These last 12 months have been particularly heavy for me. I had to say goodbye to 9 cats, it is something that can devastate even the strongest spirit.
The first cat to go to the Bridge was exactly one year ago, December 24th, 2022. She was a cat that I had re-homed three years earlier. She fell off the window of this apartment on the 7th floor the night before Christmas. The lady who had her was beyond desperate, but I was just the same. You can imagine how I spent my Christmas last year.
Then, four months later, an incredible series of deaths began, sometimes only days apart between them.
April 18th, Frida, one of my feral cats that was living at the local shelter, died from a sudden anemia. She was a "cousin" of my Freya. She was 3 years old.
May 5th, only seventeen days later, Gigia, another cat of mine at the shelter left me. She had a severe liver disease caused from a prolonged period without eating. I believe she got accidentally caught in a space with no access to food and water for several days, maybe weeks. I had found her in desperate conditions nine months earlier, and it seemed she was slowly recovering. Then, one morning she collapsed and I had to ask the vet to put her to sleep. She was about 5 years old.
May 27th, and another cat died from a sudden anemia. This was Sunny, my Giada's sister. She had been adopted in 2019 and was surrendered to the shelter five months later because of her terrible character. She was 3.5 years old.
June 29th, only a month later, another young feral cat of mine, Dexter, died suddenly at the shelter. He was fine in the morning, he was dead in the afternoon. I asked the vet for a necropsy that showed he had an undetected liver cancer. Again, he was about 3 years old.
July 20th, Pistacchio, my Freya's father, died from an internal bleeding caused by some masses in his liver. A check-up done a few weeks earlier was good. His age was unknown, though the vet said he was around 10 years old.
August 30th, it was the turn of Titti, Freya's mother. She was living at the local shelter too. She quickly deteriorated, from fine to unrecoverable in shorter than a week. She could be about 5 years old.
September 12th, a cat of my colony was killed by a car during the night. She was found on the side of the road in the morning. She was 7.5 years old.
December 15th, this was a cat that joined my colony at the end of 2010. She never trusted anyone or any cat, she lived in fear for over twelve years, then this past spring she got severely ill and I took her to the vets who treated her. For her safety, when she was discharged from the clinic, she was held at the shelter and we found out that she was a cat that, for some reason, had lost her home and became a stray. At the shelter she re-discovered the joy of cuddles and love. She never fully recovered and she was put to sleep. Her age is unknown, but I believe she was at least 15 years old.
All of them but the one that underwent the necropsy, were singularly cremated and now are resting in my house.
I am really worn out.
This 2023 won't be missed by me, I can only hope that next year will be better.
RIP my sweet and beautiful souls
The first cat to go to the Bridge was exactly one year ago, December 24th, 2022. She was a cat that I had re-homed three years earlier. She fell off the window of this apartment on the 7th floor the night before Christmas. The lady who had her was beyond desperate, but I was just the same. You can imagine how I spent my Christmas last year.
Then, four months later, an incredible series of deaths began, sometimes only days apart between them.
April 18th, Frida, one of my feral cats that was living at the local shelter, died from a sudden anemia. She was a "cousin" of my Freya. She was 3 years old.
May 5th, only seventeen days later, Gigia, another cat of mine at the shelter left me. She had a severe liver disease caused from a prolonged period without eating. I believe she got accidentally caught in a space with no access to food and water for several days, maybe weeks. I had found her in desperate conditions nine months earlier, and it seemed she was slowly recovering. Then, one morning she collapsed and I had to ask the vet to put her to sleep. She was about 5 years old.
May 27th, and another cat died from a sudden anemia. This was Sunny, my Giada's sister. She had been adopted in 2019 and was surrendered to the shelter five months later because of her terrible character. She was 3.5 years old.
June 29th, only a month later, another young feral cat of mine, Dexter, died suddenly at the shelter. He was fine in the morning, he was dead in the afternoon. I asked the vet for a necropsy that showed he had an undetected liver cancer. Again, he was about 3 years old.
July 20th, Pistacchio, my Freya's father, died from an internal bleeding caused by some masses in his liver. A check-up done a few weeks earlier was good. His age was unknown, though the vet said he was around 10 years old.
August 30th, it was the turn of Titti, Freya's mother. She was living at the local shelter too. She quickly deteriorated, from fine to unrecoverable in shorter than a week. She could be about 5 years old.
September 12th, a cat of my colony was killed by a car during the night. She was found on the side of the road in the morning. She was 7.5 years old.
December 15th, this was a cat that joined my colony at the end of 2010. She never trusted anyone or any cat, she lived in fear for over twelve years, then this past spring she got severely ill and I took her to the vets who treated her. For her safety, when she was discharged from the clinic, she was held at the shelter and we found out that she was a cat that, for some reason, had lost her home and became a stray. At the shelter she re-discovered the joy of cuddles and love. She never fully recovered and she was put to sleep. Her age is unknown, but I believe she was at least 15 years old.
All of them but the one that underwent the necropsy, were singularly cremated and now are resting in my house.
I am really worn out.
This 2023 won't be missed by me, I can only hope that next year will be better.
RIP my sweet and beautiful souls
We need more Antonio's in the world.
