Pray for my Snickers

by Mary
(North Carolina, USA)

My Snickers is in need of prayers world wide so I am pleading with every loyal reader on this site to please remember her and pray for her as she is struggling to survive several illnesses which are all part of old age.

I rescued Snickers back in the winter of 2006 in Michigan when we was experiencing one of the worse blizzards in Michigan's history. Snickers and her daughter "Smores" was use to being indoor only cats for many years with their current owners.

In December of 2006, her owners bought 2 pitt bull dogs and the cats and dogs did not get along so the owners tossed Snickers and Smores outside in a terrible blizzard and temps of 5 degrees above zero.

The cats was not use to being out door cats so they was freezing and struggling to find food and shelter. Lucky for them, a neighbor heard them outside whaling and crying and bought them into her home for the night.

The next day, the lady called me at my rescue and told me about the poor cast out cats and asked if we could take them in and seek homes for them. Of course, we didn't delay in taking them into our program and saving them from freezing outside.

Snickers (then 10 years old) and Smores (her 2 yr old kitten) was beautiful tortie cats, beautifully marked.
I fell in love with them.
Most people passed over them in the adoption process because Snickers was so old. She and Smores had been together all of Smores 2 yrs of life and I didn't want to separate them.
I then decided to keep them for my own and keep them together.
I have not regretted that decision one bit.

Snickers (now 13 yrs old) was always energetic and a tough ole gal, taking nothing off of any other cat or human.
She was a cat with a serious attitude and a VERY vocal one at that!
Smores became a "mama's girl" of mine and very attached to me and still remains so today. They have been and continue to be "quite a delightful pair".

Snickers developed Thyroid disease 2 years ago and has been on Thyroid pills since but a few weeks ago I noticed her weight thinning some and her coat looking a bit tossed so off to the vet to have her checked out.

Seems her meds level was no longer enough and had to be adjusted to a higher level.
Blood tests revealed she is going through heart failure and kidney failure to some degree and despite her thyroid meds..the vet say's she will deteriorate as time goes by and there will come a time when she will be in distress and this could be a week away or years.....there is no way to guess what her life span will be.

I bought her home from the vet last week and she seemed to be doing well although I didn't want them to give her a rabies vaccination in her weakened condition, but unfortunately in our state, it is required by law even though she is an indoor only cat.

She is a cat that will rip food right out of your hands (a symptom of thyroid disease) but otherwise a very energetic old gal.
Last night I noticed she was having trouble jumping onto high surfaces and she seemed to have weakness in her hind legs.
Her eyes looked weaker but she was still eating like a lion.
So I have been watching her like a hawk for the last 24 hours.

I know my cats.....like the back of my hand and when they are not acting or looking normal, I KNOW IT!
Today Snickers has been walking wobbly and laying down to rest every few steps. NOT GOOD and not normal for her.

I decided to give her the REAL test and I went to the fridge and took out the lunch meat and usually I dont have to call her because she comes running when she hears the fridge door open and tries to take it out of my hand but not today.

Her heart rate is very rapid and she has no interest in food and is very lethargic. It is NOT the Snickers I am use to.
A call to the vet is discouraging.
They say she is declining and I should prepare for the worse.

God knows I love her like my own child and it pains me to see her slipping from me like this.
I know she may not come back to her old self from this but asking for prayers cannot hurt.
I am not prepared to lose her but will not allow her to suffer either.
So , please....whatever higher power that you believe in......please offer up a prayer or two for sweet Snickers that she may have alittle more life yet and pain free living.

She deserves to enjoy any remaining of her 9 lives that is available to her. I love her so dearly.
I am weeping as I type as I fear I will be forced to make a decision for her tomorrow that I dont want to make.

We just lost our precious Callie last April to cancer and then only 5 weeks ago we lost our Salem to old age.
This is not being a good year for my feline household and it breaks my heart into a million pieces to have to say goodbye to any of them.

I so wish they could live forever but alas, I know they grow old and get ill and have to leave us.
I wish there was a medicine that would make this easier on us humans when we have to let go but nothing has proven to take away the pain, NOT EVEN TIME.

So please, I beg all you cat lovers to please pray for my Snickers. I am not prepared to let her go.

Painfully,
Mary in NC

Answer by KAte
Oh Mary I am so sorry to hear that SNickers is Ill.As you know I know what pain you are going through.

Of course I will prey for Snickers.

Dear Mary if the worse does come to pass then you know that she will be looked after in heaven. The pain now is part of the happiness then, it is the price we pay for loving our feline friends.

Snickers will never leave you just as I know Little Mo didn't leave us, they are forever our guardian angels.

My prays are with you

Kate

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