him up and comfort him.
\tIn the middle of the night, sometimes he will be lonely or confused and will go thru the house calling “MerUMM merUMM†which to me sounds like he is calling his MUM! I pick him up and he snuggles right down with his head on my shoulder, all nestled up close to my neck. I can hold him like that forever it seems! I love him so much, it almost hurts.
Saying goodbye:
\tthe night before Snoopy left me for the Rainbow bridge, he was restless and wanted to be held. He had become quite senile and would compulsively walk in tight little circles. I held him and rocked him, while watching my girls try to catch a bug, something I had never seen Snoopy do, of course, because he was blind.
\tNell had become especially fond of him, and would often follow him and sniff his butt. Sometimes my old girl Mickie would too, but Mickie was afraid of him and had lashed out at him on several occasions, he would not have been pleased to know she was behind him!
On Saturday, Sept 11th 2004 I said my final goodbye to my precious boy.
I came home, and this is what I wrote thru my tears- I know in spots it does not make a lot of sense, but it came straight from my heart:
I have since titled it "Room in my Heart"
Today, Snoopy let me know that he really wanted to chase a bug, you know, its been so long since i've even seen a bug, he said, i really want to see one and chase it thru the grass
i want to eat the grass and not those nasty weeds that make my tummy upset, i need my eyesight back, Mum, so i know what the heck i am eating
and oh yeah, when one of those other cats comes and sniffs my butt, i want to see who it is, and if she's really cute, well, then, maybe its ok if she sniffs my butt, but if she's not, i want to swat her away and tell her to go sniff someone else's butt. Geez, can't an old guy get any respect?
Mum, i know you love me and will miss me, but please, i want to chase a bug, i want to RUN!! i know you never got to see me do that, but i used to run, long before you knew me.
Soon, I will send you a message in a dream. so if you see a flash of bright white fur go past, you will know that was me, racing by, after that beautiful orange butterfly.
i can see it now, Mum, its so pretty!
i didn't catch this one, but maybe the next one.
i am tired of going in circles Mum and not getting anywhere. i am tired of not knowing if i will be in pain when i wake up or if i will feel ok. my body is worn out Mum, but inside there is a spirit that is yearning to RUN and jump and show off what a graceful gorgeous boy i am!!
thanks for letting me go, Mum, don't cry, i will see you again soon.
the time will go by in the blink of an eye
i promise Mum
please be happy for me now, i am free of those old bones that were dragging me down
thanks for holding me and rocking me last night, i was a little scared about this new journey of mine, and it felt so good to feel your heartbeat and smell you and feel your love envelope me. i knew that no matter where i go, you will always be with me, you love me so much, nothing can take that love away.
i love you too, Mum, i will never leave you. your heart may feel like it is breaking now, but it is stretching out, making room for me as i climb on in and settle in to stay forever.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snoops mom, althea
