Goodbye Sweet Girl

It happened over a period of several days; and yet only about a week.  The Princess, who was already dealing with painful arthritis, began to rapidly decline.  She started laying down/sleeping only by the litter box, or her water/food bowls.  Then I noticed she was likely constipated. Turns out she was also very dehydrated, contrasted by the fact that fluids had quickly filled her belly.  In about 2-3 days her tummy was the size of a small basketball.    After two days of tests, lots of anxiety, many tears, and more hours at the vet than she would have ever wanted, the diagnosis was in: intestinal cancer. She had maybe a few days left but no chance for being free of pain, or having any quality of life.

I sat on the floor with her on my lap just as we have done for the past several years; morning and evening.  While she lay in my arms, I verbally recapped our time together just as I had first told her my life story on the long drive home from an Indiana shelter, through a windstorm more than 14 years ago.  She heard “I love you” several times, and I told her that I knew she was ready to go.  Her pretty head lay on my arm throughout the entire time; and then she was at peace.

She was, and will ever remain a true sweetheart. A good girl. The most beautiful cat in the world.  I have thousands and thousands of photographs of her because she also didn’t mind her day job as an editorial model of the highest caliber.  I will continue to share her sweet face because that face, her purr, her gentleness and love made my heart sing.  RIP Princess Pansy Maura.