Amelia
Amelia June 2011
I remember going to pick her out. She was one of five kittens that were born to a momma cat that had been brought into The C.A.R.E. Foundation, the Animal Sanctuary I volunteered at in Orlando. I went alone, Michael and I had been married for just two years and this would be our 2nd kitty together. I picked the long haired calico over the tortoise shell. The litter was born on Easter morning 1998 which has always made it easy to remember her birth date.
It took us a while to name her and I remember exactly where we were when the name was chosen. We were camping at Ginny Springs with a group of friends and were sitting around the fire at night throwing name ideas around. One had been Marseilles after the Jimmy Buffet song “Coast of Marseilles”. Then it came to us, “Amelia”. It’s a street in Orlando, the street that Michael and I were on when our relationship took a more serious turn back in June of 1994. That was it, she had a name.
I’m writing this now because she’s turning 14 in April and she’s very sick, so sick she may not make it to her birthday. Those who know me are aware that we have eight kitties, the seniors, Murdock (16), Amelia (these two have been boyfriend/girlfriend for like ever until recently, so sad), Nelson (14 April) & Roswell (14 April) and the newer additions, Jenny (5), Matilda (2) , Carmello (2) and Harry (9mth).
Amelia, along with the other seniors, Laslo, Yoda, and Truffles, made a cross country trip twice with us when we moved to Las Vegas and back in 1999/2000. Amelia has lived in six different homes with us, has been more of a recluse, especially around strangers, but very sweet and affectionate around us. Always the pretty girl, Murdock’s girlfriend. They would sit together for hours, grooming each other, curled into a ball and sleeping together. It’s sad that they’ve parted ways, more on Murdock’s end then Amelia’s. Since she’s been sick she’s tried to snuggle with him and he walks away, it’s sad to watch. He’s been sick too, just not as critical as her. He has a tumor in his liver, but for now he’s a skinny, spunky old man, ha.
Right now Amelia is being force-fed every 4-6 hours and on five different medications. Not sure if it’s cancer or not, definitely some type of internal infection or inflammation around the liver. Fatty liver, loss of appetite, dehydration. Hopeful that this week she’ll improve or we’ll have to make a tough decision. See, I don’t believe in making them live being poked, prodded, stuffing a food syringe and pills in their mouths daily. Just not a quality of life. I can’t have her last days like that. So I’m holding out hope that she’ll turn around this week.
It’ll be a rough couple of years with so many getting so old. We’ve already lost Laslo, May off 2011, one of the brothers (Laslo, Nelson, Yoda and Roswell). Yoda left us years ago.
Hardest part of caring for them and loving them so much.
Filed Under: Fur Kids, Life LOVE
