Spunky Doodle Crosses the Rainbow Bridge at Age 17

The hardest thing about pet ownership is watching your beloved pet deteriorate to the point when it's time to let them go and have them put down.  Spunky Doodle was born feral and I took her in as a kitten.  She lived with us for 17 years and 2 months.  Although she was never a lap cat, she was very playful and would sleep next to me in my bed every night for quite a long stretch.  

She threw up a lot during a long stretch and had to only eat special Royal Canine food for renal support, but still was active and acted normal.  We enjoyed her playfulness with our other cats and I loved playing all sorts of different games with her. 
She was quite the entertainer and made me laugh a lot over the years.  I never once regretted bringing her home.  

Over the past year she developed a tumor which we had tested and was told it was not cancerous.  However, it kept growing bigger and bigger.  At first, I couldn't even see it and just was able to feel a slight bump on her right side, but then I saw it.  Her jumping up on things came to an end and so did her sleeping with me.  I lifted her onto her cat tree, carried her up to the den so she didn't have to climb the stairs.  The vet gave her a steroid which helped with her appetite, her eating so she didn't throw up so much and it seemed she had more energy.  She actually did pretty good for about two months until the last couple weeks when I noticed she was walking around less and less, having a hard time getting in and out of her litter box.  Sometimes, she'd even step in her waste and the litter would get caught in between her toes--yuck!  I decided it was time to let her go.  She was not well and not enjoying her days.  

It helps knowing I did the right thing for her, but I still miss her and am heartbroken.  The last trip to the vet for her was Tuesday and I just carried her in the pink cat bed instead of putting her into a carrier.  

This is the shirt I got from Spunky Doodle on Sweetest Day this year.

You can view videos of Spunky (as well as my other cats) on my YouTube Channel here.

Share this: