We said goodbye to Tilly today

Tilly resting on a tree branch

I want to thank you all for your concern and support for Tilly in my last post.

We have always done whatever we can to treat our ailing pets, and our hearts told us to do the same for Tilly. But after several conversations with the vets, we decided the major dental surgery and lengthy recovery was not in Tilly’s best interest. She has been unhappy and in pain for several months, and she was noticeably worse this past week.

We decided the kindest thing we could do for her was to end her suffering in a quick and gentle way. She was euthanized this morning after spending some time outside, enjoying a yummy tube of chicken treat, and getting lots of love from me and her Dad.

This is the hardest decision we have ever had to make. But we did what we knew was best for Tilly.

Give all your pets an extra snuggle. And take care.

In Memory of Speedy, a Special Bunny

This morning we were deeply saddened to read about the passing of Speedy the cheeky house bunny. We’ve followed the adventures of this fearless Himalayan Rex rabbit for many years as he traveled with his Mom & Dad to parks, castles, beaches, moors, and many other interesting places.

Speedy enjoyed the outdoors, and his mom is an avid protector of hedgehogs and other outdoor critters. We saw a sleeping bunny statue at our local garden center, so to honor Speedy, we got it and added it to our collection of garden bunnies. It will remind us of dear Speedy and his love of the outdoors.

You can visit Speedy the cheeky house bunny blog to read about his adventures and see beautiful photos of the English countryside. You can also read about his Mom’s caring for local hedgehogs.

Thank you and moving forward

I wanted to thank everyone for their condolences and words of support with the passing of our sweet ladycat Raven.

Brian’s Dad arranged for Ann of Zoolatry to create this beautiful memorial graphic of Raven. The Fall colors are the perfect complement to her rust-tinged furs and yellow eyes. Thank you Terry and Ann for doing this for us.

After Sammi died, we wanted to add another cat or two to our family, but Raven’s personality wasn’t conducive to that. Without her dominant big sister, Raven blossomed into a confident, outgoing kitty who enjoyed being the center of attention and “top kitty” in our quiet home. Her Dad and I cherished her sweet nature and we decided she would live out her life as an indulged only kitty. She had 9 years as our only cat, 12 years with us, and lived 16 years total. All in all, a wonderful life!

With Raven gone, we have a house full of cat-friendly furniture and gaping holes in our decor where we’ve picked up numerous beds & scratchers.

A lot of thought goes into deciding when to get new cats or kittens. Adult cats are easier to find a more predictable personality, but we’re not getting any younger and this is our last chance to get kittens before our creaky joints make it difficult to retrieve the toys from beneath the furniture! Coronavirus has made the entire adoption process more complicated since the shelters have moved their cats into foster care and you can’t hang out with a variety of animals to find a good match.

All those musings were put to rest a few days ago. Our neighbor fosters kittens and has some that are ready for adoption. We spent about an hour with them and talked with her about their personalities. We need to complete paperwork with the rescue agency, but we hope to have two kittens this coming weekend!

We hope you’ll all stay tuned for kitten antics!

Goodbye to our Sweet Raven

On Thursday, October 29 we helped our sweet ladycat on her journey to Spirit World. We adopted Raven in 2008 when she was 4 years old. We were privileged that she chose us to share 12 wonderful years filled with love and fun. We will miss her sweet and gentle personality, but she will be forever loved and remembered.