One day while walking from a parking lot down a wild trail I saw a cat laying under a tree, frighteningly thin (3 lbs.!) and unable to run away. I sat down nearby and talked softly to her and realized she was in very bad shape. I offered her a taste of my ice cream and she dragged herself by her front paws half into my lap.

Needless to say, I scooped her up and took her home. Being late, the vet’s office was closed so I made her a bed in a carrier for the night, rinsed her off and her fur washed right off her hind quarters completely. I wrapped her up and used an eye dropper to feed her chicken broth which she was barely able to swallow. The next day the vet determined she had a broken back, jaw, head trama that left her mostly blind, and FIV that gave her dementia and digestive problems. Miss Tetters, as I named her, still managed to be happy everytime I came near her and so grateful for a soft bed and food that I wanted to do what ever I could to make her last days comfortable. She lived 2 more years, was able to stand up and walk with a delicate wobble, and even jumped onto the couch to sit next to me whenever she could. She was so grateful and so brave I have never loved any creature more.

When the day came that I had to put her down it was clear she was suffering too much. I gave her a final meal of oysters and the ice cream she begged for ever since the first day we met. I buried her in a beautiful hat box, tucked into a soft blanket with a pearl (she was my pearl). Her trust and love were a great gift. Her courage a great lesson. I will never forget her.

Nancy from OR