Thomas O' Malley

So, it looks like my kitty, O’ Malley, maybe starting to shut down. We have noticed since the end of September - beginning of October that he had begun to loose weight and now this past week, his breathing has become laboured. I rescued him 4 years ago, this past July when he was suffering a severe upper respiratory infection; from the streets. We were able to get him through that, but unfortunately he tested positive for full blown AIDS or FIV for cats. He has been a companion to my dad the past two years, when we were unsuccessful at finding him a home and moved him into my Dad’s bedroom.

When I rescued him from the streets he was malnourished and emaciated. He had wrinkles in his skin from being under weight. His fir was course and he had a tar like substance in his hair, that even the vet didn’t think would ever come out. The pads on his feet were worn from treading the pavement and the hot asphalt. But I nursed him back to health and his fur softened. He put on a healthy amount of weight. The tar stuff disappeared and looking at him, you would never known he had lived for so long on the street. He has the most beautiful eyes and the sweet disposition. He never growls or hisses, but on occasion he will bite or scratch he he doesn’t want to be touched, you know the usual cat beahviour. He has never gotten into a fight with another cat in the house, he is more afraid of all of them than they are of him…lol Noel is his girlfriend, she always talks to him through the door and plays with him underneath it. He has become a valued and deeply loved member of our family.

Tonight I sat with him and the look he gave me, my heart snapped in two. I could see it, tonight. There was pain and discomfort in his eyes. He was struggling to breathe and he couldn’t quite get comfortable. The colour has faded from his eyes and I know the time is drawing near where I will have to say goodbye…again. I know this is the role I took on, when I became a pet parent to terminally ill animals, but it never gets easy. The only positive, the only reward, is knowing that I provided them with a home, love and a warm place to live for the short time they were here on this earth. Still, I wish it could be longer. I wish I could do more, I wish I could kiss away the pain