Sunday, December 2, 2012

Nearly Christmas again

Tigger Suh
It's hard to believe the year's gone by so fast and Christmas is once again "just around the corner." And it's hard to believe it's been so long since I last posted. So much has happened since then.

Around Christmas last year, we knew it was going to be L'il Bit's last. She was succumbing to kidney failure and going downhill quickly. We brought her home from the hospital on hospice care, and on Jan. 25, we had her put to sleep.

My husband took it really hard, since he'd had her since she was a tiny kitten -- about 15 years, as best as he could remember. She was a tiny but spunky little cat, and we miss her terribly.

Then six weeks later, 8-year-old Tigger Suh died suddenly from a heart attack. We had no idea he had an enlarged heart, as he'd always seemed perfectly healthy, but our vet said it's not unusual for this condition to go undiagnosed until it's too late.

At least Bobby was working from home that day and heard Tigger having trouble breathing. He rushed him to the vet, which is fortunately only about 10 minutes away. They had him stabilized briefly, but ultimately weren't able to save him.

It's been hard on us, and our other cats. Emily had bonded with Tigger from the day we brought her home, and she's still missing her big brother.

But we know they're waiting for us across the Rainbow Bridge, and are playing with other loved ones -- human and feline -- who've gone before us.

Tigger Suh, left, and Emily
So as the year draws to a close, we are grateful for what we do have -- five healthy, beautiful cats; wonderful family and friends; and most of all, each other.

Merry Christmas to all!