I haven’t yet bought Rescuing Sprite, but I intend to. Growing up in the military, we did a lot of moving and we’ve had several cats. We’ve lost 4 of our little friends over my lifetime and each one left us differently, but each was very painful. The first, Schatzee, died from a move (climate change was too much for him) when I was 7. We then adopted a kitten, Gracie, from the local humane society and she was so weak that she just died in her sleep after 2 weeks. Then we went back and our third cat, Misty, chose us. We were walking by her cage and she stuck out her paw and caught my dad’s attention. It was love at first sight. We adopted her and she immediately fit into our family. A few years later, we adopted another cat, Moffett, from an enlisted family because the father in the family had become allergic to cats.

That year, my dad retired and the cats moved with us several more times. It was nice to have a consistent friend no matter where we went. When I was a senior in high school we adopted another kitten, Minou. When I graduated, by parents kept the cats and moved again. In the next place, Moffett went out and never came home…we lived in a place that had mountain lions and after searching for her for a month, we just assumed one must have gotten her. It was very sad. A couple months later, we went to the shelter and adopted a kitten, Whiskers, who was found by the roadside. The shelter assumed she was abused because of how skittish she was. We knew all she needed was a loving family and we knew we could help her. It took a while because of her fearfulness, but she eventually became a very loving kitty. She was a skinny little thing when we got her and now she’s a chubby little thing. We love her very much.

Most recently, last May, we had to make the decision to put Misty to sleep. She had been with us the longest; 15 years. She saw us through a lot and it was like losing one of my best friends. We fed her some chicken and tuna, her favorite treat, took some pictures, and my dad took her down to the vet to…well…you know.

We still have Minou and Whiskers, which is really good. My mom has suffered from 2 strokes and quadruple bi-pass surgery. Her strokes effected her vision and she doesn’t really have much of a short term memory. She can’t drive anymore and my dad still works, so she’s at home a lot. They keep her company and she loves them dearly, like they are her children. It’s funny because when I call, she always has a fun story about something one of them did.

All that said, (I know it was long…sorry) I wish there would have been a book like Rescuing Sprite for all those times I had to be separated from one of my little furry friends. It doesn’t get easier…the pain never really goes away.

Katie from WA