deborahjross | Ranae 1993-2008

Yesterday, we said goodbye to our lovely black-and-white tuxedo cat.

She had been diabetic for over a year, controlled by a combination of diet ("kitty Atkins," aka Fancy Feast) and oral medications, and was playful and affectionate, clearly feeling well . . . until two days ago, when she stopped eating almost entirely. Her belly was taut and distended, not a good sign, and she just didn't smell right. She was clearly feeling ill and in considerable discomfort. The vet suspected an abdominal mass on physical examination, and x-rays suggested the same. On the chance it was benign, something that could be removed surgically, we went ahead with exploratory laparoscopy.

The vet called a couple of hours later. Not good. Malignancy infiltrating multiple organs, no sign of pancreatic tissue. Our best guess is pancreatic cancer. We took a deep breath and said not to wake her up.

She had a good long life and a joyful last year until the very end days. She had the most musical meow of any cat I've known. When things were tough for me, she would snuggle up to me in bed, lay her head on my shoulder, and purr. She loved to watch the patterns of sunlight on the wall, "Plato's Cave." Dave posted a picture of her on his blog: http://www.davetrowbridge.com/blog/

Goodnight, sweet girl. You were a good cat.