Jan 20
A sad goodbye
Yesterday Juliette left us….she was tentatively diagnosed with a bone marrow malignancy over a year ago. Her anemia was amazingly severe, but from the beginning, we couldn’t subject her to bone marrow biopsies, trips to veterinary centers, and chemotherapy. We knew that it was a battle that we ultimately could loose (and almost did last summer), but we had to try to keep her with us….and wanted her to be as happy as she could be.
We choose steroid therapy as the only possibility we felt would not make her life traumatic. And it worked; she rallied and went into remission, gained weight and never complained about the daily injections she needed to survive. Her year has been full of hills and valleys, but mostly it has been a good one for her, until this past week when her blood counts plummeted again.
Through it all, her loving personality never changed. Even when she was weak, and lounging on the bed or the sofa, she rolled over on her back and miaou-ed softly to us when we said her name. At the vet’s, she luxuriated in the attention…whatever condition she was in, she purred so loudly that no one was able to hear her breath sounds. And this was so even on the day before she passed away.
Juliette loved her life and wanted to be near us, whatever we were doing. She was a little buddha, living in the moment, and finding pleasure in whatever she was given…we had much to learn from her.
She came to us in a litter of feral kittens that we rescued and hand raised nearly 5 years ago. Juliette and her brother Lefty have been beloved members of our family ever since.
We will miss her sweet spirit….and pray that she will find us again some day.
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God Speed Juliette
I am so sorry for your loss. She was a beautiful girl and so lucky to find a family who obviously loved her so much.
I am so sorry; what a special cat friend she sounds like. But I must admit that when I saw your title on my dashboard, my heart went to my throat and I reached for my cell phone, because I was afraid it was Titan. They ALL live too-short lives!
I got choked up when I read your tribute. What an awesome cat! I’m sorry for your loss. She had a GREAT home.
Jackie
sheepmom.com
What a lucky girl she was. I’m sorry for your loss. Nine lives aren’t enough.
I am so sorry. It is always so hard when they must go on without us.
What a beautiful girl! So sorry for your loss.
I’m so sorry to hear about your loss of Juliette. She was such a sweet kitty. She was lucky to have found her way into yours and Brooks life, your love of your animal friends is exemplary. Hugs! Tammy
Oh, Lois…
My eyes are leaking. I know how much you both loved Miss Juliette, and she you. And I know how hard it was for you and she to go through this last year, but even knowing that did not stop you from loving each other to the fullest.
My heart aches for you and Brook. I, too, hope she will meet you again.
With all my heart, Kathy
Lois,
I’m just catching up on some blogs and found your loss of Juliette. She was adorable as a kitten…beautiful as a cat. I just lost my 13 year old Sally Dog and it HURTS. It’s so hard to bear the loss of someone who has shared your home for so long.
Love to you and Brooke. Love to your whole network of animal friends on your farm. I do believe our precious friends go to a good place and that we will see their spirits again one day.