My name is Missy, and I am a 14 year old girl. Our beloved cat, Stumpy passed away…. July 29th.
Let me tell you a little about him. He was a black and white cat. We'd always tease and say he was ready to go out for a date because of his resemblance of a tuxedo. He didn't have a right foot (not leg) and without the foot; it made him handicapped, but it didn't stop him. He walked/ran normally without contraptions. He was the sweetest cat. When you were sick, he'd be right beside you. Sometimes I'd wonder if he was the one who healed us…
When we would have dinner, he'd sit there, and beg. Not with a simple meow, just a little pat on your arm or leg, saying "I'm here…" and in return, I'd give him chicken galore!

Many times, my older siblings Katie and Matt and I, we'd talk about…. If Stumpy would die, what would we do…? To tell you the truth, we wanted to stuff him. But if you think about it, he'd be hard to look at it, and he'd just sit/lay there and collect dust. And we didn't want that for our precious boy. Or we wanted to clone him as well. But… if you ponder about it…. It wouldn't be him. It'd look like him, but his personality wouldn't be him. And we wanted Stumpy, not some other cat.

Years rolled by, and many years it was. Around 10-12 years, we noticed days were getting harder, and moving for him was getting rough. But none of my family members could expect the fact that nothing stays the same forever.
When I was a little girl, I would say "He's an Angel, He can't die…. He's gonna live in our family FOREVER" Forever is a long time… but I was determined to keep it that way.

…July 24/25th I realized that Stumpy smelt really bad and his fur coat wasn't black as black gets, it had a knotted texture, and his coat was tinted with brown... And in my attempt I would give him a bath. He smelt like he rolled in poop. Giving a cat a bath is never a fun thing, but with me in there, made it… not so bad. But his terrifying cries really got to me. But I ignored them. Giving him a bath was for his sake, not mine. But he never did understand….
July 25th, the smell was back. 10 times worse! My mom and my brother had to go practice driving, while I was home alone on the computer. When my mom left, she told me to keep an eye on Stumpy. I wasn't really in the "mood" to be watching a cat that can take care of himself. When my sister came home from a sleep over, I knew... I needed to check on him. I looked down stairs, calling his name. Didn't find him. I ran desperately up the stairs calling his name. Didn't find him. I told my sister to help me find him. We both looked. I went outside, circling the house. I went to the back, crossing barefoot against rough rocks. I found it slightly difficult to cross the rocks, but I had a feeling I was going to find him. Having trouble crossing the rocks… I called out to Stumpy. I heard a little rustling in the bushes. I jumped, and struggled to get over to the bushes. "…Stumpy….?" I leaned downward, and there he was. All hunkered up into a ball. "STUMPY!!! Thank god I found you" Normally he'd look at me with those sweet golden orbs, but he didn't. His ears didn't even twitch. I stumbled to the front door, calling to my sister, to get her ass outside. When she got outside. She puckered her lips out and made a kissing sound. , normally he'd come to her, begging for attention, but he didn't want anything to do with her or me. She told me to run inside, and get a cup of water. I ran off, and came back with water. We quickly put the water dish by his muzzle. … He tried to lap up some water, but he just couldn't. At the moment, I was freaking out. I ran inside, and gave my mom a call; she told she was on her way home. When she got home, and came around the corner, she picked him up in her arms. A foul smell was coming from his mouth. It smelt like rotten fish. My mom rubbed her thumb against his maw taking a little of the liquid from his mouth, and brought it to her noise. She gagged. She looked at me and said "That's it, we're going to the VET, right now!" we rushed to the Vet. Normally Stumpy would shy away from the other animals (mainly dogs) but he was so relaxed… When we finally got to get into a room, they took an X-Ray, and said he had a heart murmur. When looking at the X-Ray, they also said that his kidneys looked a little large. They were bigger then normal. They kept him over night, to see what would happen next. In my attempt, I got on the computer, gave the symptoms, and what do I found. "KIDNEY FAILURE" We go back to the Vet the next day, and they say he has Kidney failure. Who was right? ME.
Every fucking day was the same. It was a routine. To the vet, then to the animal hospital. Stumpy didn't like all moving around, but he knew we would fight for him. He was on IV constantly, he couldn't eat…. He had no will power.
3 days pasted, July 28th, we went the vets where they did another blood test. They came back with wonderful news. My mom and I cried with joy, our baby boy was going to fight this. We went home, telling my siblings the news. Soon after, the vet called us. Uh oh. She apologized; she gave us the wrong test results. Stumpy's results were off of the chart, there was nothing they could do. I needed to take a shower, I needed to relax, and think of what to do. When I came out of the shower, I over heard my mom and siblings talking about putting him down. I remember crying and running to my room, bawling my head off. Through the whole time Stumpy was in the vet, I was completely silent. I didn't talk to anyone. I couldn't. I was in my own world, you could hit me, and I wouldn't say a thing. I wanted Stumpy to get better so badly, but the more I preyed to God, I realized it was his time. I was mad with God, and I swore if he took him away from us, I never forgive him. I'd always be mad at him. I don't understand how he can give a life, and take it away with so much pain.

………………………….July 29th………………………………. Night, my parents came to me in my sisters room, where they found me snuggled up with my cat Socks. They told me there was nothing they could do, and the vets were out of things to do. They said the only thing we could do it make it all better, it to put him down. I began to cry. To put an animal down, to me at the time, it was murder. I didn't understand why my parents wanted to put him down, I knew somewhere in Stumpy's heart he could fight…. But….. I couldn't except that he was done. This battle he was fighting… it would be his last.
We rushed to the Vet, where my mom and I held him in our arms, crying. And the whole time we were holding him, he gave us a gentle purr. His gentle purr always seemed to calm us… it was when the vet came in with the "euthanize shot" and then she had the nerve to inserted it into his arm where the IV fluid tube once was. When she did put the needle in him, I felt like it went through me too (I wish it was me with Kidney failure Not stumpy. He did nothing to deserve this. He made everybody love him. He could make something that dislike cats love him. He was perfect. He did nothing wrong. Why him? Couldn't change places with him?)
Ever so slowly she injected the stuff in to him. The whole time he was purring looking at my parents (while I held on to his lower half crying my butt off) I remember my parents talking to him. Thanking him for the wonderful years. I wanted to tell him so much, but I just could express myself. Deep down, I think he heard it through my head. It was done, the liquid was all in him, and he laid there lifeless. The vet pulled out her stethoscope, listening for a heartbeat. "He's gone" my mom and I burst into tears. I couldn't believe that he was gone. At that moment, I died too.
That night when we got home, I ran away. I was grieving over Stumpy. I thought about suicide many times, but I knew it wouldn't bring him back. And it wouldn't make Stumpy happy. I desperately looked for the one thing I was hoping to see. "The rainbow" I never did see one. But I did see a butterfly. Stumpy always did like to frolic with the butterflies. So every time I see a butterfly I acknowledge it, by saying Stumpy.

If you were to look out my window you would see a star. I call it Stumpy Star. Because it's always there. I tell "Stumpy star" everything. That I love him, and that I miss him. Tell him my troubles. Sometimes I forget to tell him goodnight and everything else, but I hope he knows that I meant to do it.

Stumpy wasn't just some ordinary cat. You see feral as pets. I beg a differ. Stumpy was more of a family member then a pet.

Stumpy I miss you so much. I bet you are running in the fields, with all 4 legs. He's probably running with the angels and climbing trees. Stay out of trouble, be good.
I love you boo. Katie Matt, Mom and Dad all miss you. We WILL be together again, it'll be our reunion…
Stumpy you are my Guardian Angel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those who have lost pets, think about this… "A love one is not gone, until forgotten. And to live in the hearts of those left behind is to live forever" Never ever forget your animals that have passed. Like people say "He/She has gone to a better place. When your time comes, you will be together, forever and forever." Remember time heals