Tommy cats

     Yesterday morning, November 25, 2012, we lost our special kitty, Tommy.

     Tommy was always fun and feisty, but always seemed to have time for some cuddles and love. For about a year and half, Tommy had been battling Chronic Renal Disease, which essentially means that his kidneys were slowly giving up on him. He fought a hard battle, but eventually the disease took him from us after a happy twelve years.



     Tommy is survived by me and my husband, our daughter, and his later adopted kitty-sister, Pooh Bear (14). Tommy's kitty-brother and litter-mate Tyler passed away almost a year earlier, on December 3, 2011. My husband adopted Tommy and Tyler as kittens, and no kitties could ever be loved more. Near the end, my husband spent much of his time comforting and spending time with Tommy, and although we value the chance to say goodbye, it still doesn't make the loss any easier. We are happy that he is no longer suffering, and we are glad that he got to enjoy his last year with us in our new home, where he looked out windows, lazed in the sun, and played with toys all over our hardwood floors. We appreciate that our daughter got the chance to pet and see Tommy--although she may not remember it, we can tell her Tommy was one of her first pets.

     We hope that somewhere, there is a white-nosedorange kitten with a penchant for catching paperclips and bullying/cuddling his siblings being born into the world. Tommy, we love and miss you so much.

Tyler cats

     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.