The Purrfect Wee Beastie

Sophie Rose Hall

She graced my life from May 2003 - August 21, 2014

Age 16

1998 - 2014

My purrfect wee beastie crossed the rainbow bridge today.

I held her most of the day. Cuddled in my arms she never stopped purring. I brushed her fur and gave her "pink belly rubs" all day long.  She ate well: two Meow Mix cups, still drinking water, and she used the litterbox. She had peed on me twice yesterday. 

Her feline progressive histiocytosis had progressed so fast in this last month. She looked like a gremlin: had lost all of the fur on her face and all four of her paws. The lesions on her face and feet had begun to rupture and I could no longer keep them clean. She had nipped at me as I washed them and  put peroxide on them. Dr. Bo said that with her condition that she may have lesions internally and that if they ruptured she could bleed to death. The thought of seeing my cat bleed to death in front of my eyes was too horrific to contemplate.   Since her diagnosis in 2012, it became all about maintaining her quality of life. FPH is very rare. Only 75-80 cases worldwide. Dr. Bo said most cats were euthanized for cosmetic reasons. Sophie's treatment was mostly a success in that area. With the monthly Depo-Medrol injection and the synotic drops applied twice a day, it was only within the last month that she had lost her fur. 

Dr. Bo was awesome. He gave me time with her, before and afterwards, complete with a big hug. He and Kim, the assistant, were helpful with the information on cremation and pet urns. I've never had a pet cremated before. But I've never had a cat like Sophie before either. She was the best cat ever and had been with me through so many milestones and life events it seemed wrong to just bury her. 

Sophie was a rescue cat. I adopted her from the Humane Shelter in 2003. According to the shelter she was 5 years old. I think she had been abused. She never liked men, especially my ex-husband, and loud noises frightened her. Jacob is the only guy she ever tolerated and I think that was just because he loved her so and made her accept him. He was the first to discover that she like what he called her  "pink belly rubs." Jacob still scared her occasionally....like the Halloween he came in dressed as the Wolverine. Sophie jumped off the bed to hide under it.  

It's really hard to say goodbye to a friend who has been with you so very many years and seen you through so many tumultuous life events. Sophie was the one I could always cry with and never feel judged for the overwhelming emotion. She was the epitome of unconditional love. 

Sophie saw me through a nasty divorce,   a couple of boyfriends, children growing up, and the loss of my Mama. She endured every trip to the State All-Star tournaments, Youth America Grand Prix Dance Competition, and the road trip to Cape May, NJ for Josiah's USCG graduation. Not to mention the many trips to north Alabama with me as I cared for my Mom while she was undergoing cancer treatments. She was a well traveled kitty who thought nothing of being sneaked in to whatever hotel we were staying in and she never got car sick. I'm going to miss her. 

I already do. No jingly bell sound from her collar or her little cooing sound, a trill really, that she would make to acknowledge my presence. I lost it when I got home and saw her little bowls, her bed, her mousie, her brush with her fur still in it. I haven't put those away yet. Maybe tomorrow. 

I popped open a cold one with Rob who had lost his cat Perky earlier this week. We drank a beer and exchanged cat stories. He says he will probably get another cat. I most likely will too, but not until after I get Sophie home and finish mourning.