December 3rd, 2011, marked the passing of one of our special kitties, Tyler.He was a good kitty, an excellent cuddle-buddy, and a special friend. For the last year, Tyler cats had been fighting feline diabetes, and although it appeared that we had it under control, he was still taken from us at the age of eleven. Our trusted veterinarian, Dr. Becky Bolch at Friendship Hospital for Animals, believes that he may have had some type of lymphoma that attacked his kidneys, and that would explain how we lost him so quickly.
Friday night, December 2nd, 2011, Tyler simply stopped eating and had no interest in his food. As this is quite unusual for our big, diabetic kitty, we called the veterinarian hospital, and as recommended, we rushed him there that night. We learned the next morning that Tyler had gone into renal failure. In a matter of 12 hours, he had passed away.
Tyler is survived by me and my husband, his litter-mate and brother, Tommy (also 11), and his later-adopted sister, Pooh Bear (13). We mourn for our loss and the Tyler-shaped hole in our lives. My husband adopted Tommy and Tyler when they were just kittens, and he has been their faithful and loving owner ever since. My husband telecommutes full-time, and as such, much of his daily routines were dictated by Tyler's needs. Our family tries everyday to learn to go on without our sweet boy. We are comforted knowing that Tyler was well cared for and loved in every way. We provided only the best kitty supplies for him, and he never wanted for affection, toys, or playtime. Tyler will never make it to our new home, which pains us deeply, but we strove every day, year after year, to make sure that we were always improving things for Tyler and all of our kitties--bigger apartments, better exercise, more windows--as much as we could afford.
Tyler cats, we miss you and love you so much. We hope that on December 3rd, 2011, somewhere in the world, an orange newborn kitten with a white face, belly, and boots opened his yellow eyes to a new, happy life.
