This is a brilliant story of a female rescue cat who has been honestly described by the rescue organisation where she resides as unaffectionate, difficult and “not sweet” and “not cuddly”. The brilliance of the story comes from the fact that she has been adopted by a super lady who is terminally ill.
She also lacks a full set of teeth because some were removed because of abscesses. Furthermore, she is FeLV positive. There is no effective treatment for this illness. It is a complicated disease and it can be fatal as it can cause cancer. It also stops the immune system working allowing serious illnesses to take hold. FeLV causes more diseases than any other viral infection and causes more cat deaths than any other illness other than injury. It is the biggest cause of cancer in cats.
That’s the magnitude of the problem for an adopter.
So, being brutally honest as the rescue center is, Gummy Bear is an undesirable cat at a rescue center which makes the lady, Rebecca, who decided to adopt her a special woman particularly as she herself is terminally ill with pulmonary fibrosis. Rebecca has been given 3 to 5 years to live because she is not a good candidate for a lung transplant (the only way to treat the disease) as she has avascular necrosis.
Gummy Bear is at the One Of A Kind Pets facility in Akron, Ohio while Rebecca lives in the neighboring state of Michigan.
There is something beautiful about adopting a cat like Gummy Bear. This will sound extreme but Rebecca reminds me of Mother Teresa who actively sought out and cared for the outcasts and the unwanted of the world. She wanted to help the least desirable of all because that is true love. And there is a symmetry in a relationship between a 10-year-old cat with multi-health issues and a terminally ill lady. Rebecca lives with her husband and daughter we are told by News5Cleveland. They too must be praised.
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Sometimes, there is a moment, with an animal that you just cherish in your memory forever. This morning I had that moment with Cassie Ann,who has FeLV, at one year old, as well as complications from lymphoma. I am hospicing her as I have other cats in the past. It is an honor to care for those passing from this life who have no one. She will be blessed in the next life, thank you for sharing this story.I’d like to sharea poem I wrote this morning
Asleep this morning
I slowly awoke
To you on my chest
No words you spoke
This quiet moment
In time sureal
You passed a message
My heart could feel
Into my soul
Your silent stare
Conveyed the words
You couldn’t share
Then I felt
Your chin pressed tight
Against my own
Your purr so slight
I told you then
You are loved so dear
That when it comes
I pray I’m near
I felt your love
Through fur to skin
And wished I could change
How your life had been
So wonderfully long
You lingered there
Soft cheek on my lips
Your nose in my hair
I asked of you
With a tear in my eye
If you would wait
When it’s time to fly
Say you’re ready
Please let me know
So I can hold you
While you go
You snuggled close
and held so still
I closed my eyes
And drank my fill
This moment in time
your life renewed
However long
I’ll take that too
Then off you went
Ready for play
I am so thankful
for each day
I’ll pray we get to
Say good-bye
When God calls you home
To that bridge in the sky.
Thanks a lot Melody. You are a lovely lady. Love your poem.
There’s a reason for everything. Gummy Bear and Rebecca will help each other more than any vet or doctor could do. This isn’t about medicine, it’s about unconditional love – both ways! They both will be well loved for the rest of their lives. Hopefully, Gummy Bear and Rebecca will be buried together. The Rainbow Bridge will be a very happy place for both of them. Live in Peace, Gummy Bear.
I don’t do Facebook.
Beautifully said Gary and Daisy. Thanks for commenting.