Sundar: 2011 - 2024

mani

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This is so hard to write..

My boy left his body last Tuesday.

His early story: I visited an elderly breeder in late 2011 as I was concerned about her and the welfare of her cats.
I found Sundar.. born with four others who did not survive, his life was in the balance. He had pectus excavatum, where the ribs funnel into the chest, and thoracic scoliosis, which meant the spine curved downwards into his chest. He had very little space for his heart and lungs.

It was a time when surgery wasn't an option and so we had to work with massage, stretching and other physical movements. They stayed with him all his life.. so often when he was lying down I'd take his front legs and he'd do a wonderful stretch, just as he did as a kitten, shivering with the pleasure of it. He also always did odd spontaneous stretches that obviously helped him.

The vet also recommended a lot of playing to stretch and open his chest, but to stop as soon as he started panting.
First Sundar shots (20).JPG


It tickles.....jpg



credit.jpg


It all helped and we went beyond the early danger period. But the vet insisted he needed a very peaceful life. Quite ideal for me, as a yoga/meditation teacher who taught from home.

Kitten Sundar fails Yoga Nidra
Sundar Yoga Nidra.jpg



He became a typical mischevious teenager,
Sundar 18 weeks2.JPG

keen to experience the great outdoors
Sundar discovers the great outdoors2.jpg

And learning how to open two doors very quickly and then dart out.
escape cat.jpg

Luckily it was more about the act than the outcome, and so he would sit in the garden and wait for me to pick him up and bring him back in.

Sundar became quite the yogi. Here he is practising 'Holdontoyourbottomasana'
holdontoyourbottomasana2.jpg

And Tratak (candle gazing)
Sundar candle close-up.jpg

And he even took classes himself
3 meditators cropped.jpg


Unfortunately Nilah never really forgave me for bringing him home
cat shelf competition.jpg

But they settled into a 'I'll put up with you if you put up with me' relationship.
sleeping in stereo.jpg


All the love in the world can't stop a cat from going into decline. Sundar's tiny chest space impacted his kidneys through high blood pressure. He was diagnosed with renal failure many years ago, but managed on medications and his quiet life. Arthritis plagued him and he started to be in a lot of pain. The pain meds impacted his kidneys. On the weekend his legs stopped working, he had a severe respiratory infection that was unresponsive to antibiotics, and I knew it was time to let him go.

:greenpaw:.:rbheart:.:bluepaw:.:rbheart:.:greenpaw:.:rbheart:.:bluepaw:

Sundar was:

dramatically stretchy!
Sundar dramatic (4).jpg

a fashion icon
sundarMala.jpg


Handsome
festive sundar.jpg


Clever
Sundar opening the door.jpg

Dorky
Sundar dorky.jpg

Adorable
Sundar's last photo.jpg


and very, very loved.
I miss you so much, beautiful boy. :rbheart:
 

Mamanyt1953

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Rest you gentle, Sundar, dream you deep. You walk in someone's heart forever.

Oh, my dear Mani, you have seen me say it over and over again, because it really is the Deepest Truth that I know. Love never dies, it is translated and purified into Love, and continues on. And Sundar's Love walks with you every day, and always will. You were his miracle, giving him a life beyond what could have been hoped for.
 

Norachan

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Oh, this made me cry! Looking at all your beautiful photos of him I can really understand what a special boy he was.

I only ever met Sundar online, but I could tell that he was a huge character. He`s going to be missed by everyone who knew him.

:hugs:
 

di and bob

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Beautiful Sundar......Cats can be many things to different people, but some, like Sundar, are a part of your world that makes life whole. You loved him with your whole being, and he loved you even more. You saved him, literally, an in return he gave you a treasure that is precious in this world, a cat's heart. You gave him a life he wanted most in this world, a life that almost certainly would not have happened otherwise. A wonderful home, a family, and someone to love him. I pray you can take comfort in that along your journey of bereavement, which is never easy and is full of pain and emptiness. I have heard it takes almost two years to to get to a point of living again, and while that is certainly true, for some it takes longer, and for some it takes a lifetime......
While time does dull the sharp edges of grief it is up to us how we want to go forward. For me, i had to focus solely on the present, not dwelling on the past an trying not to think of a an endless future without my little one. Eventually though, to my surprise, the pain morphs somehow into thankfullness for having them share our lives. Never meeting them at all would have spared us all this pain, but the joys and love we gained are so much more, how could we have missed that?! What a huge loss that would have been.
Our heart is capable of so much more than we think. Love and happiness are so much more important than the pain of loss, eventually these thoughts will invade and take over the bad as you heal. Our souls yearn to be whole again, yearn for love and goodness. Don't let the grief take over your world. It can if you let it. Always remember, EVERYONE eventually learns the pain of grief. We all will share that in our lifetimes. We can extend our warmth and understanding to fill that hole present in our lives at this time of emptiness and hurt. we can extend a helping hand of friendship and sharing to lift you back up. Don't overlook the power of sharing grief. It is a healing balm to cover and protect a fresh wound. Sometimes the simple act of just acknowledging someone's pain and just knowing they are sharing our pain helps. We all extend that to you. Know I am thinking of you and offering my prayers both for Sundar and you. Afterall, what is family for.......RIP precious Sundar. You will always be remembered, you will forever have a secure place in a loving heart. May the good LZord bless and keep you, until you meet again!
 

Kris107

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I'm glad you were able to share Sundar's story and great pictures. He was so handsome! He clearly had a great life and what a great thing to have loved each other so much. That love connects us and you will find him again. Thank you for sharing. It can be hard to do that though the grief but honoring him and remembering good memories is the best way forward. Thoughts are with you!
 

artiemom

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Oh, I am so very sorry at your loss. Sundar was greatly loved by many, all over the world. Your love and dedication to Sundar, Saved his life. You kept him alive for so long with your love and devotion. You gave Sundar love--- there is nothing in this world more important than love. You gave him love and life.. and Sundar returned it in kind.

Sundar was loved. His love, life and spirit will be with you always.

I thank you for sharing his full story, the gorgeous pictures of him, and allowing all of us to share in your love for him.
thank you.. so much... May you have peace in the knowledge that he loved you as much as you loved him....

:hugs:💔
 

DeesCats

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What a beautiful tribute to Sundar both in his backstory and the lovely pics of his time with you. He was so handsome, flexible and I just loved the yoga poses.

Thank you for bringing him into your life and giving him all the love and support he needed that were made more special due to his health issues.

My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. Please accept my condolences for your loss of Sundar and know that he will always be with you in your heart.
 

rubysmama

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I saw the thread title earlier today, but held off opening it, as I knew it would make me cry, and here I am writing with tears streaming down my face. I'm so sorry mani mani for your loss of handsome, charismatic Sundar. I know you and Nilah will miss him dearly, but so will us regular POM entrants. I always loved the pics of Sundar and the captions telling us to vote, or hurry to get our entries in, etc.
RIP sweet boy. :angel3:
 
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mani

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I'm so sorry for your loss mani mani .

How is Nilah doing with it all?
The day he died, she wailed. It was astounding... She would sit crying until I came to her.
Now she's just very attentive, following me wherever I go. 😿
 
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mani

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I chose to bring him home so that he could have his final resting place in the garden.
I know it's huge.. a bit overdone...but it needed to be to make sure he was secure.
sundar resting place.jpg
 

neely

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mani, I don't know how I missed this thread but please accept my sincere and heartfelt sympathies. :hugs: Your love for Sundar shines through all your amazing pictures of him. It was fate that you found one another and he was meant to be with you. Now he is at his final resting place surrounded by the garden that you both love. May he live on in your heart and may his memories help both Nilah and you in the coming days, months and years. RIP sweet angel. :angel:
 
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