Clinton's Socks the Cat Near Death

[Bleacher Creature]

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2008/12/12/clintons-socks-the-cat-near-death.html

Clinton's Socks the Cat Near Death
December 12, 2008 05:25 PM ET
By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers.

We have some bad news today on the presidential pet front. Socks the cat, probably the most photographed presidential kitty in history, has cancer and isn't expected to live. "His days are numbered," says Barry Landau, a friend of Socks' master, Betty Currie. Landau, a presidential historian and author of The President's Table, tells our Suzi Parker that the Currie family could have put Socks on feeding tubes, but decided against it. "They fear he is too old," adds Landau, who is writing a book on presidential inaugurations. And a second source told us that Socks is gravely ill.

Recall that Currie, who lives in Southern Maryland and was Bill Clinton's personal secretary, took Socks after the Democrats left office. At the time, Hillary Clinton had been elected to the Senate and Bubba was moving to New York to run his foundation.

In recent years, Socks has been hanging out at Currie's Hollywood, Md., home and sometimes making guest appearances. But since we last wrote about Socks, his conditions have worsened and included weight loss and kidney problems. Southern Maryland Newspapers Online did a wonderful story about this last year, quoting Currie's husband Bob saying what lots of us pet owners say: Socks "lives better than I do."

(SNIP)

Not a cat lover, but this makes me surprisingly sad.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I am very touched to see this...

I do love cats, even though I don't have any...

I'd kind of forgotten Socks...

And this story caught me by surprise.

Poor baby...I hope his last days are sweet and pain-free...

[ColbertWatcher]

3. I wasjust thinking about him the other day. Poor baby. n/t

[JuniperLea]

2. It is very sad...

Socks has had a wonderful life, and will live on in many memories.

Safe and pleasant passage, Socks.

[Are_grits_groceries]

4. Bye Socks!

You'll get all the catnip and love you want when you pass. :hug:

[glowing]

5. wow, I had no idea the cat was still alive.

[Auggie]

19. Same here. Does it a Presidential Pet library or anything?

:-)

[CreekDog]

6. .

:loveya:

[kiva]

7. Thanks for the pic. n/t

[CatWoman]

13. as do I

:cry:

[roguevalley]

42. what a lovely cat he is. he is bound for the summerlands and

will never lack for anything, waiting until his people come to him. Nothing is as wonderful as the love for you that animals have. Go to peace, Socks. I always loved you, you pretty sassy cat.

[MillieJo]

83. I love that photo, look at that ripped ear,must have been a fight

n/t

[madrchsod]

8. how old is socks? it seems so long ago....

[Robbien]

10. Wouldn't he be over 16 years old.

They got him the first year if my memory serves.

[madrchsod]

17. i believe you are right....

[Blue Diadem]

31. According to this article done about him this past June, he's almost 19.

He was a little homeless kitten, taken in by Chelsea.

http://www.somdnews.com/stories/06062008/entecov172737_32166.shtml

Two great pics at the link. It's obvious Betty Currie really loves the little guy.

[proud patriot]

54. 19 years is how old my first cat Jake was when he died

I hope Betty is able to heal from the loss of Socks .

[CreekDog]

9. He's got a good mommy

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

11. It's nothing. Just something in my eye.

Say hi for me to my old pets when you get there.

[snowbear]

18. Ah Liberal L.. What a sweet, but sad comment you made..

.
.

(( ))

~~~~~

[CatWoman]

12. I LOVE YOU, SOCKS

:cry:

Socks is the classiest cat on the planet

:cry:

[KittyWampus]

32. Socks and his Paparazzi

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

14. He's lived a good long exciting life

We got a cat who looked like Socks as a stray around the same time. Unfortunately, he disappeared several years ago.

[opihimoimoi]

15. What a beautiful cat....KnR......Bye Socks....ya had it made...far better than most of us...

:toast: to Socks

[GoesTo11]

16. 50 million uninsured

and there's a question about whether to put Socks on feeding tubes. Meow.

[snowbear]

21. Well....

.
.

It's not like they're calling an emergency session for Congress..

[Lorien]

22. Gee, I didn't know that Betty Currie had the power to insure 50 million people!

I wonder what she's been waiting for?

[Maru Kitteh]

33. Thanks Lorien. It always annoys me when people use the imperfection of the human condition

as an excuse to be dismissive or downright hostile to any compassion shown to animals, as if somehow by showing less compassion to animals suddenly people would start treating each other better.

[Lorien]

39. When the opposite is always true. Children who treat animals well grow up

to be better parents, while children who torture animals have a good chance of becoming abusive-even murderous-adults.As Gandhi said; a lot can be learned about a society by the way it treats it's animals.

Personally, I think that people who are dismissive of animals are incredibly insecure. They see other people showing something that they see as "lower" than themselves compassion, and they want all that kindness and compassion directed at THEM. But since they have no kindness or compassion to give to others it's never returned, so they continue to be envious of "mere" animals. People love their pets because pets give us unconditional love, and that's worth a hell of a lot to many of us. The angry, selfish and mean spirited of this world will never understand this.

[VOX]

46. Well said, Lorien. I believe that there is a fundamental connection among all living things...

And any human abuses or cruelty committed to animals is tantamount to self-destruction.

I also believe that there is a responsibility of stewardship that human beings must maintain for the welfare of all creatures of the planet.

Just my nickel's worth. :hi:

[Maru Kitteh]

50. Looking at the idiotic second response in this thread - I'd say you NAILED it Lorien, very astute.

The frigid hypotrophy of some people's vapid souls can be stunning.

[Jamastiene]

101. I wish I could Recommend this post.

:thumbsup: :applause:

[GoesTo11]

36. My point is that it's just a cat.

Sure they're cute. Heck, they were bred to be cute. But I have seen people who really can't afford it spend literally thousands and thousands of dollars as their pets get old. Cats have been dying for millions of years and they don't think much about it.

The heroic healthcare and analysis of their conditions (apparently Socks has already been in for a few procedures) is for their owners and not for them. This is the kind of resources one should put into a child or a relative, but not a cat. As a society, we don't put this kind of resources into poor children. You can get a dozen cats free at the pound and most of them will come a running if you whistle and pour their cream. They're kind of replacable. My sense is that people who feel this way about pets have a sort of short circuit in their emotions so that they basically have the pet playing the role of a baby or child. But the reason we are genetically programmed to care so much for our children is that the investment pays off in the perpetuation of our species. Cats are just stimulating that same sensation to perpetuate their own species. I guess whatever floats your boat, but that doesn't mean it's not silly. Ooh, I'm so mean.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

37. Oh, yeah; they're just animals; they're replaceable, just like stuffed toys that move.

They're stupid and reactive and don't have feelings. So we can abuse them and mistreat them and not take care of them when they're sick. Your pet is sick -- so just kill it and get a new one. Right?

:puke:

Sorry, you ARE mean, and you're also full of shit. Compassion should be extended to all sentient beings, even non-human ones. And taking care of animals and taking care of people are not mutually exclusive actions, either.

Your attitude is disgusting.

[lumberjack_jeff]

108. Yeah. Just a cat. n/t

[kiva]

40. Not necessarily mean, just a jerk. n/t

[Hissyspit]

41. They are sentient beings. They are individuals. They love.

You're not just mean. You're an idiot.

"You can get a dozen kids free at the orphanage and most of them will come a running if you whistle and offer them candy. They're kind of replacable."

[InvisibleTouch]

44. Not just mean, but disgusting.

Who are you to say that the loss of one individual family member, no matter the species, isn't a tragic event in the life of someone who loved them? The fact that you seem to think love of animals is an "emotional short circuit", and "silly," makes me wonder about your level of emotional maturity. All that misplaced trumped-up concern for the "uninsured" strikes me as just an excuse to look down on others. Whatever floats your boat, I guess, but I sure wouldn't want a person like you among my friends or family.

[Bluebear]

49. You're not "mean" . . . but you are kind of revolting, sorry

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

58. My cats and dogs are family members

I don't have children, so my resources would be put into them. I don't care if I can get another cat for free (and that's how I got mine), I would do anything for them.

[LostinVA]

59. You aren't mean, you are disturbing and lack empathy

I don't trust people who think about animals as you do -- and my instincts avae never been wrong.

Family members aren't fungible.

[Muttocracy]

61. so.... tell us where you get this expertise on pets and animals...

something tells me you've never had a pet and know little about animal behavior.

And setting up the choice as being between caring for children and caring for pets in a world where we spend so much on war, luxury goods, etc. is such a false comparison.

[AndrewP]

82. My sense is that you may have a short circut in your emotions

[Dukkha]

87. and our point is you're not a human

and when you shelter all the homeless people in your city in your own house and give them all health care, then you can come back with your pretentious holier-than-thou stance on what a great 'people first' liberal you are. until then STFU you're impressing no one. your kind are not just very replaceable, you're disposable. Ooh, I'm so mean.

[Lisa0825]

90. Disgusting.

Living things are not just replaceable junk. I have 8 foster cats from a shelter, and every single one of them has its own personality. Each one has its own habits, likes & dislikes, and shows affection in a unique way. I could talk for hours about the differences between my cats. They are as unique as you and I. They have emotions and form strong bonds with each other and with humans. If that is just something so easily discarded in your opinion, than you are lacking humanity yourself. I hope you never have a pet, because you do not have enough compassion to consider it family.

[Jack Rabbit]

94. "People who feel this way about pets have a sort of short circuit in their emotions."

Guilty. I have clinical depression that has put me on disability.

The best thing I've done for myself was starting to care for a feral cat last year who made the yard beside my ratty mobile home her territory. I named her Pinta for her charcoal and white fur. In the Spring of 2007, she gave birth to a litter of kittens under the coach and introduced them to me in July of that year. There were four of them, and by Autumn I decided to coax the kittens into the house and see if I could domesticate them. I've gone two for four, which isn't bad.

Talking about my cats is one thing that makes me light up. It gave my life, which before they came along was looking like one long, slow-motion train wreck, some positive purpose. My psychologist calls it "pet therapy at its finest."

Buccaneer, whom I usually call Buckie, was the first to understand that what I brought him into was a place where he could be fed and kept warm in exchange for kissing my ass. He's a smart cat; it only took him about three weeks to figure that out. He likes to spend part of every morning napping in my lap.

Spitfire, the lone female of that litter, has produced two litters of her own this year. Three survived of each of the litters born June 7 and September 25. Of the first, I gave away an impish and adorable completely black cat named Moro last month; Swashbuckler and Pancho are still here, but I am trying to give them away, too. Of the second, which is now 11 weeks old, there is a completely black kitten named Zorro and two black-and-white ones named Robin Hood and Bandit. Want one? They'll be three months old Christmas Day.

Pinta had another litter of four this Spring and introduced them to me the very same day Spitfire whelped her first litter. Pinta then vanished from the scene in August, and I suppose some gruesome end underneath a car or in the jaws of the neighbor's pit bull. She was a very pretty cat, but a very confirmed feral who wasn't going to be anybody's pet. Her last litter of four still shows up at my porch to be fed. I won't try to domesticate them, but I have plans to capture them and take them to be spayed and neutered.

[RedCappedBandit]

97. Some would say sociopaths are mean, yes.nt

[Jamastiene]

102. Oh yeah, the human species is in SUCH DANGER of becoming extinct.

Give me a fucking break. Ebenezer Scrooge ain't got shit on you. That cat has done more to warm hearts all over this world since leaving the White House than you could possibly ever do with your hateful cold-hearted rhetoric.

[baby_mouse]

115. You're head's full of dirt. Give it a wash, dear.

[saracat]

28. Yes. there is. To some of us, our pets are family.And one small cat isn't

going to solve health insurance.

[Ikonoklast]

35. And you eat dinner each evening

While tens of thousands starve in Darfur.


Your point is what, exactly?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

57. Oh snap

[Muttocracy]

62. ...

:thumbsup:

[mondo joe]

38. What do you think is the connection? Whether the 50 million are insured or not, Ms Currie

still has to make a decision about Socks.

[Wednesdays]

52. You're a crusader for helping the uninsured, I see...

I'd love to see your posts and web sites promoting health care for all!

Got some links?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

55. If someone has the money to do all they can to keep their pet alive, why shouldn't they?

I wouldn't personally put a pet on feeding tubes, but if my pet needed $10k worth of vet care to stay alive (and not suffering), and I had $10k (or could borrow most of it), I would do it in a heartbeat.

My pets are my children. I'll do anything for them.

[Lex]

75. Yes, and our soliders are dying in Iraq, yet we talk of a cat.

And yet, these larger concerns don't mean we can't also have other concerns and sympathy as well.

[CreekDog]

80. yes, that's right because it's not a zero sum game

:eyes:

we are obligated to take care of everyone. because we fail at taking care of everybody doesn't give us a pass on taking care of somebody.

[GoesTo11]

92. Did Travis love Old Yeller?

I like cats and other pets just fine. I say "How are ya boy" to dogs when I scratch their tummies. I have had a cat but don't now. I am a vegetarian. I think it's wrong to cause animals to suffer.

But I've noticed more than a couple friends in the last few years getting emotionally manipulated by vets. It's always one expensive test, procedure, hospital stay after another in end-of-life care for a pet. They know it's a waste of money, but when the vet says "You should do this" they feel guilty for not doing it.

This doesn't benefit the animals. They don't have hopes and dreams yet to achieve, they don't have affairs to put in order, relationships to repair, friends and family they need to bid farewell.

The vets who are all about giving the animal a few more days, weeks months or years on this earth are just being greedy. I don't want to blame the owners who can't tell the difference between what they should do for human relatives and what they should do for pets. You can give a pet a very happy life and allow them a dignified death, and you don't owe them to spend $10,000 for leukemia treatments.

Here are a couple of people who are able to say things more tactfully than me.

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/02/08/my_1300_cat/
http://www.slate.com/id/2176521/

[flvegan]

93. Good job, keep digging that hole.

[Retrograde]

100. self-delete

self-delete - meant to be private email

[SeattleGirl]

111. So, not putting him on feeding tubes will somehow provide insurance

for the uninsured?

I don't get statements like this.

One has nothing to do with the other.

What I think you're really saying is, "I only care about one thing, and one thing only. Anything else that others may care about is stupid and idiotic, regardless of what that other thing is. If you care about anything other than what I care about, you are an idiot. I have spoken."

Believe it or not, some of us are capable of caring about more than one thing.

Some of us care about animals.

That doesn't mean we don't care about things like millions being uninsured, or unnecessary wars, or the homeless, or.....

[Lugnut]

20. Bye Socks.

:(

[Bobbieo]

23. I have two femalecats - one 14the other 15 and they are both losing weight and having kidney problem

Old age!!!! It goes with the terriroty.

[Lugnut]

25. Yes it does.

We are down to our last cat who will be 15 in May. Thankfully she's been very healthy so I keep my fingers crossed. We lost our male tabby four years ago to kidney failure at the age of 14.

[Adsos Letter]

69. Check their teeth!

Our oldest cat is 19, and a couple of years ago she went through a period where she lost a lot of weight, and we thought she was coming to the end of her days...

Turns out, in our case, that she had developed an infection that was making it difficult for her to handle hard cat food...so we treated her infected teeth, and put her on a soft-food diet for older cats.

Her weight came back (she could actually lose a bit, at this point) and, while I expect she is again approaching the end of her days, she is healthy and seems happy.

Although...she does sleep a lot:

[maynard]

107. My baby....Maynard

My free orange cat had a non-functioning kidney removed. I had to put his surgery bill on a credit card but he was worth it. Maynard is the sweetest mama's boy. I am very lucky that I can still afford to keep him in this economy. It was something I refused to cut back on. He is my child. I was never able to medically have children. If not for him and his brother Spike, I would come home at night to an empty house. It sure helps with depression.

[Skittles]

24. awesome kitty

[Maru Kitteh]

26. Poor baby. He has such an awesome personality - prayers for his final days

I'm so glad he's been well loved and cared for.

[saracat]

27. My lovely Saracat, who we lost to the bad food looked a lot like Socks

I miss her every day. Blessings to Socks. May Sara and Socks play together at the Rainbow Bridge.

[YvonneCa]

60. ...

...:hug:

[City Lights]

29. Socks, I hope your suffering is minimal.

:cry: I lost a cat to cancer last Spring. :cry:

[bunkerbuster1]

30. It's the end of an era.

Glad to read this update; I'd lost track of the critter but I'm very happy to hear the furry guy had a happy post-White House life.

[spooky3]

34. Thanks, Betty, for caring for Socks.

May he have a peaceful passing to the Rainbow Bridge.

[InvisibleTouch]

43. Sad to hear that. :(

The very first (and come to think of it, only) political t-shirt I ever bought was a Socks the Cat shirt, shortly after Clinton was elected. He was the first President I voted for, and the Socks shirt commemorated the occasion nicely.

Sorry to hear the dear old cat is ill now. But I know he had a good long life, and I hope he's at peace in the time he has left.

[hamsterjill]

45. Socks waited

Socks stayed on this earth long enough to see a Democrat elected to the white house again. I wonder if somehow he feels he can safely leave now, knowing that the Bush era is over.

Safe passage, big guy.

[Mz Pip]

64. Have a peaceful journey, dear Socks

You brought a lot of joy to many people.

[VOX]

47. Always so hard to say goodbye to a cross-species friend.

The bond between humans and our four-legged friends is a very strong, life-giving, powerful and remarkable gift. It should always be nurtured and respected.

Godspeed, Socks. :hug:

[catnhatnh]

48. How sad...

...that Socks has better healthcare and more healthcare options than my family. This isn't anti-cat, it's about people dying without a diagnosis or anyone on the face of the planet to care.

[Maru Kitteh]

63. Same here, but it doesn't stop me from having compassion for both Socks and Mrs. Currie

Not to mention the Clintons and Chelsea.

You want a thread about American healthcare? Start one. That's a separate issue and it has nothing to do with Socks.

[catnhatnh]

67. Nice to see your compassion extends to both millionaires and their Cat...

To bad MY mom and dad just worked their lives away instead of doing something you value, such as growing a pelt. If you cannot recognize the innate irony of a thread that mourns the passing of a lifetime pampered cat as juxtaposed against 50 million humans who cannot afford their "vet" nor make end-life choices then the failure is yours.

[Maru Kitteh]

112. Whatever deficiency in you that does not allow you to understand the full scope of human compassion

will certainly not be cured by me in this thread. You obviously have serious issues and no interest in resolving them any time soon, and at any rate, this message board would perhaps be one of the least effective venues for that endeavor.

The readily apparent atrophy of your capacity for compassion does not hurt me, it hurts you.

The title of this thread was not "Dying cat more important than human healthcare" so don't be stupid.

[catnhatnh]

68. And just to clarify

this ENTIRE thread is about "healthcare"-I merely pointed out that humans should come first.

[carlyhippy]

51. Poor kitty

Carly

[AnnieBW]

53. Poor Socks!

May Bast take this most deserving of her daughters into her arms gently.

[Sparkle]

56. May it rest in peace with Buddy!

[tuckessee]

65. Sounds like Socks is Currie's kitty, not the Clintons'.

Animals should not be used as props to gloss up some politician's image.

[Skip Intro]

74. Give me a fucking break.

[tuckessee]

77. Crocodile tears & prop pusses. That's BC. n/t

[Skip Intro]

78. Think Socks is taped to his shoulder?

You're the one drawing politics into this.

And it's fucking sick.

[polmaven]

99. It just never stops, does it?

The hatred of all things Clinton just never stops!

[Skip Intro]

113. blows my mind

hate burns eternal, I guess

poor souls

[girl gone mad]

79. Lame.

The Clintons gave Socks to Curry when they moved to NYC, believing that he would be happier on a farm than living the life of a shut-in.

I don't see anything wrong with prop pets in the white house, particularly adopted ones, provided they are treated with love and respect. It sets a good example for the rest of the world to follow.

[MillieJo]

84. Sock's was Chelsea's cat actually...

He moved in with Betty Currie because Chelsea was going to college and he hated Buddy. Socks often slept in Betty Currie's office, they had a great bond so it was a nice choice to give Socks to her. A cat doesn't climb on a man's shoulders unless he trusts him and by the looks of it The Clinton's gave Socks free reign of The White House, which is cool for a cat.

[Jamastiene]

104. Well said.

:thumbsup:

[Jamastiene]

103. Socks was Chelsea's cat.

He was no prop.

[sandyd921]

66. Peaceful journey kitty

You brought joy to many in your lifetime!

[bluedawg12]

70. You had a good life Socks - happy hunting

across the rainbow bridge. Go in peace.

[Kat45]

71. Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this. Poor Socks.

But it sounds like he's led a good, long life.

Back during the Clinton days, I bought a package of Socks cat food, which came in a good-sized container shaped like Socks. I wonder if I still have it somewhere.

[Skip Intro]

72. Farewell Socks. Have fun in the next one.

[Qanisqineq]

73. very sad, I lost a cat a few months ago

She was 16 years old and had a large tumor that the vets wouldn't remove because of her age. They eventually had no choice but to remove it (I'll leave out the gory details), she made it through surgery just fine but it had grown into her lung by then and she died a few weeks later.

This is so sad. Weren't the Clinton's allergic to cats but Chelsea wasn't? I remember something like that.

[JI7]

76. very sad

it's hard to lose a pet. only reason i haven't bought another dog is because i have a hard time dealing with the loss.

[Eurobabe]

81. Peaceful passing to Socks

:cry:

[Are_grits_groceries]

85. To Socks:

and all those with pets.

"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way."
Irving Townsend

[catzies]

91. That's a beautiful quote.

Much love to Socks Clinton-Currie.

[peekaloo]

86. Bye Socks.

I still have a postcard from DC with Socks on it.

Thanks Betty.

[Jennicut]

88. What kind of cat fod has Socks been eating?? 19 years old, holy cow.

That is one long living cat. If poor Socks doesn't make it, RIP little kitty.

[Bethany Rockafella]

89. Aww, poor Socks. :(

Will the freepers think Clinton gave the cat cancer? They thought he had Buddy killed.

[WI_DEM]

95. Good long life--19 is about what my kitty was when she died. I still miss her.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

96. (((((Socks)))))

[Toasterlad]

98. Does Anyone Know If There's a Candlelight Vigil Scheduled in the Philly Area...

...or do I have to drive to Maryland?

:hide:

[Cleita]

105. I hope they put him to sleep to end his sufferings.

There is no point in prolonging the poor kitty's death and suffering if nothing can be done.

[Jamastiene]

106. I'm sending the utmost best of vibes to Socks and the Currie family.

Maybe the pain for both Socks and the family be lessened. :cry:

[lumberjack_jeff]

109. How long is this thread going to hang around? It's like an old SNL weekend update.

"And this breaking news: Generalissimo Fransisco Franco is still valiantly hanging on in his struggle to remain dead"

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

114. Kicking, just for you.

[Maru Kitteh]

116. Compassion and kindness just bug the everloving shit out of some people, don't they?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

117. Sure do.

Sad...

[lumberjack_jeff]

121. No, misplaced maudlin pseudo-compassion entertains me a great deal. n/t

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

122. You do realize you just kicked it, right?

And, I'm going to kick it again responding to you.

[bluedawg12]

110. Here’s my cat with a feeding tube.

She was abandoned in my yard as a kitten.

She behaved as a feral cat and we couldn’t get near her to catch her, so we fed her all winter while she lived in our garage.

She survived the harsh northern winter and on one fine spring day we found her laying on the frozen ground barely alive.

We were able to get near her for the first time and foundthat she kept herself immaculate and clean.

We were presented with this problem we did not ask for.

We took her to the vet and x-rays revealed that someone had shot her with a BB gun, the pellet now lodged in her brain.

We asked him to do his best and three days later we took her home, still feral, an abandoned kitten barely 5lbs. We nursed and cared for her, tamed her, worked through her neurologic deficits, taught her how to use a litter box after her neurogenic spastic bladder resolved.

We discovered that the gun shot to the brain left her 80% blind, with only a corner of her visual field intact.

Slowly, she recovered, we introduced her into a household with a pitbull, a boxer-pit mixed breed, three grown toms and a feisty female pussy cat.

A year later at just near 6 lbs we had her spayed.

Two months later she turned jaundiced and tests revealed an inoperable adenocarcinoma of the bile duct, not amenable to surgical resection, radiation or chemo.

We hospiced her had a gastric feeding tube inserted ( the yellow vest kept it in place) and maintained her quality of life until the day she died in our arms.

I never asked anyone for a penny of help with the bills.

It cost not a penny of tax payers dollars.

No one went to work for me to earn my daily bread and income. No one tells me how to spend it

My partner and I paid the bills out of pocket through our hard work.

I don’t regret one penny, one moment, one decision.

Sometimes the human-animal bond amazes even me.

Therapy pets, cats, dogs, birds, they give so much back to us, they are part of our family.

The gun shot injury from the BB gun caused me to write an article about the dangers of BB guns to humans and animals. Our paper did a three part series on this cat, the reckless use of BB guns and cruelty to animals.

The injury also served to remind people with head trauma, stroke, that recovery proceeds apace even at one to two years post injury and not to give up hope.

So, the incident was useful as a teaching tool, also.

In addition, I notified the police, made a report, ( we knew who did it - just no witnesses) and sent out neighborhood fliers about not shooting people and living creatures with BB guns. Several people had also been shot at, locally, shining a spot light on that problem seems to have caused it to stop.


It’s all very, VERY personal. It’s what we make of it.

[Liberal_in_LA]

118. Thank you for caring for an injured cat.

[catzies]

120. You are amazing.

:loveya:

[Condem]

119. As a care giver for many kits...

it breaks your heart to lose one. Family.