Shirley

When I took in a locally rescued, scrawny stray cat as a foster until she was well enough to be adopted, I was excited to be part of this cat's development into health and happiness after being neglected and barely surviving for years. I immediately knew that she was special. This scraggly, skin-and-bones black cat with sea-foam eyes and a hoarse little meow quickly captured my heart and I knew that when the time came for her to find her forever home, parting with her would be heart-breaking.

After a month of being spoiled rotten, she hadn't gained much weight and she showed some signs that something beyond neglect was wrong with her. I brought her to the vet where I learned that she was in end stage kidney failure and that there were no viable treatment options. I was devastated. This cat deserved to be someone's cherished family member after her sad life, and instead she was not going to survive long enough for that to be a possibility.

The morning after I got the news, I realized that OF COURSE that was a possibility! I officially adopted her, and she joined my husband and our three other rescue cats as the newest lifetime member of the family. Once the adoption was finalized, it's like a light switch went off in her head - she had been home for over a month, but I truly believe that she knew for sure that she was officially here for the long haul. She discovered how comfortable my lap is. During the COVID-19 "Work from Home" era, she spends most of the work day comfortably purring on my legs while I work on the computer. She began exploring more of the nooks and crannies of the home, making sure to check out the vantage point from every accessible window. I know that she knows this home is hers.

A "hospice" cat is hard work. It is messy and it is sad, and it is the best thing I could ever have done. Every time she looks at me with those big green eyes, or leaps onto my lap or purrs, I know that there was a reason why she was brought into my life. This 5 pound senior cat, discarded in the past, has become my purpose in an uncertain time.

I cannot control Shirley's future. I wish that I could, but the future isn't promised to anyone. I can however, ensure that every single day that she has left is the best day she has ever had. I could not possibly love this old lady more, and I know that if she had words, she would say the same thing to me.