I won the battle of the bloodwork and it came back, that in addition to all of her other problems, Shimmer’s kidneys were also shutting down. We decided ending her pain was the only humane way to help her out.

In celebration of her life with us- here are just a few of the hundreds that did make it despite early trauma, abuse, neglect. I hope you enjoy the photos below:

Madison

Hurricane Charlie before

Hurricane Charlie after

Bibbens

Darby

Dickens (the kitty with the missing femur)

Bram (thrown on the freeway) before

Bram (after)

Jazzy and Serena (left in a box in a local park)

Glade and River (left by the river to die)

So today, in honor of Shimmer, a kitten found in a wild patch of blackberry bushes with her brother and mom, we choose to honor her by remembering those who did survive the ordeal of being abandoned or being victims of abuse or neglect living on in this world.

I also wanted to share a recent moment with Shimmer that was nothing short of a miracle.

We had just returned from the last vet visit, and she was so stressed, she retreated to the bathroom and laid down behind the toilet. She didn’t move all that day or the night, so the next morning, I went in and just sat down on the floor and talked to her. I knew, being with her 24/7, that something more than what we were seeing was going on with her. I told her to hang in there and as soon as possible, her pain would end.

In the five years that we have had her, Shimmer has never sought out either one of our laps. If we even DARED to put her on our lap, she let us know by teeth and claw this was not a GOOD idea. She preferred to remain by herself in the bedroom or in a cabinet alongside the stairwell converted into a cat bed. Medicating her was almost impossible.

I had gone to sit on my recliner after talking to her, when suddenly, I see her coming into the room. She headed straight for my recliner and jumped on my lap! She had this really nasty sticky brown drool dribbling out her mouth but I didn’t care. She was on my lap, head-bumping, purring, kneading me. She stayed on my lap for five hours. I ignored the dirty dishes needing my attention, the rug needing to be vacuumed, the needs of my bladder. Not until Mike asked about  dinner, did I even move as Shim and I shared this final moment together.

After I got up, she went back to the bathroom and laid down behind the toilet, staying there until the vet called with the results. I will hold this challenging girl  strong in my heart and she will be missed. RIP my girl.