A Humble Goodbye

For the past several months (well, only one month shy of a year) my family has been taking care of a little kitten named Emma. Emma was born with no tail, a trait of the Manx cat. Because of this trait - she had no tail, not even a stub - Emma had bladder problems. When we took Emma to the vet, we also found out that she had coccidia, a trait often seen in animals that have been kept in small, unlearned cages even though her space was cleaned daily.

After several trips to the vet, three months in a diaper, and most of her life confined - Emma could not wonder the house because she ‘leaked’ - as well as her daily dose of medication, Emma passed away Monday evening. She had started to turn the night before, her left hind leg grew slightly stiff and her back side became raw and sore. We moved her into a comfortable area, with an extra soft bed and some special food. The next morning she was worse. Her hind leg had grown limp and her backend was spotted with blood. We made and appointment with the vet for 4:00 pm and waited. As the day grew, Emma grew worse. We left for the vet early, but on our way I noticed Emma’s eyes dilate. Having cared for many, many cats and kittens, I knew what this meant. As we rushed into the vet, Emma had a small seizure. Another sign I was familiar with and not happy to see. We waited to see the vet for over 10 minutes, and by the time we saw the vet, dear Emma had passed. The vet suggested that Emma either had a heart attack or one of her organs failed.

We brought her home and put her to rest with a handful of wiled California poppy seeds as her grave marker. A fitting one for such a playful little kitten.

Emma was one of the spokes kitties to my mother’s web site: DobbyCat.com. With Emma’s help, we where able to fix 3 cats, 1 dog, and are soon to see one cat’s teeth fixed. Thank you Emma for the laughter and the hope. Because of you, many cats and dogs will live a little happier.

~Amber Jennell

2 comments:

I'm so sorry to hear this. So sorry.

2/17/2006 5:12 AM  

Thank you. She was a very sweet little kitten and will be greatly missed.

2/27/2006 1:33 PM  

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