I am very sorry for your loss of Sammy. It sounds like his passing was gentle and that he was well loved.
Tracy ----- Original Message ----- From: Taylor Scobie Humphrey To: [EMAIL PROTECTED];felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: 8/10/2007 7:04:58 PM Subject: My little Sammy went to Heaven Dear Everyone: I'm so sorry to report that my dear Sammy went to Heaven on Tuesday morning. He had gone into Animal 911 the evening before. He felt quite warm and when I took his temperature it was 106 so off we went. He stayed overnight in the ICU, hydrated, etc., and I knew he was in the right place that night. His WBC count was dismal, his RBC's were dismal, he was very quiet when I picked him up to move him to Berglund for continued care. After discussion with the ICU folks, who felt that the lymphoma once again had the upper hand, I knew it was time to say farewell and I made the decision to have him PTS over at Berglund. We drove the five minutes to Berglund where I was met by his Auntie Head Tech Linda and Auntie Dr. Val. I had picked up a beautiful little baby blanket earlier in the week-- blue and white cotton knit with a small ruffle around the edge, lined in soft white "fur," and Sammy was wrapped in that, in my arms. They agreed it was time and I'm pretty sure Sammy did, too. He was so tired for such a little guy, but he wasn't in pain, just so very, very tired. When Val put the sleepy meds into the IV on his wrist he went to sleep IMMEDIATELY. As she added the meds to stop his little heart she said, "I love you, Sammy." Linda cut off some of Sammy's beautiful marmalade hair for me and Val put it in a little plastic bag. Linda made sure I got all Sammy's colors, too. I wrapped him back up and held him close and just sat and cried in the exam room, stroking his beautiful little face until it was time to give him away forever. Every so often someone would peek in to say how sorry they were. Linda said she was making a little paw-print disc of Sammy's little paw for me and, of course, I was having him cremated at St. Francis Animal Cemetery. My dad always buried the cats in our back yard but I cremate mine (even the tiny parakeets, who are each in tiny blue-and-white ginger jars). The little plastic bag of fur will fit right in the little St. Francis tin, with a picture of St. Francis on it and a little St. Francis animal tag inside. Poor Sammy, he was so very small--he'd lost a pound over the last twelve days--I could feel him growing cool so fast as I held him, I disliked that so! I've been staying close to home with the other kitties. I think we're all doing okay. The other kitties always knew Sammy was very seriously ill and we were allyuuuuuuuuuuu===================================(hello, Charlie has jumped up, purring, to see me and let me hold him tight while I write to you all) doing all we could to help him stay well, but he was overcome. And now we're overcome. I'm sure he was met by that great Big Brother in the sky, my giant kitty and champion kitten-adorer Jack-Jack, who went to Heaven last March before the triplets arrived on July 1st of last year, and all the other cats my parents and I have had over the years. Think of how many kittens and cats will meet us again someday! Thank you all for everything you have given me and how much you have helped me and the kitties, Tee 'n' the Remaining Wildlife (Lilibet Squeekietoy, exemplary kitten-big-sissy, Billi Bi, reluctant, peeved ["I'M the baby!"] eldest brother, and the 2 Orange Boyz, great big Charlie, AKA Twinkie (he's twinkie-colored and was teenie when he was small), and Teddy Baby Pooma (he was so little--he still is--I told him he was a baby puma to make him feel big and strong). "Consciousness is Causal and Physicality is its Manifestation." 958