Sonia
Sonia arrived at NEADY Cats in January, 2011 – a five year old, long haired, gray and white beauty. We thought that such a wonderful cat would find a home immediately, but it was not to be. Soon after her arrival Sonia developed severe bouts of vomiting. Well, we know most cats vomit, but this was chronic, projectile vomiting – she couldn’t keep anything down, lost a large amount of weight, and became very depressed.
She had many tests at Central and was tried on several medications, as well as every special diet known to the feline world including duck and rabbit. (At one point, some of us with warped senses of humor – mentioning no names – would sing when we fed her, “Kill the Wabbit” from Elmer Fudd fame.) Eventually the right combination was found, and the vomiting stopped. Sonia gained weight – she became a loving, happy girl with an amazing disposition. She loved everyone – especially the NEADS dogs, whom she helped train. She was able to be out in the office area and would sit on our desks while we worked. She greeted everyone with a happy, raspy meow. Everyone was her friend.
Then a tiny lump was found on her chest – she was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through two surgeries. We were told that most cats with this diagnosis lived for one and a half years. We decided that Sonia would be our breast cancer survivor girl and wanted to do everything possible so she could enjoy whatever time she had left. She had her own special cage – pink- and everything in it was pink: her bed, bowls, and litter box. She had bows and all kinds of signs on her cage, including “Fight like a Girl!” She was our queen! Everyone loved her. Every day with her was special – a blessing.
As the cancer progressed and Sonia needed more treatment, she was often at Central Animal Hospital. The staff there loved her as much as we did, and eventually it was decided that Sonia would spend her last days there, so they could care for her. She had the run of the office there, and was thoroughly spoiled by the staff. She had frequent visitors from NEADY Cats, so spent her last days knowing nothing but loving kindness.
Sonia went to Rainbow Bridge on February 26, 2014, with loved ones at her side. She brought so much love and happiness into our lives. There is a special memorial at NEADY Cats with her pictures, pink bowl, and other memorabilia, put together by our volunteers Cora and Sarah. Now, two years later, memories of her still bring smiles to our faces, mixed with some tears for our loss. We were so blessed to have her in our lives. There will never be another Sonia.
Chris Bibby
