Sonja the Mixed Breed (Tabby) Cat

Published on Dec 29th, 2011

By RevImmigrant (Mexico)

Sonja was a throwaway kitten. Some uncaring individual pitched her out on a country road when she was 4-6 weeks old. I found her when she followed my neighbor in the gate as he returned from his morning walk. She was cute and friendly so I kept her, even though I already had 4 cats.
   
For the last 6 months she had continuous problems with various illnesses. First she had hairballs, then she got the "Triad," inflammation in her liver, pancreas and colon. She improved with a special diet, but then developed inflammation in her throat and had to have injections periodically because the inflammation caused her to regurgitate her food. I noticed that she was drinking an excessive amount of water so I took her to the vet who said her blood sugar was high and also said she might have kidney disease. He put her on special food again, which she ate for the first several days, but then refused to eat it. I took her back. Her blood sugar was in the normal range, but the vet again said she might have kidney disease and gave her subcutaneous fluids. After this, she became much worse and was very listless. She was clearly suffering and it was obvious that there was no hope for improvement so I made the decision to euthanize her.
   
She went to sleep peacefully in my arms. In her last minutes she was with two people who loved her: me and a close friend. She was 11 years old.
   
Almost everyone who had ever met Sonja really liked her. She was sweet and friendly and got along beautifully with other cats. She was the most accepting cat I have ever seen and always accepted other cats that I brought home over the years. Since I had moved around alot over the years, she had been a world traveler and had lived in 3 countries on 3 continents.
   
Sonja, my friend, you are missed. May you rest in peace.
   
Linda