Dear, dear sweet, Wagner,
You went to the Rainbow Bridge 3PM on Nov. 19, 2009....4yrs and 1 day after you were picked up, as an abondoned stray, by Olathe Animal Control, and nearly 4 years after you chose me to adopt you, on Dec. 15, 2005. You were "about" 10 yrs old they told me.
Only two toes on your right paw..arthritic right front leg, ears with nicks/bite marks in them...you must have had a hard life, but you didn't complain. You had an upper resp.infection, but I brought you home and you recovered from that infection within the week. You made yourself at home here immediately.
Thank you for choosing me.I visited you at the kennel 2-3 times a week for 3 weeks, and knew you would be euthinazed if I did not bring you home, because the kennel was full, and older, sick cats just don't have a good track record of finding a family. You were so quiet and looked so lonely in that cold stainless steel cage. Nose blowing bubbles, eyes all matted up. I had to rescue you. You had my heart from DAY ONE!!!! And, by a miracle, you were the only orange tabby in the kennel...just like our KC who left us only 3 weeks earlier...beautiful classic swirl pattern on your furry sides.

You lost your hearing about 2 yrs after we adopted you, but you just kept enjoying us and playing with us even though deaf.

Then,literally overnight, you went totally blind, the first week of August 2009.
Deaf, now blind. Blood pressure spike caused the blindness?...don't know for sure, but vet said your retinas had detached. Then bloodwork was ran and you were diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.
But, you were SUCH a little trooper, navigating the house and the long flight of stairs, up AND down, in our 2 story home after only 3 days of blindness. You were such a gentle little soul. Loved people, never hissed at, or scratched anyone. You took your thyroid pills every day like a champ...even though you did not like them.
But on Nov 14 you started getting disoriented again and bumping into things again. And on the 15th you stopped eating and could barely walk.
But, on the 17th you climbed up the stairs and found your way down n the hall to go and get up onto the bed in YOUR sunny room upstairs. FINALLY sunshine on the 19th after 4 days of rain, you were able to lay in the south, sunny window on palet that mommy put there for you...your favorite thing to do. But still not eating, and drinking lots of water. Renal failure? Nose plugged up and could not breathe through it. Lost a lot of weight in 5 days. By the 19th you were straining to urinate, and had been sleeping around the clock for 4days. Decision was made. Go to the vet and release you back to God.

Daddy stayed in the room with you, and kept his hands on you, petting and soothing you. Mommy could not bare to stay in there. It was too hard. I had spent 3 days saying goodbye to you, and loving on you so much. You were meowing out in pain. You were hurting, and not wanting to be held anymore. So I kissed you goodbye, on your little forehead, like I did so many times every day and night, for the 4 yrs that you were with us., then, crying beyond control, I went out to car to wait, (I still am crying as of 9:55PM). After about 20 minutes, Daddy came out with you wrapped in blanket in the pet carrier, and we brought you home and fixed you a burial box with your pictures in it, and wrapped you up in soft blanket with square piece of foam padding in bottom of box (your favorite thing to lay on). You are now buried on the south, sunny side of house next to our 20yr old KC(Kansas City Kitty Cat) who went to Rainbow Bridge on Nov 14, 2005, 3 weeks before we adopted you.
I will be so lonesome without any more pets to care for. I cannot go through this again. Losing 3 beloved cats in 6 yrs is too much. Snowball, 18 yrs old, went to Rainbow Bridge on Oct 7, 2003.
I love you so much Wagner.
I MISS YOU SO MUCH!!! It will be very hard the next few weeks. I love you so much.
I know that you are seeing again and playing again, and happy again, just as you were when you adopted us !
Be happy my little one. We will see you again. This tribute will be posted, along with a picture of you laying in the sun, on the Rainbow Bridge website, as was the tribute for KC when he pounced happily to the Rainbow Bridge.
Be happy our little one. We will see you again
Love, your mommy & daddy, Alice and Richard