Saying Good-bye to Susie

My sweet Susie, passed away a week and a half ago on April 25th, 2018. It was a hard Wednesday as she was in pain when I woke up. After bringing her into the vet to get some meds and fluids, I left her at home with some food hoping she would perk up before I came back again. Getting home after school, she was curled up again in pain. I called the vet again and he suggested she needed to be put down as she had lost 25% of her body weight in the last two months and was in so much pain. It was a hard decision to make but the right one I knew. My friend, Cammy came and drove Susie and myself to the vet and brought me back home again afterwards. Thank you to so many who have written sweet condolences with emails, cards and messages on FB. The prayers and sweet words of comfort have been so meaningful as I feel like I have lost a close family member. It is strange to come home to a quiet, empty apartment when I am usually greeted with lots of meowing, purring and kitty hugs. In memory of Susie, I wanted to share a few stories of her unique personality and playful spirit.

Over 17 years ago, I fell in love with a teeny little kitten who was born on October 1, 2000 in Watertown, SD. Along with her siblings, she was starving since their mother was not able to feed her little ones. After calling the vet, I began feeding and caring for the kittens of which only one survived. Susannah or Susie was full of spirit and would hear me getting her food ready in the middle of the night. She was kept in the bathroom at the time to keep her warm. She would suck her baby formula from an eyedropper, stop to tell me I took too long, then eat about 1.5 more dropper fulls. She was litter box trained at 6 weeks and the cutest little puff of fur ever! She would climb up my jeans when she was hungry, crying for food. She would also perch on my shoulder almost like a little bird at times when she was really little!

Susie was full of antics, playful well beyond a year and loved playing with Sparkie (my dog) and Silvester (Daniel's kitty). She even locked my aunt Joanie's makeup in the bathroom while we were gone! She had to call a neighbor to come and help her get in!

We moved to Colorado in May of 2003 and she loved Tess' dog Winnie!! Not sure how fond Winnie was of Susie. Susie would hide in the hallway then jump out at Winnie, scaring her out of her wits! When she was hungry or just wanted attention, Susie would climb on my shelves and knock off my CD's and other items. She was also obsessed with water. Tess had a fish bowl sitting on the counter with some beautiful glass fish inside and Susie would love to paw at the water. She knocked the whole thing over one day and made a huge mess! After that, I was careful to not let glasses of water sit out as Susie would find it and knock it over to get easier access!

As with any cat, knocking things over is great fun! Susie even knocked over a small urn holding a loved one's ashes! Tess' grandpa! We vacuumed him up and had a hard time keeping a straight face! She was not fond of my singing and would come from the other end of the apartment to try and get me to stop. Latching onto my arms with her claws, she would yowl, bite and scratch, leaving her marks for several days. As a kitten, her favorite toy were my fingers and hands. Even as she grew, she would play with my hands more than any other toy. I could always tell when she was feeling frisky, playful or angry.

I loved to share stories about her with my four-year olds at the childcare center where I worked. Susie had a little red sports car which had a wagon on the back with a flag sticking up. She would drive me to work then come and pick me up again at the end of the day. Of course, my kids were watching at the end of the day wanting to see her. So, I came up with another tale that Susie was speeding and got her license revoked for the next 6 months. Oh well...

When God called me to Germany, it was never in doubt that Susie would come with me. She was my baby, my close companion and a piece of my home. Susie made it easier to be so far away from family and friends and a cute bundle of fur that was always happy to see me! 

When she was diagnosed with kidney disease and pancreatitis last year, I researched options to help her live comfortably as long as possible. The pancreatitis would make her nauseous and end up with a visit to the vet for fluids and meds to help her feel better. A few months ago, I began giving her fluids which helped a lot yet she was also starting to lose weight quite drastically. A week and a half ago, on Wednesday, I decided to put her to sleep after talking with her vet. It is a relief to not have her in pain anymore but at the same time, I really miss her sweet cuddles and her "talking" to me as she would follow me around my apartment. I don't have any digital pictures as they are in Colorado, but here are pictures of Susie while living in Germany.