sometimes we lose animals that no one even really knows about....

like animals who have been accepted for admission to saints but who die before they make it here...it always makes me sad. and then there are long term foster animals from years ago who never seem to make it to our permanent foster page.
like penny, one of the three foster cats i left with my family when i opened up the sanctuary...none of them would have liked it here.

anyway...i talked about penny briefly a few months ago. she still is not doing well...pain is an issue and today she started to seizure. penny is now 15 years old and without a doubt, one of the gentlest and kindest creatures on the face of the earth.

i went and saw her today and while at brunch, i told the family that it is was probably time to let penny go. maybe i could keep her pain under better control and moniter her seizures better here.... but to what end if she was unhappy? i will arrange it for sometime this week so they all have a chance to prepare. you would think that after living with me for so many years, they would be well used to this sort of thing...but really, penny is part of a small handful of animals to die in more than 20 years that they truly considered to be part of the family....all of the others they viewed as temporary.

tonight my ex helped me put out extra beds and litter boxes and set up some extra food and water bowls so that wherever penny happens to be, she can find whatever she might need. he has her pain meds which he will give to keep her comfortable. he has always been very kind and gentle with the animals even if it drove him nutz that i was always surrounded by so very many. she had a good life with my family, we will all really miss her when she goes.

penny is a very great cat.