In the early hours of December 12th 2012 our special little cat Jake passed away from intestinal lymphoma. We had adopted Jake and a female cat Gossip together on Feb1, 2004. Now seven weeks later I’m still grieving, as is my wife. I can’t stop thinking about him, missing him so much, and feeling guilty that we didn’t take his early symptoms seriously enough. Our house is still so quiet without him. My interest in most things is very diminished. Every time I see Gossip I can’t stop thinking about him. Is there something wrong with me? I don’t think any human death has hit me any harder than this tragic event. Is it that I’m just getting old and these events are harder to deal with? At this moment I  still can’t believe my little pal is gone forever. I always said the best part of my life was coming home from work, a night out or from a weekend away to see my two pals waiting for us. Jake slept with us and woke us up in the middle of the night. Now I miss being woken up but I also don’t sleep well anymore.

— Henry from White Plains, NY

Our girl Misty was abandoned at a Reno, NV weekly motel that we stayed at when we first moved there in 2007.  She was scared of almost everything but after lots of patience and love, she has become very brave. We have close neighbors with dogs and even horses on all sides and she loves to watch them from inside and out.  She has brought to our lives so much love and affection…

— Craig from Arlee, MT

Jenni came into my life in April 2012. She had been picked up as a stray in our county and taken to a local vet clinic, as we have no animal shelter. I volunteer for our county animal rescue group and had recently lost my elderly dog Jacob to lymphoma. Other volunteers noticed Jenni’s similarity to Jacob and asked me if I would consider fostering Jenni. While not quite ready to adopt another dog, I met Jenni, fell in love, and adopted her after a week.

When Jenni was first picked up she suffered from massive infections and maggots in both ears. She is now deaf. Her extremely long coat was so matted and dirty there was mold growing in it and the only way to help her was to shave her down completely.

At first we thought Jenni was a mix but after a doggy DNA test we learned she is a full-blooded Alaskan Malamute. She is unusually large at 100 lbs. and her long coat makes her a “wooly” malamute.

Jenni loves people, gets along with cats, and has become a minor celebrity around town as she is such a big and beautiful girl. Her deafness doesn’t stop her and her coat has grown back in magnificently. Jenni is a big presence in my life in many ways!

— Annie from Monticello, IA

Coco, my Cairn Terrier (cream color)came into our home in 1999 after my husband had a stroke that left his right side paralyzed. She was just 10 weeks old.

She became mommy’s little girl from the first day we drove to pick her up. She has been by my side thru all the bad times and the good times. Every night since she was old enough she has curled up in my stomach area or the crook of my back in bed She would wait outside the bathroom door every night when I took a shower and in the mornings she would come in the bathroom and lay down on the rug till I was ready for work. Every evening after work I would pull up into my drive way and she would know I was home and would start screaming her high pitch voice.

We have two other Cairns, Tony who is 11 years old and has a bad pancreas and diabetes and is on insulin. Kandy is our youngest who is still healthy.

Well, this weekend I had to put my beloved Coco to rest. Two years ago they found anal cancer and she went thru chemotherapy successfully. They said it would give her another two years and it did. About 3 weeks ago she had an ultrasound done and the vet found a tumor in the lower stomach area (where the food is suppose to flow thru. It was almost blocked. So we took what I called the hospice route (prescription blended food and water) At the time they diagnosed her, they gave her 6 months. That was not meant to be

On the morning of February 2nd she became very ill and could not keep her food or water down. I prayed to God to give me the strength to let her go. It was time.

It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I stayed with her for about an hour after she passed not wanting to let go, crying and whispering into her ear. Last week I had taken her for a spa treatment. Her hair and nails were cut and she was bathed and her pads were soften by some lotion. She had her peach colored sweater on  and she looked beautiful and peaceful  when she passed. It was very peaceful for her but I wanted to die so I could be with her. For 3 days now my husband and my remaing two dogs have been so depressed. I could only cope by taking a prescription and staying in bed for 2 days. I could barely go back to work today.  I have a hole in my heart and the dynamics of the home have changed forever. There is no more high pitch voice, no one outside the bathroom waiting for me and what hurts the most is no one there at night nuzzled up against me. I feel like a part of me died with her. I can only hope that I can get thru this. I need the strength to deal with my Tony when it is his time. I ask God only to allow me some time in between to give me time to recover. I love my special baby girl and miss her. She has given me unconditional love and I to her. My baby is gone and I am lost but need to help my other dogs overcome their depression. So it’s more love for them and lots of walks to help them to become whole again.  Coco was the dominant dog and my Kandy followed her around and learned everything from her. Now she is lost too. We will all find our way back with the help of God.

— Kathleen from Phoenix, AZ

We have to have my cat Monty put to sleep this morning. He was only 15 months old. He was diagnosed with liver failure.

Monty was a rescue kitten. We bought him for our sons Birthday in December 2011. On New Years Eve we took him to the vets to get his shots. I asked how old Monty was, and they said he was 7 weeks old. So that made him only 3 weeks old when we adopted him. He got shots at the animal shelter, but got more from the vets.

A few days ago I noticed that Monty was losing weight even though he was eating and drinking as usual. Last night he seemed to be unsteady on his legs, so early this morning we took him to the vets. The vet diagnosed him with liver failure. We chose to make the hard decision to have him put to sleep because the vet said she couldn`t guarantee that he would pull through even with medication and her vet skills. She said he wasn`t in any pain, but he could be if she was unable to get his liver functioning again.  I didn`t want him to leave me, but I didn`t want him in any pain.

The only comfort I have is that he slept with me on the bed last night.  He hardly ever comes on the bed, so last night Monty must have known his time was short and wanted to say goodbye.

I love you Monty, and miss you so much. ♥

— Wendy from Victor, WV

Mr. Bell was a special guy. I have known him since the day he was born.  He was born with 5 other kittens on a fishing boat parked in a driveway in Monroe Twp, NJ.  Through his 11 years, he’s experienced several relocations, two car trips from NJ to Fla, and 4 plane rides from NJ to Fla.  He’s always been around people who have loved him and cared for him.  I was fortunate enough to find stability in 2006 through my wife.  He’s lived in the same house for the better part of 6 years, and even got his own little section of the house.  We had a few scares with him running out a few times, but he never completely fled.  He was more concerned with eating grass.

I think what I will remember the most about Mr. Bell is just his constant yearning for affection.  He always wanted to be laying on someone, getting pet, or slamming his head into you to mark his territory.  Unless you were a lizard or smaller creature, he didn’t have a bad bone in his body.  He gave us so much love and comfort that it would be impossible to put it into words.  I’d often have issues with insomnia, but he could put me to sleep in 5 minutes if he was purring next to me.  He loved laying with my wife and kneading her as well.

Though he only lived to be just past his 11th birthday, the joy he brought into our lives will last a lifetime.  I am so unbelievably grateful for having the time with him.  There were moments in my life when he was the lone thing I looked forward to seeing.  I got to spend the best and worst days of my life with him.  But, regardless of circumstance, he always made things better.  It’s that unconditional love that always shines through.  He enjoyed his window sills, bird viewing, plant nipping, catnip, laser pointers, and human affection.

While the loss of Mr. Bell has been extremely tough, it is the fond memories that will forever bind him in my heart.  A part of me left and will never come back.  I would do anything in the world to have him back with me in a healthy state, but I know that cannot happen.  I just hope that he is in a place now where he can be rewarded for all of the good he’s brought into our lives.  I couldn’t ask for a better cat and a more loving animal companion.

Your mother and I love you.  We think about you all the time.  Rest in peace Mr. Bell.  I hope you truly are at Rainbows Bridge and that we will cross paths once again.

— Marc from Punta Gorda, FL