Yesterday morning Rosa left this earthly plane to be reunited with her mom Mamacita and her brother Manny at the Rainbow Bridge at the young age of 14.
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| A recent shot showing her weight loss. |
Rosa's appetite had been off for a couple of weeks so last week we had the mobile vet look at her. Her urine showed bacteria in it and her blood work was a bit wonky probably due to an infection. She was put on antibiotics but did not improve so the vet stopped by on Monday to take an x-ray of her tummy and organs. She had fluid in her abdomen but no noticeable masses. Her belly had increased quite a bit in size since last week. The vet took a sample of her belly fluid when he drained it, sending it off to the lab. The results were inconclusive but with her symptoms he assumed it was cancer. The past week she was incontinent, not eating or drinking on her own and the last night she gagged when I tried to feed her. When she began to have trouble breathing we made an appointment for the vet to come on Friday.
Don and I spent her last morning with her, telling her how much we loved her and what a wonderful girl she was. I asked the spirits of Mamacita and Manny to be with us to comfort and guide Rosa in her passing. The vet sedated Rosa as she lay on the sofa next to me. She purred while I gave her Reiki and she seemed to let go before the last injection was given. Rosa is buried next to Only and Sweetpea in our pet cemetery with wildflowers marking her spot until I order her gravestone. Rosa was the last of our black cats.
We caught Rosa back in 2005 as a tiny kitten along with her brother Manny and mom Mamacita. The two kittens were living in a rickety old shed on our neighbors land, Both little ones had severe URI's. I knew they had to be caught and treated or would not survive the infections. The little family lived in our bathroom for several weeks while I administered the eye ointment and antibiotics to the kittens.
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| Rosa is in the center between Manny right and Mamacita left. |
I knew they were getting better when while playing they accidentally turned on the bathtub facet and got all the bedding in there wet! They were so wild! We got them spayed and neutered and moved them to our kitty room in the house. (Manny later died in 2007 from complications due to a urinary infection and blockage.)
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| Rosa with Angel Georgie |
Rosa was a shy quiet little girl who grew up to be a plus sized ladycat like her mom. She was a big girl with a tiny meow! As a youngster. Rosa gradually made friends with the white kitties who were a year younger than her. Once we moved to our present house, she became more attached to her mom, never leaving her side for the first few years.
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| Hiding form guests. |
They were the kitties no one ever saw since they ran and hid when we had company.Both remained quite feral even thought we had them for over a dozen years. We could pet them but not handle them to pick up or carry.
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| Rosa and her mom |
Rosa and her mom would cuddle and groom each other gently but then the emotions would become too intense and a scuffle would ensue with both cats in a swatting battle! Poor Mamacita never got a break from Rosa.
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| Rosa making biscuits on Mamacita the lazy way |
Rosa loved to be toasty warm, sitting in the sun, looking out the window or getting fresh air on the porch. Her favorite place in the winter was right on our Monitor heater!
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| On the screen porch |
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| On the heater! |
Christmas was a fun time for her and she would sit next to the tree and stare into the lights.
Rosa and her mom preferred to sit on the same chair in the living room. Often Rosa would hang her front paws of the chair arm to watch golf on TV with Don.
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| Watching golf! |
As all cats, Rosa enjoyed napping in the pile of fresh from the dryer laundry before I put it away. problem was she got black furs all over it all!
When Mamacita passed
last June I was worried that Rosa would not adapt but she became more social with the others, especially Woody and Tabitha and sought us out when we were in the living room. Don was the first to get up in the mornings and often Rosa would sit on the sofa with him, enjoying her one on one time.. Soon all the others would pile on there too, getting in on the loving.
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| With Tabitha and Woody |
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| With the gang in the mornings |
We took special care to make sure Rosa was included in everything as much as she felt comfy with. At meal times, I would call her name and she would pop up out of her napping spot to answer me. I would fix her a plate of food and bring it to her. If she wanted another flavor, she would sniff and back up a bit. It was my cue to try something else. When she was ready to eat but not in that spot, she would run over to her chair or her nook under the counter and wait for me to bring the plate over. She had us well trained!
We will miss her quiet gentle presence in our home. I know that Rosa and her little family are together once again and watching over all of us until we meet again.
I leave you with a sweet video of Rosa...