This post is not going to be anything like my other ones.  You won't see a lot of photos.  It's not going to be a very long.  Just wanted to say something that I've always known but has hit me very hard today.  Time passes quickly... Really quickly!

Our oldest cat,  Chanel, turned 14 on May 29 this year.  We adopted she and her sister, Coco, when they were eight weeks old.  Unfortunately Coco developed cancer when she was four years old.  We did everything we could.  She passed away when she was just shy of her sixth birthday.  I wrote about her extensively on this blog.  

Heart broken by Coco's passing, I stopped blogging as much about our pets and animal rescue.    I decided to travel to Hawaii to get my initial and then my advanced yoga teacher certification.  I then decided to do some traveling and made it to all seven continents.  I switched from blogging about my pets and animal rescue to my travels on a separate blog.

I can't say that I regret traveling and doing some things for myself.  At the time I needed something.  I needed to run away from the pain.  Losing a pet to cancer at such a young age was difficult and just more than I could handle.

Today my husband noticed that Chanel is limping quite badly.  She can still jump and she is eating well.  It is just such a reminder that she is getting old as well as our other cats.  I had just been thinking the last few days how I missed writing on this blog.  Looking through it I am so glad that I did write what I did.  My photos are not great but they mean the world to me!  

I am hoping to do a little bit of writing about our cats and get some photos of them in the coming months.  I haven't traveled as much in the last year.  While I loved traveling and taking photos.  My real passion is my pets and animal rescue.

It seems like yesterday that Coco and Chanel were being adopted at eight weeks old.  I want to focus on this blog and our pets.  I am hoping that I can record some more memories.

About the Chanel and I on her 14th birthday.  

Below is a photo of Coco and Chanel together. with our Christmas card about 12 years ago.  They were only about two years old.

 Thanks so much for visiting.  Hopefully I will make more sense during my next post.  

~Michelle

In spite of March 19, 2010 being one of the worse days of my life, I want to honor Coco who was diagnosed with GI lymphoma at age 4. We did everything we could and she defied the odds and was in remission until she was almost 6. She was a rescue that we got when she was 8 weeks old with her sister Chanel who we thankfully still have.

Please remember you can get a full breed  cat or dog at a rescue shelter. Coco was a Himalayan Persian. She was so sweet and smart. She played fetch - even by herself. She would throw her toys downstairs herself and go get them. She also had a butterfly that she carried everywhere and always slept next to. Losing a pet is always hard. I just wish she could have stayed with us longer.

 When she passed away I wanted to know how long the PAIN would last.  I've learned that, for me, it never really goes away.  I've learned how to deal with it though.  As far as getting another pet...I felt wrong doing that, but I think it's a personal decision when and if a person chooses to get a new pet.  I waited five weeks (as long as I could) and got Sasha from our local shelter.  She had been left there the day before.  The doctor said she was five weeks old when we brought her to the doctor - coincidence?

For me, one of the hardest things about traveling is missing my family and pets and one of the best things is coming home to them. This is Sasha who we rescued when she was 5 weeks old from a shelter. I say she is Siamese (but is probably a mix) and think she is beautiful! A few people have said that her face is funny as it's asymmetrical. She is glued to my side and can be fast asleep but follows me and sits on the counter while I brush my teeth at night.

I did feel a little better after I got Sasha.  Here are she and I about a week after she joined our rather large family:

Here is Chanel taking time to smell the flowers: 

I know that it talking about the loss of a pet is not the most uplifting topic.  I do appreciate you stopping by and reading about my Coco.  I've learned that losing a pet can be like losing a small child.  Don't be afraid to reach out for help of any kind if it happens to you.  Take care my friends!

~Michelle

 






Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Coco passed away two years ago on March 19th.  On that day one of my top three wishes was granted.  I had been hoping and praying that a wonderful cat named Kendall with FIV at our shelter would get adopted quickly.  Here is a photo of her and her story:

Kendall is a beautiful cat who unfortunately contracted FIV but is 
very healthy. She is super friendly and playful.  
HUMANS can NOT get ill from FIV infected cats.
Kendall has had a tough time.  She had 3 kittens born 
with FIV.  Because the kittens were born with the virus, 
they had very high levels in their systems and passed 
away from cancer by age one.  Kendall's vet has said 
that because she contracted the virus later in life, she 
has a much better chance of staying healthy.  She is 
very lonely and sad.  Kendall would like nothing more 
than to have her first home and family.  FIV cats can 
lead normal lives. Please see this article:

http://www.typepad.com/site/blogs/6a00e55215d62e88
3400e551fed7bb8833/post/6a00e55215d62e8834015433
b3ee28970c/edit 

 I was so worried about Kendall after all 3 of her babies passes away in 2 months!  The family had their own little islation room with a great outdoor view.  The last kitten passed away last week.  I posted EVERYWHERE, called all the vets, and told everyone I knew about Kendall.  Then on Monday, a day we normally keep our shelter closed for cleaning, a family knocked on the door wanting a cat.  They have no other pets and chose Kendall! 

What a wonderful thing to happen on Coco's angel date!!!

Thanks for reading and in memory of Kendall's beautiful babies I am going to post their photos.  Take care everyone.  Hope to be back to blogging sooner rather than later.  However, I had to tell this story.

Sergio

Perry:

Dawn:

My husband found out about the above Persian "Angel" wandering the streets  She was very anemic due to how many fleas she had.  She was also VERY thin since she had just been alone for probably quite a while.  She is a three year old full breed Persian cat and is very beautiful!  Persians are very gentle and are NOT hunters.  Therefore, they are completely dependent on humans for their survival.  While at the vet, it was found that not only was she severely malnourished and anemic, but blind as well.  The vet believed we had found her just in time.

Thank goodness for all of the wonderful volunteers at our shelter.  There were offers by two of them to adopt her right away!  By all accounts she is as sweet as can be.  I was hesitant to visit Angel.  I knew she would remind me of Coco.  I also love, love, love the sweet personality of Persians and knew I would want her too!

Thankfully, Angel went home to her new family today.  She has gained a pound and the anemia is disappearing.  I have NO doubt whatsoever that she will a great life with her new family.  I am so grateful for this happy ending :) 

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!