He was about four months old when we catnapped him. For several weeks we had noticed him playing with children or trotting behind neighbors taking early morning walks. No one we asked seemed to know where he came from and we concluded that he was a stray. We certainly did not need another kitten at that time since we already had a dozen indoor-only cats, all adopted from a feral colony. But one evening we saw him sitting alone by the side of the road and knew we had to rescue him. About six months later, we found out that we had stolen this kitten from a neighbor we had never met, a block and a half from our house. I worried that the neighbor would discover we had snatched his cat or that he would see our handsome teenage tabby sitting in a window. Not long after, we knew we had done the right thing when the neighbor moved and left his other cat behind.

Inviting this special kitten to join our large feline family was a decision we never regretted. We named him after the main character in my favorite childhood book, given to me 60 years ago by my Uncle Bob. The book is titled The Contented Little Pussy Cat and Abner proved to be a most appropriate name for a very happy boy. He was always in a good mood, never met a feline or human he didn’t like and was the perfect host when friends or cats came to visit. When the doorbell rang, the rest of the gang scattered for their hiding places but Abner ran to the door to greet the visitor. When you leaned towards him, he lowered his head for a gentle kiss between his ears. A hand was always an invitation for him to stretch up for some rubs. His favorite activity was being carried around the house in a box, basket or bag. He also liked rides on rolling chairs and being held high to look out an otherwise inaccessible window. He was fascinated by water and never missed a chance to drink from any other source except his water bowl.

Our skinny little kitten grew up to be a 14 pounder but when he was about 6 years old, he began to slowly lose weight. He was vomiting a lot and I suspected renal problems since we were all too familiar with this disease from experiences with several of our other cats, like Smokey who had a kidney transplant not long after Abner joined the family. A blood test showed Abner’s renal values to be high normal but my concern escalated when he began to vomit blood. We took him to our local ER/Referral vet and the internist found a heart murmur and suspected cardiomyopathy, eventually confirmed by ultrasound. They also performed an endoscopic exam which revealed IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) and the presence of helicobacter which is one cause of human stomach ulcers. We treated everything but Abner continued to lose weight. For the next seven years, his renal numbers steadily rose, his heart condition gradually worsened and he had periodic bouts with intestinal blockages and developed megacolon. Then he tested positive for hyperthyroidism, as if he didn’t already have more illnesses than any one cat should have to battle. But battle he did and because we found his problems early, we were able to help him with medications, sub Q fluids, adding pumpkin to his diet and frequent check ups at the vet.

Abner’s quality of life was excellent and in spite of all his medical conditions, he was playful, involved, active and definitely Abner. His CRF progressed so slowly that he outlived Casey, Emmy, Belle and Jacque, our other CRF cats who developed the disease after Abner did. He never stopped eating but all of his problems prevented him from gaining weight and, at the end, he dropped below six pounds. During his last two weeks there was a noticeable decline and we knew he was getting weaker and less mobile. We had increased his sub Q fluids but just couldn’t keep up with the severe dehydrating effects of both his CRF and intestinal disease. On his last day, while he was eating his breakfast, I realized his respiration rate was up to 40 and feared his heart must be failing as well. We took him to the internist who had been successfully managing his very complicated case for seven years. He confirmed that Abner’s heart and respiration rates were way up, his entire colon was enlarged and seriously impacted and his kidney values had risen dramatically since his last blood test just a month earlier. There was no reasonable way to deal with all of these conditions which had escalated simultaneously. Moreover, the radical treatment required for one would make the others worse. We had to make the painful decision to give him the gift of a gentle passing. He now rests peacefully with 18 other housemates who went before him and you can be sure that he was very happy to be reunited with all of them at the Rainbow Bridge.

It was heartbreaking to watch Abner’s body betray him but amazing to see how he fought the good fight. We have the greatest admiration for the strength and dignity he displayed as he adjusted to his infirmities. His journey ended too soon, but we are thankful that we were able to give him all the support he could have gotten in his struggle. Most importantly, we are glad that we were able to prevent a lingering and painful time at the end. We have learned the hard way that it is a terrible mistake to wait too long.

Goodbye my Abbadue, my contented little pussycat. You were a remarkable gentleman and we miss you terribly

Sandy and Peyton Carr
The2carrs@verizon.net