Your Pet Tributes

by Tiffani
(Denver, Colorado)

My cat Leila was a mix between orange and gray. She started off being a feral cat and my boyfriend helped trap her and he adopted her. As my boyfriend said, she has a fierce side that is equal and opposite to her timid side.

She was so timid in fact I didn't ever see her for the first 6 months I visited my boyfriend. Later though she would come up on our bed in the middle of the night and ask for pets and put her motor on. That's how I discovered her and at night I would see a candy cane tail and knew that was Leila.

She also had a distinct way of drinking water. She would put her paw in the water dish and lick her paw like a honey-bear, so sweet to see. One day my boyfriend decided before he relocated to his new home he brought her over to my place and I tried her out for a few weeks and she fit in perfectly. I think she liked being the only cat in the house and she thrived. I even grew some cat grass for her she thoroughly enjoyed.

Then one day I came home and realized she hadn't eaten any of her food and was lying down on the floor, in a place she never laid. Her mouth was swollen and she didn't look good at all. I had to take her to an ER my friend recommended and the Vet said she had late stages of Cancer and only hours to days left to live. I was in shock and heart broken, how could her life be coming to an end so quickly.

My boyfriend spoke with the vet and supported my decision to put her asleep. It was a terrible thing to do but there were no other options and I wanted to end her suffering. They had to sedate her because she was so fierce to the vets because she didn't know them and was upset to be seperated from me.

Leila was the most beautiful lady cat I've ever known and she'll always be a part of me. <3