Beautiful Kylie. Photo: Mutual Rescue
This is a triple whammy. The girl benefits, her mother benefits, and the cat is a rescue cat, so the cat benefits as well. It really is a classic case of how a rescue cat can do something special for a family.
At 12 years of age, Kylie was diagnosed with metastatic bone cancer. She underwent some pretty brutal treatment which was going quite well and during that treatment Kylie asked her mother whether she could have a cat companion. Her mother, Robin, agreed when the treatment had been completed.
Sadly, during the last days of her radiation treatment it was discovered that her cancer had spread throughout her body and that her illness was therefore terminal.
Kylie with Liza. Image: Mutual Rescue
They adopted a young, dark tortoiseshell cat, who they named Liza. Liza comforted Kylie for 2 1/2 days as she stayed with her until the last moments of her life.
On Kylie’s passing, Liza provided comfort to Robin during the days weeks and months that followed the death of her daughter. Robin puts it beautifully:
“Kylie told me to take care of Liza, but is also like she told Liza to take care of me.”
It almost seems that Liza stepped into the shoes of Kylie and bridged the gap between death and then life. Liza has carried Kylie’s spirit into the world after Kylie’s passing.
Robin with Liza
The story is recited by an organisation called Mutual Rescue. I really like that phrase. It implies that both cat and person are rescued in many cat/human relationships. The purpose of the organisation is to show the power of human-animal connections, focusing on rescue animals.
that was a BEAUTIFUL story. its sad whenever a life is lost to ANY disease especially a YOUNG 1 to cancer, which i FEEL quite confident in saying that if they(big pharma)saw more money from CURES than TREATMENTS then MANY of our worlds diseases WOULDVE been eradicated by now(again, MY OPINION). but back to Kylie & Liza, its sad that she had to die, but that not only helped Kylies passing, & her moms grief, it ALSO ensured that Liza WILL continue to have a home no matter what BECAUSE of how Lizas been a comfort to Kylies mom during her painful & trying time. my heart & prayers go out to her.
i have noticed how my big kitty, Lex,does much the same with me when im going through. we actually got him specifically to be my ESA(though he hasnt been registered yet…due to the price). his personality though ISNT exactly what one would think of as an ESA cuz he is NOT a lap cat, he is SUPER HIGH ENERGY. he really DOESNT follow many directions either, but WE love each other to death. EVERY time i feel really sick & cant get out of bed hes right there. if im in a deep depression sitting in my chair in my office he climbs into my lap, pats my chest & lays down on it, then he reaches up & gently pets my cheek with this, “im right here, Ed look” that brings me to tears sometimes but ALWAYS makes me feel better afterward. i wish i could afford a camcorder so i could tape it & post it so people could see just how great my little Lex is! he tries to “talk/sing” to me too to get me to laugh(actually im PRETTY sure HE thinks we r having a conversation cuz of all the times hes stopped & started walking away only to look back at me as if to say, “come on! we JUST talked about this!” or hell walk away when i dont get it, but he really sounds like hes mumbling under his breath sometimes!). i THINK ALL animals(but cats especially)r sensitive to things WE cant see or feel but r there none the less, like when we r truly sick, depressed, etc, or when someone means us harm(i read a story about a cat that attacked someone out of the blue only to find they had a weapon, etc & WERE going to harm their caretaker!). many say this isnt true, but if they can SEE colors & HEAR sounds we CANT unaided, then why is it so hard to accept the same about DANGER, etc? anyway, im saddened by this mothers loss, but am heartened by what shes GAINED. we ALL need to STOP & take a few moments to THINK about HOW OUR lives would b WITHOUT that special Little(or Big)someone in it. when ur done lets, ALL of US pet caretakers, STOP whatever we were doing, or were going to do, & show THAT Little, or BIG, One just how much WE truly APPRECIATE ALL that they do for us. sometimes its by actively “doing” SOMETHING, but sometimes its JUST BY BEING THERE.
gotta go cuz its MY turn now. God Bless u ALL!!!