Tyler was surrendered to one of our vets, he was a client of theirs but had not been seen in quite some time. Tyler lived with a little old lady and when she went into a care facility, Tyler got sent to a relatives house. I would like to tell you he was cared for in that home but I would be a damn liar. He was severely neglected and in really poor shape by the time they dropped him at the vet clinic. Tyler was skin and bones, totally matted. Plagued by anemia. Kidney disease. Ataxia in his hind legs. Eye infection (eye singular, one had been removed previously but the socket would regularly fill with fluid and need draining). He was a mess! But he was cheerful, he did so much better than we thought he would, trucking around the cat rooms on his unsteady legs determined to check things out. We had Tyler in our care for all of 7 weeks. We tried everything. Did everything. Today Tyler was done fighting. Our wonderful local vet clinic Eagle Hill booked us in even though they were swamped after being without power themselves for a couple days, and Tyler passed peacefully. I want to think Tyler had a great life for the most part. I want to think of him in his glory days, his beautiful long fur silky and shiny, his body healthy, his heart full of the love his owner had for him. We loved him too dont get me wrong, but he must have had so much more, and I hope he held it with him even through the trying times, and I hope his last thoughts were those of peace and comfort. Tyler we will remember you. Let Godderick lead the way, and please close the door behind you.
If you have been a reader of this blog over the years you will have heard this phrase before. If not, it is a reference to a theory of Mo's, which is a belief that when someone passes away, a door opens somewhere and others who may be close to the end feel the pull towards the open door. This may (or may not, who knows) explain why sometimes it seems like we lose multiple Saints in short periods of time. I like this theory, its intriguing, it sounds welcoming and warm to those who need it, and well, it makes it just a bit easier to think of those we have lost as not really lost at all. Only elsewhere.
a sad tale, for sure, RIP Tyler.