It is with a shattered heart that I must tell you the news that Adelaide left this earth yesterday.
I’m sorry this post comes a day after the terrible fact. I couldn’t string words together last night, and crying jags shook me over and over. I took a long walk in the late-autumn sun before sitting down to write today. I hoped or prayed that God would give me some words, and God did, though I don’t presume to imagine I could ever do a post that would do justice to our girl.
As you know all too well, Addy’s kidneys have been getting progressively worse over the last couple of months. In the last two weeks, our sweetheart’s kidney values took a nosedive, and Addy began dropping weight precipitously. She stopped eating one thing after another. First, we could still get her to eat kitten food; then ham baby food; then at least treats…and then nothing at all. Heroic ministrations by our vet team, combined with IV fluid support, did nothing to help.
Yesterday, Addy’s weary eyes made it clear: she was hungrily searching for a better kingdom. We knew it was time to love her enough to let her go.
I held Adelaide for an hour before we said goodbye, and I gave her kisses on your behalf. I confess Addy was stronger than I was, looking at me sweetly as I wept into her fur and whispered to her about how much God loves her. She purred continually, so softly I had to put my ear near her heart to hear it.
The Tabby’s Place staff gathered to be with our girl as she left our lives, weeping together and promising Addy that we will see her again. It didn’t feel real — and, honestly, it still doesn’t, not yet — that she was leaving us. I believe with all my heart that we will see her again, but in the meantime…well, dear sponsors, I don’t have to tell you how much this hurts. As brave souls who have chosen to love cats, you know.
And yet, we would choose no other way, would we? The only way to protect ourselves from this agony would be to wall ourselves off from love…and that’s not a life worth living.
So we are aching today, wracked with grief and disbelief.
It brings me tremendous comfort to know that Addy was precious to you. Words cannot fully express how much it means to me, and to every member of the Tabby’s Place staff, that there are people like you in this world and our lives, choosing to cherish cats like Adelaide. Knowing that Addy was “your” cat too, and that you chose, month in and month out, to nurture her, is a balm to our broken hearts.
Beloved sponsors, thank you for adoring Adelaide along with us. Her life of joy at Tabby’s Place has been a testament to your love, and to the unsinkable bliss that comes from being beloved. You made that possible for her, and I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life. The bond we share with Adelaide is everlasting, and so, too, is the friendship between us, forged by her love.
Our precious Addy has passed the baton of your monthly sponsorship to another Special Needs cat, Addy’s longtime neighbor Buddy. Like Adelaide, Buddy is a loving FIV+ cat who delights in friends both feline and human. (Addy would want you to know that Buddy also respected Adelaide’s seniority, always yielding to her when she demanded a sunny spot or cozy bed. Buddy was a good egg in Addy’s book.) You can meet dear Buddy here, and you can catch up on his past updates here. Unless we hear otherwise from you, you will receive updates on Buddy each month going forward.
However, you may do one of the following:
- Choose to have your sponsorship transferred to support another Special Needs cat of your choice.
You can see all of our Special Needs cats here.
If you wish to do this, please contact us by email and let us know your wishes. - You may choose to discontinue your monthly sponsorship. To do so, please contact us at 908-237-5300 with your request.
We do hope that you decide to continue supporting our cats in need. And, whatever you do, thank you and God bless you for loving Addy so generously.
Note: Since a million words would be too few to fully capture our glorious girl, Addy is also the focus of today’s post on the Tabby’s Place blog, where you can find a longer reflection on her extraordinary life with us.