It is with heavy heart that I announce the passing of my precious Autumn, a sassy little tortoiseshell, at the age of 12/13. She passed away due to distemper. It actually happened about a month ago, and if I had tried to write something so soon I would have wailed like a banshee.
I only had her for about half a year, adopting her in from a friend who was temporarily taking care of her after a former family got rid of her. She was living on the street for awhile.
She was a bossy, lively, vocal little thing - with a character face. And I loved every minute of it. So interesting and beautiful, and her overall "tortietude" made me smile. It also really made me appreciate further the joy of adopting an older cat, as you get to really engage in their developed personalities. She got along well with the dog, other kitties, and snuggled regularly with my dad who is unwell (My mom and I would endearingly call the two of them the two old fogies).
When she showed suspicious symptoms of distemper, I talked to the vet and he said that she likely contracted it while she was still a street cat, before adopting her. Her previous vaccination against it would not have guaranteed anything in terms of prevention. She sadly did not survive the disease.
In any case, she was only in my life for a short time, but it was still wonderful
I loved that precious little gargoyle. She seemed relaxed, newly content (And crazy spoiled!) during her brief time as a full time house cat. I hope at least if anything, during her last months on this earth, it was a damn good one compared to her previous life. And despite it being brief, it was totally worth it, even with the heartbreak.
I only had her for about half a year, adopting her in from a friend who was temporarily taking care of her after a former family got rid of her. She was living on the street for awhile.
She was a bossy, lively, vocal little thing - with a character face. And I loved every minute of it. So interesting and beautiful, and her overall "tortietude" made me smile. It also really made me appreciate further the joy of adopting an older cat, as you get to really engage in their developed personalities. She got along well with the dog, other kitties, and snuggled regularly with my dad who is unwell (My mom and I would endearingly call the two of them the two old fogies).
When she showed suspicious symptoms of distemper, I talked to the vet and he said that she likely contracted it while she was still a street cat, before adopting her. Her previous vaccination against it would not have guaranteed anything in terms of prevention. She sadly did not survive the disease.
In any case, she was only in my life for a short time, but it was still wonderful
I loved that precious little gargoyle. She seemed relaxed, newly content (And crazy spoiled!) during her brief time as a full time house cat. I hope at least if anything, during her last months on this earth, it was a damn good one compared to her previous life. And despite it being brief, it was totally worth it, even with the heartbreak.
It doesn't matter how long or short the time is they're with us, they leave indelible memories. I'm so glad the last few months of her life were filled with love and such good care.
She would climb up for a a nice deep snooze, then maybe around 20 minutes later I would hear a loud "Fwump" and there she was on the ground - her face looking like that of a bruised ego but otherwise fine. Still, I wanted to dissuade her for obvious reasons, but she was determined. I guess she was saying "Nope, I'm fine, definitely not old, I can still lay down here and balance perfectly" so I ended up putting cushions on the floor for good measure.
and for sure, her meow is hard to describe!
