Our Sweet Oreo Kitty

The weather has been gray and dreary this weekend.  Which mirrors my mood at the present.  This past Thursday, I noticed our cat Oreo acting differently.  I didn't know why, I just knew something was off about her.  But she was eating and drinking as usual.  On Friday, she spent most of the day lying close by the house in a shady spot.  Friday evening, Dave went out to check on her in the last spot she had been and she was gone.  He checked underneath the house and all her favorite hiding spots around the yard, but she wasn't there.  We have a wooded area bordering our property and Dave thinks she may have wandered off into the woods for her final moments.  It was so sudden and saddening.  Just last week, I was standing in the kitchen looking out the window at Ashleigh and Oreo going down the slide together.  Oreo loved to run around the backyard just like she was one of the kids!  I really thought we'd have many more sunny days to spend with her.

The kids are taking it in stride.  I try to save my tears for moments I'm alone or with Dave as not to upset them.  I find myself looking towards the back door as I pass by the sunroom, expecting to see her little face peeking in.  She was such a pretty kitty with a sweet demeanor.  We'll miss her dearly.

   

UPDATE - Sunday afternoon, a neighbor knocked on our back door.  She found Oreo lying underneath an azalea bush in her backyard.  She was breathing (barely) and could only move her ear.  Dave rushed her to the emergency vet.  The vet said Oreo's injuries were consistent with either being hit by a car or shaken by a dog.  The injuries to her spine were such that Oreo had completely lost movement in her back legs and was losing movement in her front legs as well.  We decided to have her put to sleep as the damage to her spine could not be repaired.

Despite her significant injuries, Oreo made her way back home.  We got to tell her what an amazing kitty she was and that we loved her.  Alleviating her suffering seemed to be the only thing left to give her. 

Mary Ellen