Picking Up the Pieces

We were on our way to get a late lunch in early July when we saw a white and orange cat laying on his blood surrounded by people by the road. My brother and I stopped a few feet away and asked them if he was still alive. They said that surely he was going to die already. He was run over by a car. We were quite scared that we would see his insides scattered on the ground. But there was no other choice but to get him and hope for the best. He turned his head to us and made a very weak meow. On the way to the hospital we could hear him gurgling blood, we called ahead so that the doctor would be ready for us when we came in.

He had a broken palate and one of his eye suffered trauma. He had to be stabilized before they could do any x-rays or any more tests and was put on pain killers.

We named him Cheesecake. He was hiding the lower part of his face when we were able to see him. This was late Friday afternoon. My friend Marvie rushed to the hospital to see Cheesecake so he would feel people were rooting for him.

On Saturday I went to see him and his face was so swollen that I couldn't help but cry for him. The nurses assured me that they were doing everything to keep him comfortable. The swelling was to be expected after that much trauma. I spoke with the doctor and she said she will try to insert a tube in his trachea on Tuesday so they can feed him. We had to wait for him stabilize.

On Sunday morning, my brother and I visited him and he was just laying there. We talked to him and he would meow quietly. We returned in the evening when the nurse told us that he was unresponsive. He did try to move his head and meow when we called out to him. Close to midnight, we received another call that he was in a lot of pain. I called Marvie and together with my brother, met in the hospital to see him. We were utterly shocked to see that he had deteriorated in such short amount of time. He was barely recognizable, there was blood in every orifice. His other eye was popping out and had glossed over, staring vacantly. We talked to the doctor on duty and he said that the pain medication were no longer working, they were already giving him the high calibre pain killers. We knew what needed to be done, even if it was breaking our hearts. We went with him when it was time so he wouldn't be alone when he was released from his suffering. We shed tears for the loss of his precious life.

I will never forget the heart wrenching pain I felt for this cat that I barely knew. Some people do not realize the pain and suffering they inflict on another life, but this I saw with my own eyes. They never knew the life they changed, the misery they caused. The rest of us are left to pick up the pieces - the broken bodies and the loss of will to live. I hope that Cheesecake left this world feeling that he was not alone and that he was not worthless. He made an impact in our lives and he will never be forgotten, rest in peace Cheesecake.

Good Night Peppermint

Each night when I get home I am greeted by the front door by a horde of cats and as expected, in front of them will be this small black and white tuxedo kitten. Sometimes, he would be so impatient, that when I open the door he would go out and we will have this chase in the garage.

I have been with Peppermint from the moment he was born. He was the second of three kittens. At first he was a bit aloof. As time passed, he became confident and started showing his true personality.

How do I start describing this wonderful kitten, thinking about him brings a lump to my throat and at the same time, a smile on my face. Peppermint loved human contact, there was this time that I was grumpy because the cable guy arrived at a time I was resting from a long flight. Whenever he would bend down, Peppermint would jump on his back. I couldn't stop laughing. The cable guy told me I had such friendly cats but I could see in his face he was a bit apprehensive. There was no reason to be, but of course he would not have known that.

And no matter how many cats are sleeping on my lap, he would make a straight line for me and make a place for himself among the others until he would be the only one left. Then he would touch my face with his paw as if to say "thank you". He also likes to jump on us, we have to be quick to catch him or he would be left dangling on our clothes, ouch. Then he would slither up our shoulders and look like a kitty scarf before we can put him down.

Peppermint was so affectionate that when one morning he was just lying on the table, we became worried. He showed no symptoms and the night before we were taking pictures together. This was the time one of my cats, Godiva was confined in the hospital. He was brought to the hospital together with Maxx. They were both confined and they found that he had a fever.

To my shock, the hospital called the next night to tell us that my Peppermint had passed away. I was waiting for traffic to get better before going to visit him, so I was too late to see him and be with him in his last breath. As we hugged him at the clinic, I couldn't believe that my beautiful kitten was gone! The vet talked to us and told us what happened. Peppermint had pneumonia. I was asking her questions and she seemed to have read what was on my mind..."how could I have not known?!". She told us that cats are very secretive, they will not show their weakness. She even said that they don't want their humans to worry. This even made me cry more.

When I get home, I still expect to see Peppermint come running to greet me. I think of all the times he made me laugh and took away some of my worries just by being Peppermint. I miss him terribly and I will always be grateful that this beautiful cat was a part of my life.

Mommy will love you always Peppermint and will never forget you! Sleep tight my baby boy...