Farewell to Vic the Courageous

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This is a hard post to make even though I have only had this handsome lad not even a month- but his blood results are back and they are according to the vet “as bad as it can get.” He is a kidney kitty- his kidneys are failing fast. He has a large amount of blood in his urine and his urine is not concentrating. He has a high amount of reticylocytes in him and he is losinng RNA fairly quickly. In other words, he is living on borrowed time- and all of this because of fleas and neglect! He has a low red blood count (which we expected) but he has a high white count which means internal damage beyond the kidneys. He will meet with an angel at 3:00 this afternoon- and yes, I will be there til the end because he hasn’t had anyone there for him in a very long time-

15 thoughts on “Farewell to Vic the Courageous”

  1. Oh, I’m so sorry. Thank you for all your kindness to him. I know I’ve enjoyed meeting him. He’ll be in my thoughts.

  2. Oh, my heart actually tightened when I read your post. To think that this is all due to neglect makes me so angry.

    Sweet, sweet Vic, may you rest with all those who have gone before you. Your struggle is over. You knew love, compassion and caring, if only for a few weeks. And, beyond your home, you had so many across the country praying and sending comforting thoughts your way.

    Your life mattered and I’m honored to have known you.

    Blessings to you and to Mary Anne.

  3. Sweet precious boy! I’m glad you will be with him. He knows love and the good Lord will embrace and welcome him into his kingdom! It never gets any better though saying goodbye! Prayers for you both!

  5. It does make me angry how people can cast out this kitty without regard that he was blind and not capable of finding food and shelter. #%!|>€|>!!!!!!!!

  7. He was a very lucky boy to found his way into your home and heart. You are called to do this, even when it hurts so much you feel like you just can’t go on, you still manage to do it. Vic needed to be shown love and caring and that’s what you did for him. So much better for him to have died with love and kisses than cold, alone and unloved.
    I am so sorry for the loss of your very courageous boy.

  8. I am so sorry to hear this sad news. You were loved by MA and those of us following her blog. Bye, sweet Vic.

  9. I’m so sorry, MA. Thank goodness he did get some love and compassion before his life ended. I know how hard all of you tried. Hopefully Shell and the others were there to greet him and show him life on the other side. RIP, brave Vic.

  10. So sorry to hear the news. Prayers for Vic and your family. I will light a candle for him.

  11. Damn it, I was hoping Vic would pull it off. At least he spent the last couple of weeks of his life with someone who cared about him.

  12. Awww I’m so sorry to read this.. but Vic did not die alone. He knew he was loved and cared for! Thank you for that.. Fly high Sweet Vic and soar with the Angels!

  13. I am so sorry to read this. I remember how shocked I was when I saw that first photo, I could “feel” how ill he was, and I wished I was in a position to help him.

  14. Tears for Vic – damn, he would have to be an orange tabby – I have a soft spot for them, and loads of scar tissue where parts of my heart *used* to be after losing several in some spectacularly awful ways. It feels like I lost Vic, too. So sorry to learn that he was too ill to be saved. I’m glad you were able to provide him with love, care and security for a few weeks. And I’m glad that he was gently released with you there beside him.

    Several years ago some company or org – I can’t remember who – had a wonderful campaign for Adopt a Cat Month – the slogan was something like “Imagine a world where every cat counts.” It was when I was actively fostering, volunteering, educating, promoting adoptions. The slogan was really inspiring, and it helped me really work hard that year in my cat welfare work. I made posters and bookmarks with photos of adopted and adoptable cats and put them up everywhere, made gift bags for all cat adoptions at the shelter . . . hard to believe I once had so much energy and passion. It was exactly the mindset I was hoping to help to create, especially as that belief was painfully absent at many of the shelters, orgs, even vets I worked with.

    Well, life has opened too many trap doors underneath me since then, and several of my precious cats have fallen through with me, so I am unable to do any more work in this area. The cats still in my care are extremely high maintenance, including two who may need to be put down soon. They take all my resources, and I am disabled with several conditions myself. Still, that thought – a world where EVERY CAT COUNTS – resonates with me so powerfully. That’s how it SHOULD be, and we’re oh so far away from it. Maybe someday I’ll be in a place where I can resume this work, but that’s pretty far away at this point, too. In the meantime, Mary Anne, thank you on behalf of all the cats you advocate for, care for, save, and find homes for.
    Thank you especially for being with them in their final moments when that is the only gift left to give them. Because no one – even a cat – should die alone and unloved. Because every cat – even cats like Vic, ESPECIALLY cats like Vic – do count. Thank you for your constancy and devotion to this cause.

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