Somewhere over the Rainbow...
A celebration of Newt
Last year on Christmas eve, my heart was broken. Today I can appreciate that we shared 18 years of our lives together.
It was 1990. As I walked through a Dallas shelter, she called me over. That commanding Siamese voice came out of a little black & white pootie with big green eyes. I had a cat named Ripley, so I called her Newt (from Aliens). Newt was diagnosed with diabetes in 1999. The vet said diabetic cats usually die within a year or 2 of diagnosis. Newt said: "heh". Getting her stabilized was not fast or easy, but eventually she could go months without a vet trip. It's one thing for me to say she was special, but strangers like vet techs who hadn't seen her for months would say, "It's Newt the diabetic kitty! We love Newt!" Me they didn't remember.
At age 18, she was old enough to go to college. In the end, she died of old age. And I was blessed.
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A word about diabetes... cats especially are hard to stabilize. I was very fortunate with Newt, and she was very forgiving. It wasn't all good... with the best of intentions, I almost killed her more than once. Her long life was indeed a God thing.
Do what you can, but remember that it's not all up to you. Understand that some cats cannot be stabilized. You may have a week or you may have 9 years... Don't beat yourself up. Just treasure your gift.
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NOW... It's pootie diary time!!!
Visit sites below to donate food to animal shelters at no cost to you.
FreeKibble.com
The Animal Rescue Site