Nigel (2035)

Shady Cat Pet ID: 2035
My hang out:  Allentown, PA

My mug shots …

Here’s my story ...

I adopted Nigel when he was 3 years old from a family who had him since he was a kitten. They were getting divorced and unfortunately, no one wanted him. At the time, I worked where we had a website for employees to advertise items for sale. Nigel was listed on that website as “free to a good home”. This can end very badly for cats, so while I wasn’t looking for another cat since I already had a bonded pair, I felt like I just had to rescue him. So I contacted the person on the ad and made arrangements to pick him up. He was so cute! He was like a kitten. It was pretty easy to tell that he hadn’t been very well taken care of, so I was sure I did the right thing. His only belongings were a dirty bed and a couple of ripped up toys. He was dirty, too. I put him in the car in his carrier and off we went to the pet store. He got a new bed, new toys, treats and some good food. He was really scared in the car but once we got out he was ready to go! Right away he purred and purred. Then it was time to show him around his new home. The plan was for him to stay in the guest bedroom until he got used to things and my older cats to get used to a newcomer. Well, that was quickly dashed because my boy Harry decided to bust into the room and introduce himself! The two boys weren’t very fond of each other but their sister loved them both. Nigel was kind of the odd man out in the group so he quickly became very bonded to me. He followed me everywhere! He made sure I didn’t forget to do anything before I left for work in the morning and greeted me at the door when I got home. He would stand up on his hind legs and headbutt my hand. Then jump up into my arms for kisses. Purring all the while. He slept on my pillow next to me every night. He loved to play and sit on the patio chairs in the evening until it got dark and it was time to come inside. Soon he was all grown up! Then one day I came home after working a twelve hour shift he wasn’t at the door waiting for me. I called for him and he didn’t come. By now I was getting really scared. I found him on my bedroom floor, barely breathing. I was in shock. He was fine when I left that morning. I rushed him to the emergency hospital and he was taken right back. The doctor came out and told me he was in acute heart failure and probably wouldn’t make it. I couldn’t believe it. It felt like my whole world was turned upside down. Sobbing, I told the doctor I wanted them to give him a chance. They did a lot of tests, gave him oxygen and iv medications and he made it through the night. The test results were very bad. He had cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure. There was even a possibility of a mass in his lung. The vet referred us to a veterinary cardiologist, but also explained even with treatment he probably had no more than a few months to live at most. Nigel handled all of the treatments and procedures like a little trooper. They couldn’t believe he continued to be so sweet and loving. I brought him home on the second day once he was able to stay out of the oxygen. When we got home, he jumped out of the carrier and ran right over to his favorite chair and started purring and making biscuits. I was so happy to see him happy and feeling better. He took his medicine twice a day like a champ and acted almost like his old self. I hoped and prayed every day that he’d beat the odds, but only ten days later he went into heart failure again and the vet encouraged me towards euthanasia. He probably could have come through it again but it was just going to keep happening. Anyone who has ever had to do this knows how gut-wrenching and heartbreaking it is. But I had to do it for him. I wanted to hold on forever but that wouldn’t have been fair. Nigel died on December 1, 2019. I miss him terribly every day and sometimes I still cry. But I know he is with me and he knows I will always love him.

Author:  Reia B.

PDF – Nigel – Series 2 Card (Print & Play)

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