# My Perfect Princess



## nroberts (Jun 14, 2009)

It's been a year since my perfect princess passed away, and I'm still grieving her death. I learned so much from that small kitten and I want to share her story with you guys.

I found Snickers one day when I was randomly combing through a pet store. Her and her two littermates where huddled in a small cage together. I was appauled at their condition, they were matted and covered in fleas. I wasn't intending on buying one, but I wanted a closer look at them so I could demand that proper action be taken. The guy at the front said not unless I'm looking to buy, so I said fine. Snicker's stole my attention. She didn't make a peep, didn't move at all, but she was gorgeous. She was a longhaired calico with big, beautiful green eyes. I picked her up and she immediately gave me a head butt followed by nose kiss. My heart melted. I picked up all three of them. You could see the fleas crawling all over them, and every part of them that you touched the nasty boogers started their march of escape. I brought this up to the employees and all three of them pointed fingers at each other saying "Weren't you supposed to bathe them?" Their solution was to put her on the ground and soak her with flea medicine. I was not happy :dis I decided to bring that calico home, and to name her Snickers since she was the colors of the candy bar.

I bathed her with medicated shampoo and the water was instantly brown. I then took her and spent 3 hours picking fleas off her and drowning them in bleach (muahahaha!) I kept getting little kisses and purrs of thank you. I took her to the vet for vaccines and to make sure she wasn't anemic and they said that she was great, and that she was the prettiest calico they had ever seen. We instantly loved each other. The next week was wonderful. She followed me everywhere, talking idly and wanting loves. She'd be waiting by my door when I woke up in the morning, would watch me get ready and distract me with fluffy rubs all over my legs, and when I would come home from work she'd run into the room and start purring and kneading, just from me entering the room. She'd then spend the evening cuddled on my lap. She was so loving and I couldn't have asked for a better kitty :luv 

But something was wrong, she seemed to be sleeping more and more and stopped eating. I told my husband that we needed to take her to the vet. By the time we got there she was breathing out of her mouth. The vet put her on some oxygen and gave me nutrical to try and feed her. That night she got worst. I was devastated, but tried to be calm for her. All she wanted was to be with mommy and daddy. 

The next morning she was trying so desperately to breath out her mouth. Her third eyelid was showing and she had almost no strength. I tried to leave her in a dark corner alone, since I know most cats want that when they're sick. But not my little princess. I heard some desperate cries and looked around the corner. She was dragging herself along the ground trying her best to get to me. So I picked her up and the purrs began. She tried to give mommy kisses and I gently scolded her to just relax. I rushed her to the vet, desperate to make her ok. 

I knew it was bad when he came in with a book. He said that he had to be honest, my little girl was very very sick. She had feline leukemia and had a large amount of fluid on her lungs. I felt hit with a ton of bricks. He said what they would do is keep her on oxygen all day to try to build her strength so that they could try to take the liquid off her lungs. I hoped and I prayed all day waiting to hear from our vet.

I finally got the phone call. She didn't make it... He said that he took 10cc of fluid off of just one side of her lungs. She didn't even weigh 2 lbs. He said that it was a medical mystery that she didn't die the night that we got her, that she should have. He said that only thing that he could think of was the we gave her strong incentive to want to win and fight. I fell apart then. He warned me that her littermates and mama were probably infected, and that I needed to burn and bleach all of her things.

I went to the pet store the next day to warn them. I knew that it meant that their cage was infected, and I hoped to get the information of the people who adopted the others so that we could warn them. The man told me that none of it really was his concern and went to the back room :evil: I was livid! They had just put persian kittens in the cage that my baby was in, what if they were infected now? I visited and called that pet store for the next month, demanding to speak to the manager. Isn't it ironic the he happened to not be there for a whole month? 

My vet sent me cards in the mail over the next month telling us that he was sorry for our loss. One contained something that carried me through it all. It was a beautiful piece of paper telling about the rainbow bridge. It gave me a hope that I'd get to see my beautiful girl again and that she was happy. I framed it in my living room. 

I think that we need to work hard on forcing our pet stores to have more respect and care for the animals that they bring in. Snickers should have never been treated that way. And I beg people, please, if you have kittens please make sure they get vaccinated and are properly cared for. I was told that she was a barn cat and her owners didn't even know that they had kittens. So they brought them to the pet store. Don't let this sort of situation happen. It was a slow and horrible death that I hope no animal goes through.

I miss you my precious princess...


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Tissues. Darnit! Where are my tissues?!  That was both, a horrible and beautiful story. Hugs to you for loving Snickers. atback


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## Fran (Jan 9, 2008)

What a touching and distressing story! 

It sounds like you had a once-in-a-lifetime bond with Snickers, she must have felt the same way with you. Thank you for sharing her memory with us...

Fran


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## nroberts (Jun 14, 2009)

Thank you so much for your kind comments, they mean the world to me! When she passed people told me that it wasn't a big deal, that all cats are the same and I could easily get another one for free.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

nroberts said:


> When she passed people told me that it wasn't a big deal, that all cats are the same and I could easily get another one for free.


*Gasp!* 
My Sister said that to me when my husband and I lost our first cat together. I was horribly offended. It was several years later when she and her husband lost their little Queensland Heeler dog in the same sudden manner we lost our cat...and she called me and apologized for saying "Inky was 'just a cat' to me." She finally understood that pets are much, much more than "_just a_".

I am sorry for the people who express those sentiments. I am sad for them, because they have never known the true and deep love of, and for, a pet.


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