Kiwi the Shelter Kitty

I first learned of Kiwi the Shelter Kitty from Homer, the blind wonder cat who is featured in Gwen Cooper’s Homer's Odyssey. I began following Kiwi the Shelter Kitty on Facebook because she has the same name as my Forever Young kitty, Kiwi. Kiwi the Shelter Kitty passed away yesterday. She was diagnosed with granulomatous neoplasm in her lung; in other words, she had lung cancer. She died during surgery.

My own Kiwi had a recent health issue that resulted in surgery and a change of diet due to calcium oxalate stones in her bladder. Of course my mind went straight to “cancer” while we were trying to determine the cause of her litter box problems. In the end, surgery was necessary because none of the non-surgical treatments worked.

Today, my heart is breaking. My heart breaks because a family has lost their dear companion, who was only eight years old. More than that, my heart breaks because our animal companions can, and sometimes do, get cancer. My heart will always break when I learn the news of a cancer diagnosis. A little bit of me will be taken away each time, until there is a cure.

Rest in peace, sweet Kiwi the Shelter Kitty. And for those of you who share your home with a four-foot, furry animal companion, give them an extra kiss and belly rub tonight.

Kiwi the Shelter Kitty

P.S. Kiwi the Shelter Kitty’s medical bills are in the thousands and not covered by insurance. If you wish to make a donation to help defray the costs, you can do so at YouCaring.

If you enjoy my blog and would like to follow me on Facebook, I can be found at The Reluctant Survivor.