Memorials to Feline Rescue Alumni

FR memorials:

to honor our beloved adopted, shelter and foster feline friends who have departed

Adopted alumni:

Sesame (f.k.a. Spumoni)

I’m writing to let you know that Sesame, who I adopted from Feline Rescue in September of 2014, passed away unexpectedly at the end of September 2023.

I adopted Sesame (formerly Spumoni) and her sister Sprout from their foster parent when they were about six months old. Their original adoption listing stated “Spumoni and Sprout are the perfect pair – sweet and spicy, funny and cuddly, and sisters who are best friends. When they are eating, Spumoni will warn other cats away from her food with an adorable velociraptor growling imitation… They are former bottle babies that like to be held, like to play, and like to explore.” This was a perfect description of their personalities and held true as they grew into adulthood.

Sesame was my little shadow. She followed me around everywhere and regularly demanded kisses. She loved to play with her sister but didn’t hesitate to let her know when she should back off. She brought so much joy to my life and I’m so glad I got to spend nine amazing years with her. She went in for a routine dental cleaning and had a bad reaction to the anesthesia when her heart stopped. The vet was able to bring her back with CPR, but later that evening she died at the animal hospital. It was a shock and I’m still processing that grief. It’s been an adjustment for both me and Sprout. Sesame was loved very deeply and will be missed very much.

Thank you to the Feline Rescue for bringing these two sweet girls into my life.

Mirabelle

We are writing this letter to let you know that little Mirabelle, the kitty we adopted from you last October (2021) has passed away. Mirabelle had numerous health concerns and had a pretty good run from January through June of this year, but as the summer went on, there were increasing issues and more frequent vet visits. After the last ER visit, we had a long discussion with our vet about options going forward. We went on for another week or so, but it was clear that the best option would be to compassionately let her go, and our vet agreed with and supported this decision. I am happy to report that her last moments were very peaceful and so our sadness was offset by this remarkable ending, where it was profoundly peaceful and loving.

After we adopted Mirabelle, she became quite ill and we were eventually referred to an internist who diagnosed her with a chronic digestive illness. After putting her on a specialized diet, she stabilized and had several months of symptom-free life. Mirabelle was such a sweet cat, and adapted to her new environment quite well. We had a cat condo for her in a sunny southwest facing bay window and on any sunny day, she hopped up onto the sofa and then onto her perch where she could enjoy a long nap. Her other favorite spot last fall and winter, when the weather turned cold, was a forced air heating vent in the dining room. She would lay on top of it for hours where it provided a nice warm place for her.

Mirabelle was very curious, and any cupboard or drawer that was opened would be a source of investigation for her. She was also very smart and learned quickly where her box was, that scratching the furniture was not allowed, and that she had a nice big corrugated scratching box for that purpose. She also liked to sit on top of her scratching box and rest there. If we moved the box to vacuum, she would become very protective of it and sit on it to show us that was her domain.

Mirabelle liked water, as you probably remember, and remembering how our old cat liked me to run water in a sink so she could drink from it, one day I decided to do that for Mirabelle. She did respond, but it was a big mistake! She started going into that bathroom at night, sitting in the sink and yowling loudly so we would run the water! After that started, we bought a cat drinking fountain, and that seemed to quench her thirst for running water. She drank from it happily and didn’t bother us with the sink any more.

Mirabelle was such a joy to have in our home. When we adopted her, we knew she was older and had some underlying health issues. We also were told that while she probably was not a lap cat, she would follow us around the house, greet us at the door, etc. It turned out that Mirabelle didn’t follow us around too much, but starting about 2 or 3 months ago, she began to test out sitting on us. She first would stand on our laps, just for a moment before leaping off. One day she sat on my lap for about 60 seconds. Eventually, the time grew longer and longer, and in the past weeks, she would wait in the kitchen when I made my morning coffee and then follow me to the living room where I drank my coffee. She would hop right up on the club chair and climb onto my lap, then start purring happily. It was gratifying to see that a cat with an unknown background and many issues, could still recover her sense of connection with her caregivers and create that special bond.

All of us, my husband, our young adult son (recently graduated from college) and myself loved her and will miss her terribly. At the same time, it is gratifying for us to know that we accomplished what we set out to do when this little girl stole our hearts, and that was to give her the best life we could in the amount of time that she had left. Having her with us was such a gift. We are so grateful.

Brenda, Jeff and Ian

“If you take home a cat and care for it even on that’s been abandoned and is dirty it won’t be long before it becomes the cutest cat in the world.”– Korean Buddhist Monk Haeman

Carrie

I’m writing to memorialize our beloved Carrie, who passed away in September last year. We adopted her as a senior cat in January of 2017, so we knew our time with her was limited, and we cherished every moment with her. We named her after the (then) recently passed Carrie Fisher. She loved sitting with her humans, and was always up for a cuddle. She would sometimes get up the energy to sprint around with our younger cat Ash (formerly Zorro of Feline Rescue too), and was always affectionate with him when he wasn’t bouncing off the walls. She was always super brave, standing up to our giant puppy when our other cats were afraid. Carrie had many health struggles and scares, but always had a chipper and bright demeanor. After severely breaking her leg in an accident, we realized that the treatment and recovery would be asking too much given her advanced age and poor overall health. We loved and held her and said goodbye on September 17, 2021.

Jasmine

Tobie (formerly Maybelle)

I was volunteering at Feline Rescue when I met her and I feel that she adopted me! It was instant love and I adopted Maybelle on 4/13/18.

She was a long-haired Siamese mix and I renamed her Tobie. She was such a lovely cat. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with cancer in her sinuses and crossed the rainbow bridge on November 14, 2022. She had a wonderful life and was much loved. I miss her terribly. Thank you, Feline Rescue.

Clementine Citrine

Clem was a very special cat. She was full of both sugar and spice! Clementine was highly intelligent, emotionally complex and full of love. She was a beloved companion and will always be missed.

Lilibeth

I’m writing in memoriam of a cat I adopted from Feline Rescue in January 2017: Lilibeth.

She remained the queen in my home, so I kept the name she was given at the rescue. She was an absolute light in my life and enjoyed almost 7 years of quiet rest in the sun as an only cat. To the best of our knowledge, she was around 8 or 9 years old. She had been picked up by St. Paul animal control in late 2016 and released for adoption shortly before she chose me as her person.

In June of this year (2023), she had surgery on her eye to remove a benign tumor. While that surgery was a success and gave her several months of relief, at her final eye appointment Monday of this week, the vet noticed bleeding in both of her eyes.

We were referred directly to an emergency vet where she was diagnosed with advanced feline leukemia. This was a total shock since Lilibeth was an indoor only cat the entire time she lived with me, but the emergency vet explained that FeLV screening has a window period and she was likely infected just before her negative test at Feline Rescue. She was given a few days or weeks to live.

I brought Lilibeth home from the emergency vet determined to make her final days comfortable and peaceful. She declined rapidly, but I set up kitty hospice in my bedroom and made sure she enjoyed many comfortable naps as her increasingly labored breathing would allow. I realized yesterday morning that her quality of life was no longer enjoyable and she was beginning to hide, so I knew she was suffering. My regular vet came to my home last night (Thursday) and we helped her ease into the next journey.

While this loss is unexpected, tragic, and with so much grief, I am very thankful for her rescue at Feline Rescue and the comfortable years I was able to give her as a house cat. She most definitely would not have had that life on the street as a FeLV cat.

Thank you for bringing Lilibeth into my life for these last 7 years. When the grief eases and I’m ready for another bossy calico (my personal favorites), I’ll be in touch.

Foster feline friends not able to be adopted prior to end of life:

Smoky

Smoky was a kitten born in October 2021 with a rare and devastating condition called atresia ani. Numerous procedures and surgeries attempted to correct her condition without lasting success. After some amazing initial weeks when Smoky gained weight and seemed happy and playful, her quality of life began to wane. Smoky passed away on February 22, 2022. “If love could have saved her, she would have lived forever,” said Jessica, her foster caretaker. Rest in peace, Smoky.

Honoring 2023 FR cats with terminal medical issues:

Ezra: 2/17/23, Sega 2/21/23, Cleopatches 2/22/23, Mando 4/2/23, Sheep 4/7/23, Siren 4/10/23, Lyle 4/13/23, Origami Hemingway 4/24/23, Shirlene 5/15/23, Otto Amelius 7/5/23, Juneau 7/17/23, Earl of Cattington 7/24/23, Chloe 8/2/23, Ruby Baby 8/17/23, Strawberry Harold 8/19/23.

You were all loved!

Cane

Cane & Duster first came into FR care in 2022. Shortly after intake, we got the difficult news that Cane had an incurable kidney condition. We were devastated to learn this and wondered what it would mean for Duster to lose his best friend. Cane was given only a few months to live, but because of the wonderful care provided by his Foster and our vet team, he lived so much longer.