(Thank you, Angel Alice, for this lovely image of Toby)
Can one be Thankful and sad at the same time? Yes, as we learned that one of our extended family crossed the bridge unexpectedly on Tuesday...
Those of you who have been following us a long time, might remember Toby, who came back to his birth home here when he was unhappy in his first home and was spray marking everywhere. A busy, boisterous family was not to his liking after many years, so Teri began her rehab with him...
He did very well, but still was not past spraying on the door to his bedroom, where he could smell the rest of our cat family. But a nice young woman came to meet him and she really wanted to give him a try...so off he went to start a new life, and hopefully be happy once again...
Toby has a Visitor
He moved away to Iowa, and then got a doggie brother when Bobbi's dad passed away and she took on his dog. But she told Teri, that if Toby wasn't happy, she would find a good home for the doggie, and that made us smile a little bit...
Tob's and the dog became friends...and then Bobbi agreed to foster a Cornish Rex with multiple health issues, and Teri was a little afraid that maybe Toby would not like the growing family...but he loved his human, and while he and the new cat weren't really buddies, Toby still was behaving as far as the litter box goes. They even went on 'walks' together, with Toby in his 'Travel Bag'...
Then a couple of months ago, when Toby wasn't feeling well and went to the vet, they found something, a mass or enlarged lymph node, in his abdomen. They put him on antibiotics and he got better, and Bobbi was preparing to move and said she'd take him in to meet a new vet when she got settled.
Last week, Bobbi said he was hiding and not eating well, and the new vet said the felt the same mass, but since he hadn't seen him before, was not sure if it was larger or not. He put him on a steroid and wanted to see him again in a week to see if there had been any change.
Bobbi said he began feeling better and we very snuggly and happy again. Then Tuesday afternoon, she came home to find that Toby had passed over the bridge...She called Teri and they talked and talked and cried a little too, but they both felt better knowing that Toby had been given a 2nd chance at happiness and had found love again with Bobbi...She rescued him and he rescued her, and that is what makes the sadness a little softer now that he is gone...
So in your purrayers tonight, think of Toby and send gentle thoughts to Bobbi and to Teri, too...they both have an empty place in their heart, as does everyone who knew Toby along the way...
Ps: Bobbi wrote to us after she read Toby's Mewlogy, and she said "I posted a comment. I hope it's not to long. Once I got started, it was hard to stop. Your eulogy was beautiful and it brought more tears to my eyes. I hope you're doing ok. And let me know how Sammy progresses.
As you might have guessed it has been really tough. I took a nap this afternoon (didn't sleep much last night) and it really felt like he was walking on me and lying on top of me.
As you say, I wondered how much longer he'd have, but I thought it would be a slower process and I'd have more time to get used to it. I try to tell myself that at least this way I didn't have to watch him decline or suffer."
Yes! She fur sure wants another Cornish Rex, but is kinda worried he or she won't be as wonderful as Toby was and that she would compare them all the time. Teri told her to wait a few months, and get to know Finn better as an only cat, and let the sadness fade a little...
And in the meantime, Teri will start evaluating Sammy (who she thought would be with us here furever) and see if she thinks he would do well with another cat and a dog.
Having been 'a lone wolf' as a stud cat for most of his life, he is a little edgy around Coco, Brighton and Disco when he is loose in the house. But he is fine with them when they are in 'his room'.
When Teri mentioned the possibility that maybe Sammy could be considered as a new addition to her family, Bobbi wrote back "Thank you so much for being willing to let me have Sammy. I think I might be interested, though I worry that I'd compare every cat to Toby. Is Sammy affectionate? I can't remember. Playful (for his age I mean)?
Also, I've wondered what made Toby's fur so smooth and velvet like. Finn's hair isn't like that. In any case, I think I should give myself a bit more time to think about taking Sammy, but I would love to give an old man who lived off by himself some love and attention in his golden years".
