senior cats Archives - PENNY & THE KITS

Posted on August 15, 2020 by robynhoovenwilson

Winston aka Sir Snoot’s Rescue from ACCT Philly

Winston's Shelter Pic — This is one of the pics of Winston that caught my eye in my FB News Feed the day I rescued him.

“Bring Me to Life” – Evanescence

There a number of lyrics in this song that speak to my soul much like the way Winston’s eyes did when I saw his “timestamped” post in my Facebook News Feed…

“How can you see into my eyes like open doors?
Leading you down, into my core
Where I’ve become so numb, without a soul
My spirit’s sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there, and lead it, back, home…”

“…Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul
DON’T LET ME DIE HERE
There must be something more
Bring me to life.”

I’ve known this song for years. It’s on my Apple Playlist. But the first time I heard it after I rescued Winston, I broke down and bawled.

This explains his rescue perfectly.

Winston was on an “Extension”…

Of his timestamp. He was originally scheduled to be euthanized on August 14, 2019 but was granted a 24-hour extension. I guess intake was slow at ACCT Philly that day.

On August 15, 2019, I was lying down on the couch scrolling my Facebook News Feed on my phone because I was sick as a dog with a 102F fever and a cough that wouldn’t quit.

And then I saw this post..

🎉❤🐈 ADOPTED!!!! 8/15 🐈❤🎉So very happy to update all of you that most handsome sweet boy Winston was adopted by a…

Posted by Angela Seward on Wednesday, August 14, 2019

His face HAUNTED me. You can see the sheer TERROR and utter HEARTBREAK all over it. I already had five indoor cats at the time (who don’t all get along) as well as a feral colony of 8. My house is not big. I’m broke as a joke. Mom has limited mobility from her stroke and requires my help…and I’m trying to earn a living despite all of the distractions in my life.

These were the thoughts going through my mind after seeing this FB post.

I knew I couldn’t take him, so I shared Angela’s post in the hopes that someone would go get him before his timestamp was up in eight short hours.

Of course, I couldn’t get his face out of my mind. So I stalked any post I could find on Facebook about him to read the comments and see if anyone, anyone at all, had any interest in possibly saving him.

ZERO…

The number of people who expressed interest in saving him. By 2:30pm, I felt panic rising. He had less than six hours left. I couldn’t let him die. I couldn’t let this kitty, who had the same owner and home for 14 years and just spent 15 long and horrific days in a loud, overcrowded and underfunded shelter, die that evening. I contacted ACCT Philly Lifesaving. When I spoke to them, they confirmed that Winston had ZERO inquiries and still was not safe.

OFF TO NORTH PHILLY…

We went. I already told Mom about Winston and showed her his picture. She, too, was moved by the utter heartbreak on his face.

I remember telling Mom that I needed my head checked. I asked her to talk me out of it because she is much more detached and rational about animals than I am.

She didn’t argue with me.

We stopped off at Pet Smart to grab a few things to set him up in the main bathroom for overnight until I could figure out where we could make his safe room. Then we took the hour-long drive to North Philly from South Jersey.

I WAS NOT PREPARED…

For what I experienced when we got there. Neither was Mom.

This excerpt from a Facebook post I put out a week after Winston’s rescue sums it up perfectly…

“I knew ACCT Philly had its problems. I’m FB friends with one of their former volunteers turned whistleblowers who was terminated from ACCT for making noise about the horrendous conditions there.

But NOTHING could have prepared me for what I walked into that day.

When we walked in to the crowded lobby area, I naively believed people were waiting to vet their pets or were waiting to adopt a pet.

I guess I just told myself that so I could walk past them without facing the reality.

They were all surrendering their pets

I went back to the adoption area, where there was NOBODY waiting to adopt a pet.

There was a mom with two crying children and a dog. The dog was ACCT Philly Alumni. The kids were crying because they just had to return another dog they adopted because she didn’t get along with Dog #1.

When they approved my application and let me go back to meet Winston, we opened the door to the hallway that leads to both the dogs and cats…And the stench hit me like a WALL.

I have an iron stomach. But I almost threw up. It smelled strongly like a combo of raw sewage and mold. And it was hot.

The sound of barking dogs was DEAFENING.

We walked behind another closed door to a room that was not sound-proofed at all. Cats filled the rows of metal cages. Many were huddled and heartbroken. Many came to the front of their cages, hoping to get my attention.

I had to detach. For my own sake and for Winston’s sake, I had to detach. Much like many of the workers and volunteers have to do…Because if you don’t, your heart breaks.

I went into a less crowded room. This room was filled with timestamped kitties. And even though they had food and water and a small towel or newspaper, they had nowhere to hide to get away from the stress.

We approached Winston’s cage. He was sleeping. How he was sleeping with the deafening noise of dogs barking was beyond me. I got the feeling he wasn’t really sleeping. He was trying to hide as far back in his cage as he could because he didn’t want us to see him

The adoption worker opened the cage. I put my hand in there for him to sniff, even though his ears were flattened and his pupils were fully dilated. He sniffed. Wanted nothing to do with me.

This is why he was on the euthanasia list.

I didn’t care. I could not let this be his end. Dumped off after 14 years with the same family….

Two weeks of nothing but unbelievable noise, horrid stench like you cannot even imagine, and nothing to do but sit there and stare at more cages across the way.

It couldn’t end that way for him.

I gave him Temptations treats and he warmed up enough to let me scratch his chin.

I took him out of the cage to see if he was fixed, because they had conflicting information on that.

When I held him, he was trembling. Afraid of what was going to happen to him next.

When I finally got him out of the shelter and we put him in the back of the Jeep, you should have seen his reaction. I wish I had taken video.

He was sniffing fresh air for the first time in 15 days. He was looking around, scared but excited.

And you all saw how he fell asleep in his carrier during the long ride home.

Winston's freedom ride — Winston dosing off in rush hour traffic during his Freedom Ride from ACCT Philly to his Forever Home.

Why did it take me a week to share this?

Because I needed to be able to type this all out without crying…

…I cannot possibly cover all of my emotions the past week from this experience in one FB post.

But it changed me. I am traumatized, yet determined, all at the same time.

God and St Francis brought me there to be a voice. Not just for the pets in this shelter, but pets everywhere who are existing in their own Hell.”

WINSTON’S FREEDOM RIDE

Like I said in that Facebook post, I wish I took video of his first reaction when we put him in the back of the Jeep. He perked right up and started sniffing the air. For the first time in over two weeks, he wasn’t smelling animal excrement and mold but “kind of fresh” air (this WAS Philly, after all!) He looked scared, but excited, too. He knew he was saved.

We got stuck in rush hour coming out of Philly on the way home so it took us about an hour and a half to get home. At one point I looked at him while sitting at a red light in Mount Laurel, NJ, and he was relaxed and starting to doze off.

He knew he was SAFE.

I often wonder if he knew how close he was to dying that day. But, I believe he was already dead on the inside before we ended his nightmare.

THAT NIGHT HE SLEPT LIKE A BABY…

When we came home, I was trying to beat the sunset so I had to quickly get him set up in the bathroom for the night so I could go out and feed the Yard Cats. Winston needed time to decompress and a small, quiet space to do it in. After I set the carrier in the bathroom and opened the door, I left him high quality food, showed him his litter box and bed, and then let him be.

He didn’t leave the carrier that night besides to use his litter box and eat and drink. I didn’t hear a PEEP from the bathroom all night. I imagine that he slept more soundly than he had in two weeks.

SIR SNOOT!

The next day I set up Grandmommy Kitten’s room up for Winston to move in to. Winston is shy but not feral so I figured he would be okay with her.

This cat was moving from a steel cage to luxury accommodations, including a queen-size comfy bed, a large cat tree overlooking our backyard, a computer chair that the cats LOVE to use as a bed (hence why we have a computer chair in the corner of a bedroom with no desk!), and, of course, the best cat food available and FRESH, pH-balanced well water (no chlorine or chemicals in our water!).

I was SOOOOO excited to open the window a bit so Winston could experience the country. We live on the edge of the Wharton State Forest in South Jersey. The air doesn’t get any fresher. We have tons of wildlife, including deer (if you follow us on Facebook you will see our deer too!), TONS of birds and squirrels, wild turkeys, possums…you name it! We assume Winston lived in Philly somewhere since he was at their open-intake shelter and fresh country air just isn’t possible there.

Once I got him all set up, I brought him in, opened his carrier, and spent a few minutes with him to let him know he is SAFE and I’m his friend.

Getting to know Winston — Winston’s first day in his new home.

I brought Mom in to officially meet him. She was with me when we adopted him but she didn’t get a chance to even pet him and he didn’t get to check her out.

Before I brought her in, I took the time to carefully instruct her on how to be with him. He was very scared and quite shy. It was almost like dealing with one of my ferals when they first came around. Mom isn’t quite the Cat Whisperer that I am and I wanted his first impression of her to be a GOOD one since they were going to be “roomies”.

When she came in, he walked right past me like I was CHOPPED LIVER and went up to her to greet her like he had always known her. From that point on, he wanted nothing to do with me unless I have food.

Winston meets Grandmommy Kitten — The moment Sir SNOOT clearly chose Grandmommy Kitten over me!

I seriously was shocked and amused ALL at the same time.

I mean, how can he possibly resist ME? Doesn’t he know who I am? I tame feral cats left and right and this SNOOT rejected ME???!!!

Hence, the nickname “Sir Snoot” was born.

WHO RESCUED WHO?

The weekend before Sir Snoot came into our lives, my brother moved from South Jersey to Syracuse to go back to school, and one of my nephews (the one who spent the most time with us) moved in with his mother in Indiana.

Mom wasn’t taking these changes too well. My dad passed in 2014 and Mom hasn’t been the same since. She and my dad sacrificed an awful lot to help my brother raise his children and my nephews even lived here when they were younger.

Mom was depressed before they left and even more so after they both moved.

It don’t think it’s any coincidence that Snoot chose Mom. I even believe he was meant to end up here all along.

We have a theory (even though is paperwork and surrender form don’t say this) that his owner passed away and it was the family who dumped him at the shelter. We, as well as many of our followers on social media, believe that Grandmommy Kitten reminds him of his previous owner and that’s why he chose HER.

I think we needed Snoot as much as he needed us. Isn’t that always the way?

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY…

Snoot left his nightmare and beat his time stamp by 2 hours, 36 minutes and started a brand new life with us.

He has some health issues. He was seriously underweight when we adopted him at just 7lb8oz. He’s a LARGE cat and should be 13-14lbs. I haven’t weighed him recently but when he had his dental done this past February, he was 12lb4oz.

When he had his dental, he almost didn’t wake up from anesthesia. It took them three reversal drugs to wake him up that day. I didn’t know until I picked him up that he was that close to not coming out of his dental alive. Thank God he did, because I didn’t want a 12-hour fasting followed by him being in a cage in a scary place to be his “end”. He will not be having any more procedures that require anesthesia again unless it’s to save his life, because I know now that he will be very high risk.

He’s in early kidney disease, which I’m not surprised. I will not be able to treat it like I treated Penny’s with all of the meds and sub q fluids etc. Winston isn’t an easy cat to handle, medicate, stick needles in, etc and the treatments would stress him out to the point that it would become a quality of life issue. This will be hard for me because I can give fluids practically with both hands tied behind my back and blindfolded but I have to do what’s right for HIM, not for me, my ego, and my desire to make up to him what his previous owners did.

Winston is in constant discomfort from a botched declaw job courtesy of his previous life and the people who did this to him. His paperwork said he wasn’t declawed, but a few months after his rescue, I noticed I didn’t hear his claws scratching on the Turbo Scratcher pad that he loves to use. He doesn’t allow us to touch his front paws but I could tell by the nub of a bone sticking out of where his thumbnail is supposed to be that he was declawed and they’re trying to grow back. Now I know that’s why he’s somewhat standoffish at times and snaps or hisses at us. It breaks my heart watching him walk. I tell him all the time that I would have never, ever done this to him.

Winston's botched declaw — One of the many pictures we took of Winston’s barbaric declawing.

His digestive issues have also kept me on my toes. I suspect he has more than just your standard IBD, but since treatment for IBD and possible intestinal lymphoma are pretty much aimed at symptomatic care and since anesthesia is no longer an option for him, I just treat for the IBD and see what works best for him.

NEW BEGINNINGS – NEW LIFE

All in all, Sir Snoot has had one incredible year!

He experienced a kittenhood that I suspect he never had before.

He found his soulmate and slave in Grandmommy Kitten.

He made friends with Rascal and Mischy.

He’s spoiled rotten, pampered, very well fed, and LOVED.

He rules the roost here and spends his waking moments bossing us around.

Winston impatiently waiting for Grandmommy to give him treats — Winston waiting impatiently for Grandmommy Kitten “to do the right thing” aka give him treats as I’m sitting here typing this post.

I ALWAYS GET THE LAST WORD IN…

And I always will. I hope one day this finds its way to Winston’s previous owners or family…whoever decided to dump him off at Hell on Earth aka ACCT Philly.

This is the letter I wrote to them shortly after we brought Sir Snoot to HOME…

A Letter to My Senior Shelter Kitty’s Former Owner

Posted on September 29, 2019 by robynhoovenwilson

A Letter to My Senior Shelter Kitty’s Former Owner

Winston's Shelter Pic vs New Home Pic — I wanted to compare Winston’s shelter pic to what he looks like after a month in our care. See how the light went on behind Winston’s eyes?

INTRODUCTION

On August 15, 2019, this post came across my Facebook News Feed.

Winston's "Timestamped" Post — This was one of the pictures I saw on my FB News Feed about Winston

Although I was sick with a fever and a sinus infection..

Didn’t have the space or the money..

Already have issues with my indoor cats getting along as it is..

And I had the intention of rescuing Charlie before Winter..

Something about this 14-yr-old kitty who only ever knew one owner and was timestamped to die that evening just GRABBED by heart.

More on Winston’s Rescue to come. Here’s the Facebook post when I left the shelter with him.

On the One-Month Anniversary of his rescue from ACCT Philly, I finally composed myself enough to write a letter to his previous owners…what he knew as his “family”.

To Winston’s former owners:

Note that I didn’t say “former family”. Because family = unconditional love.

One month ago today, at 5:24pm, I took Winston out of that nightmare of an animal shelter where you left him…

Where he sat in a metal cage for 15 days and nights, listening to the never-ending, deafening sound of barking dogs, smelling stench that I cannot even describe.

Video of Winston in shelter posted by ACCT Philly Life Saving Team

I got him out of there 2 hours and 36 minutes before he was to be killed.

I want to judge you.

I want to run into you on the street and cold clock you.

But I can’t.

You said you were moving and “don’t have no space”.

I don’t know your circumstances.

All I know is that I saw a picture of your pet online. The look of fear, despair, and heartbreak on his face was so great, I couldn’t bear it.

I could read into his soul in those pictures.

And I could NOT allow that to be his “ending”.

So, even though I truly had no room nor the finances, I had to make it work.

I guess I saw something in your pet that you just couldn’t see.

And, apparently, so did my online friends. Because MANY of them chipped in to help me help your pet.

You reported him to be quiet, shy, and said he likes to hide a lot.

But that he was a “nice cat”.

You stated you didn’t have a vet and he never saw the vet.

You said that you got your pet from a friend. Does that friend know where your cat ended up after 14 years?

Like I said, I, too, had no room, because I already had a house full of forgotten former feral cats.

But something pulled me to him.

Did you know that your “quiet” cat is really quite talkative?

Did you know that since your cat has a nice little cubby in his cat tree that he really doesn’t “hide a lot”?

Winston doing Happy Stretch — Winston doing the Happy Stretch to greet me when I went into his room.

Did you know that your “shy” cat solicits our attention every chance he gets?

Did you know that your cat LOVES to play and already has two favorite toys that he places on his beloved tissue paper we set out for him?

Did you know that your cat, who never saw a vet, is rather healthy and active for a 14yr old cat now that he’s on the right diet?

Did you know he has a hip problem that makes his right leg bow inward when he walks?

Did you know his mouth is in a lot of pain?

And, be honest with me because I already know the answer…

Do you even CARE?

That’s okay.

Because he is OUR pet now.

I will get him fixed up.

Winston with his new vet, Dr Matt — Winston with is new friend, Dr Matt, during his first vet visit in I don’t know how many years.

He knows happiness and love.

Winston relaxing after I moved him into his new room! — Winston on Day 2 of his New Life relaxing in his new room!

He enjoys the fresh air of the South Jersey woods, watching the deer and wildlife in the backyard, and having the kittenhood I suspect he never had.

And if he doesn’t like living with our other cats, I will find him the perfect HOME.

No matter what, as God as my witness, Winston will never, ever set paw in a shelter again.

He will never be homeless and forgotten again.

I made him that promise when I got him out of that horrible place where you left him.

Winston relaxing in his carrier on his way home from the shelter — Winston’s Freedom Ride HOME!

And I promise you that, too.

Winston was rescued by someone who thought he was important enough to make it work.

Because he is.

I’d love to say that I hope karma doesn’t come back to you to bite you, but I’d be lying.

And I always tell it like it is.

Signed,

Winston’s FAMILY ❤️

Winston and his new Grandmommy — Day 2 of Winston’s New Life and he clearly chose his person – my mom!

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Posted on March 25, 2019March 25, 2019 by robynhoovenwilson

A Letter to the OG of Our Feral Cat Colony and Our Lion King, Oreo

It’s been one year since Oreo crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

That first anniversary is always the hardest, isn’t it?

I decided to write him a letter to let him know what was on my heart…

Oreo,

We watched you for years as you ran around the neighborhood. Dad would go out on his walks and talk about this super-fast black and white cat on the next street over.

You lived under my neighbor’s barn across the street. Feral. Afraid of human contact.

When I first started feeding in 2014, you would sit in front the barn and feel the ground vibrations so you would know it was safe to cross the street and come over to grab a snack.

Sometimes, I would see you on the heated bed inside the shed the morning, waiting for me to bring breakfast.

I always told you to stay. But you never did.

Sometimes you greeted me with this loud meow that sounded like a cat bird.

If I took even one step too close to you, you would run away.

You protected Fluffy and her Kits before I rescued them. I remember The Kits stealing your food right out from under you inside the shed. So I would meet you outside of the shed with a bowl of food to call your own.

Oreo – Summer, 2015, eating with The Kits

When you were recovering from your neuter in our bathroom in 2015, you started crying at the top of your lungs at 3am and didn’t stop until I released you around 8am 😂😂

But not before you got loose in the bathroom and we stood there for an hour, both too scared of each other to move 😂😂

You were over 10 years old when you were neutered…

You took Trouble, who was just a kitten at the time, under your wing in Winter, 2016.

You spent two years grooming him to be the next Lion King.

You and Trouble had one of the cutest and most dysfunctional relationships I’ve ever seen ❤️❤️

You FINALLY officially moved here in Winter, 2016. And, thus, our colony was born.

And you were The Lion King.

The first time I played with you, you were too interested in play to be scared of me.

You danced around my legs for over a month before you got the nerve up to make contact.

It wasn’t long after that I was FINALLY “allowed” to pet you and show you how much I love you.

Your colony lives on.

Your little “seedlings”…Charlie, Junior, Domino, and The Kits…carry your legacy.

As well as your little Lion King “in training”, Trouble, who is sitting right next to me, purring, as I type and I cry.

Your grave and flag overlook the colony that YOU created, protected, and mentored.

Oreo’s final resting place – March, 2018

At last, you found your FOREVER HOME.

You live on in our colony and in our hearts.

This morning, I heard your signature “meow” in two cat birds carrying on right above us.

We hardly ever hear cat birds here.

I know that was your way of telling me that you are still here.

I hope you know how LOVED and MISSED you are.

Thank you for giving me the chance to make right when other humans failed you.

Thank you for caring for us, our property, our colony and Fluffy and The Kits.

Thank you for letting us LOVE you. 🌈🎈❤️ 😇

Love,
Mommy Kitten 😘

Trouble (left), Rascal (inside) and Oreo – January, 2018. Oreo took his last breaths here just two months after this pic was taken.

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Posted on April 10, 2018April 13, 2018 by robynhoovenwilson

Oreo Crossed the Rainbow Bridge-Surrounded By Love-With Me By His Side

Oreo and Trouble 11.1.17 — Oreo and his protege, Trouble-November 2017

Too Soon After Penny Passed

I think I mentioned in Oreo’s Introduction about a thousand times that if Oreo were to become terminally ill and unable to care for himself out there, I hoped I would be able to take him in so he wouldn’t have to die alone under a bush somewhere.

That time came March 1, 2018. His official “Gotcha Day”. I noticed weight loss in February, which is much too early for the Yard Cats to start their “Spring Shed”, especially with harsh Winter we had here in New Jersey. He then started refusing food. I knew right away it was the beginning of the end, but the eternal optimist in me decided to try a few things to help him out. Especially since it was too soon after losing Penny.

I first tried Revolution for fleas and Drontal for any worms he may have had, especially since I saw that he had diarrhea. Oreo was chewed up by ticks in the Spring of 2017, and he had fur mats in the areas where I pulled the biggest ticks out of him.

Once he got Revolution, he was able to pull those fur mats off. He had one on his side that he got off, and I noticed he ripped off a small piece of skin. He developed an abscess that burst, so I started giving him 125mg amoxicillin once per day, which was a challenge since I couldn’t pill him outside without him running away from me. We managed to get six days worth of antibiotics into him and he appeared to be doing better on Days 5 and 6. He started to get back to his old self again…eating, running to greet me, hanging out in my neighbor’s yard during the day…but he wasn’t playing as much as he had been this past year.

Oreo’s Rescue

In hindsight, I realize that was his last rally before his final decline. He started refusing just about anything I tried to feed him. In an attempt to separate himself from the others, he moved out of the shed and started using the heated shelter I have under our back steps. That one isn’t as wind-proof or waterproof as the shed shelters.

They were forecasting the second of four Nor’Easters (in less than a month) to hit NJ. They were calling for 10″ of heavy, wet snow, 60mph winds, and widespread downed trees/power outages. I was REALLY worried that he would run off into the woods and die during those conditions . And if he didn’t, it still would have been rough out there for him since he was so sick. so I brought him in.

I got him the evening the storm was starting to hit. He was TERRIFIED. He would not calm down even with his carrier covered with a sheet. My vet came to see him right after he came inside and we found he was in full blown late stage liver disease. I didn’t want to put him through extensive testing and treatments and break the trust I worked SO hard to earn. Especially since I knew it the back of my mind that there was a good chance it wouldn’t help.

After the vet left, I put him in the room with is pal, Fluffy, who I rescued just two weeks prior. He was sound asleep in his carrier and even when I opened the door, he stayed asleep for the first 15 minutes. This, after all of the excitement and fear. That’s when it really hit home how sick he was.

I REALLY Wanted to do More!

He didn’t want to be inside. I knew that. I didn’t really have a choice. After that bad storm, during which we lost power and heat for 30 hours, we had two more Nor’Easters in the following two weeks. I wasn’t even able to entertain the thought of trying to put him back outside. My heart broke every time he sat in the window and cried when he saw his pal Trouble.

I resisted the urge to break his trust completely by giving him supplements, sub q fluids, B12 injections, appetite stimulants, etc. For his sake and the sake of our relationship, I had to go with the minimal treatment of antibiotics only.

He did allow me to cuddle him and even played with a peacock feather from time to time. My poor boy held his pee for the first two days until I got the idea to go outside where he usually went to the bathroom and get a leaf from that area to put inside his litter box. Once I did that, he used the litter box maybe an hour later and used it faithfully throughout his time inside. I must say…he was remarkably easy to pill for a feral cat!

It Was Time…

Unfortunately, it didn’t help. He was at least 13-14 years old, FIV +, with extensive dental disease. After two weeks on antibiotics and one week of him flat out refusing ANY food, I had to make the gut-wrenching decision to let him go.

It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. I really hoped that I could get him healthy and return him back outside. Or at least give him a good year or two inside with the cats he protected and played a big part in saving.

Trouble, Oreo and Rascal — (Outside) L-R: Trouble and Oreo
(Inside) Rascal. this is where Oreo took his last breaths.

When the vet came, I was clinging to the false hope that maybe we could try something else. I know Dr Matt very well. If he truly thought there was anything else we could try that would help, he would tell me. He felt that there was nothing more we could do.

And I knew it, too. I was just living in Denial Aisle to get me through the heartbreak.

His Final Moments

They administered a sedative so that I could take him out on the back step where he used to nap in the sun. I wanted his last moments to be where he considered “home”. Dr Matt and his assistant stayed inside while I sat with Oreo on the step. I called Trouble over to us to say “goodbye” to him. That was important to me and I’m sure important to Oreo. They had a very weird and special friendship. Oreo didn’t react to Trouble because of the sedative, but I have to believe that he knew Trouble was there.

Once Trouble left us, Dr Matt came outside. We sent him to the Bridge, with me by his side, petting him, and telling him how loved he was.

Just like I hoped, he passed surrounded by love, not alone under a bush.

For the past two years since he moved here, I always told him that this was his forever home.

And it is. We buried him in our backyard with his flag overlooking his colony.

RIP Papa Oreo. Thank you for making a profound impact on our lives, Fluffy and The Kits’ lives, and the Yard Cats’ lives.

You will always be here protecting us. We love you!

Oreo's Final Resting Place — Oreo’s Final Resting Place overlooking his colony.

**This post contains affiliate links, which means we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products that we use and wholeheartedly believe in!**

Any treatments, food and supplements I mention in this post are the result of my own research and experience. Please consult with your vet as necessary.