Goodbye, my friend

My Bitty

Let me you the story of my sweet cat.  

Ten almost eleven years ago my step Dad pasted away on a beautiful August morning. He was a sweet gentle man and we all loved him. You see my Dad passed away at 43 yrs old. I truly think my Dad sent Ed to my Mom and us. I was grown and married, but I knew Ed longer that my natural Father. Well a week after Ed passed one of my Mom's cats had eight kittens. Now my Mom and Ed had four cats, mostly feral cats they took in and had all but one spayed. So anyway the last kitten born, after all the rest was my Bitty. Smaller then all the rest and a bit weak. After a few weeks the mother cat pushed him away. He cuddled and looked for warmth anywhere...my Mom got worried and took him to the vet. Now the vet gave him fluids and sent my Mom home with a tiny baby bottle to feed him. She told her sometimes the Mother cat senses something wrong, but my Mom wanted to try to save the peanut. I had been there that day and with twelve kitties I thought she was a little crazy. My Mom kept telling me there was something special about this one and that she would keep this kitten and find homes for the other seven. She stayed up all night and held him, fed him and loved him. She continued to care for him.

This would be Jake and Hubby's and one of my granddaughters last visit with my Mom. She was only 67 and in good health. It was a Sunday and we had such a nice time. On Thursday that week I had gone down and we went to lunch, played with the kittens and it was after I left that day she took the little gray one to the vet.

The following Sunday my Mom had a heart attack and went to heaven. Who would guess in a matter of weeks we would lose both my Mom and step Dad?

When we went to her house my Jake who called my Mom Snow White. Her last name was White and it was his special name for her. One she loved...well, he kept saying Snow White wants me to bring this kitty home. I had dibs on the gray tiger cat, but Jake said Snow White wanted him to take care of this one. He wrapped in in a small towel and carried him and his baby bottles home with us. He was so tiny he fit in the palm of your hand. I truly didn't think he would make it. I feel that this sweet kitten is what helped Jake to get through all the family grieving and such. He was only eight  years old. He fed and cared for the kitten, cuddled and loved him.  As everything settled down I found that the kitten was my salvation also, when I cried he licked my tears. Bitty was always snuggling and purring. He went everywhere that I did. Especially loved being in the garden with me. He was always at my computer with me too. I had a big black 18 yr old cat that passed away that year and Bitty became more and more attached. The funny thing is that Bitty would always go to all the people my Mom loved. I always felt her spirit through him.

He grew into a beautiful cat that we all loved so much.

As you know at Christmas he got sick and when I went to the vet he said he had congestive heart failure. We gave him some treatments to release the fluid around his heart and put him on medicine. He went from almost 17 lbs to 9.5 my little peanut had gotten so weak it broke my heart. Bitty was living on water and the treats I put his medicine in. I gave him Fancy feast, tuna, anything to get him to eat, he would give it a lick and walk away. We went to the vet on Thursday morning. I knew he wasn't doing well and he kept going off and hiding. My heart was so sad. The vet gave him a treatment, but it was his time. He left us that night and I am sure he is snuggling with my Mom in heaven. It is her turn to have him to love. I am crying as I type my goodbye to my sweet Bitty.

"and yes, Mom there was something special about this one"