Dear Everyone:
I'm so sorry to report that my dear Sammy went to Heaven on Tuesday
morning. He had gone into Animal 911 the evening before. He felt
quite warm and when I took his temperature it was 106 so off we
went. He stayed overnight in the ICU, hydrated, etc., and I knew he
was in the right place that night. His WBC count was dismal, his
RBC's were dismal, he was very quiet when I picked him up to move him
to Berglund for continued care. After discussion with the ICU folks,
who felt that the lymphoma once again had the upper hand, I knew it
was time to say farewell and I made the decision to have him PTS over
at Berglund.
We drove the five minutes to Berglund where I was met by his Auntie
Head Tech Linda and Auntie Dr. Val. I had picked up a beautiful
little baby blanket earlier in the week-- blue and white cotton knit
with a small ruffle around the edge, lined in soft white "fur," and
Sammy was wrapped in that, in my arms. They agreed it was time and
I'm pretty sure Sammy did, too. He was so tired for such a little
guy, but he wasn't in pain, just so very, very tired. When Val put
the sleepy meds into the IV on his wrist he went to sleep
IMMEDIATELY. As she added the meds to stop his little heart she
said, "I love you, Sammy."
Linda cut off some of Sammy's beautiful marmalade hair for me and Val
put it in a little plastic bag. Linda made sure I got all Sammy's
colors, too. I wrapped him back up and held him close and just sat
and cried in the exam room, stroking his beautiful little face until
it was time to give him away forever. Every so often someone would
peek in to say how sorry they were. Linda said she was making a
little paw-print disc of Sammy's little paw for me and, of course, I
was having him cremated at St. Francis Animal Cemetery. My dad
always buried the cats in our back yard but I cremate mine (even the
tiny parakeets, who are each in tiny blue-and-white ginger jars).
The little plastic bag of fur will fit right in the little St.
Francis tin, with a picture of St. Francis on it and a little St.
Francis animal tag inside.
Poor Sammy, he was so very small--he'd lost a pound over the last
twelve days--I could feel him growing cool so fast as I held him, I
disliked that so!
I've been staying close to home with the other kitties. I think
we're all doing okay. The other kitties always knew Sammy was very
seriously ill and we were
allyuuuuuuuuuuu===================================(hello, Charlie has
jumped up, purring, to see me and let me hold him tight while I write
to you all)
doing all we could to help him stay well, but he was overcome. And
now we're overcome.
I'm sure he was met by that great Big Brother in the sky, my giant
kitty and champion kitten-adorer Jack-Jack, who went to Heaven last
March before the triplets arrived on July 1st of last year, and all
the other cats my parents and I have had over the years.
Think of how many kittens and cats will meet us again someday!
Thank you all for everything you have given me and how much you have
helped me and the kitties,
Tee 'n' the Remaining Wildlife (Lilibet Squeekietoy, exemplary kitten-
big-sissy, Billi Bi, reluctant, peeved ["I'M the baby!"] eldest
brother, and the 2 Orange Boyz, great big Charlie, AKA Twinkie (he's
twinkie-colored and was teenie when he was small), and Teddy Baby
Pooma (he was so little--he still is--I told him he was a baby puma
to make him feel big and strong).
"Consciousness is Causal
and Physicality is its
Manifestation."
958
