TBT: I don't normally do Angelversaries. Actually, the idea never occurred to me, but I have seen some lately. So I intended to do Ayla's first one at least.
But I missed it. It was September 2nd (Taz's Birthday, by coincidence - date, not year). Somehow, I thought it was later this month. So at least I want to correct that oversight...
Every kitty is "special". But some leave larger holes in your heart than others. Skeeter was one of those as was Iza too. Time slowly heals the holes some, but Ayla was the most recent and her departure still hurts more.
Ayla was "special" to me in many ways. She was my first purebred cat. I only got her because she was too small for the breeder's needs and she was offerred to me as a "family cat". In fact, the breeder had her own vet spay her before she would let me adopt her.
Many of you may know that led to problems. For others, I will describe it briefly. The first spay didn't take. Neither did a second by the same vet 6 months later. Months of Ayla going into heat every few weeks almost drove me crazy. My own vet didn't want to make a third incision.
Ayla finally developed an abdominal infection, so my vet had to operate. He found one entire ovary and part of the other still in her. He told me he couldn't understand how the previous vet missed those after 2 operations. I still have the remnants in a small jar of alcohol.
I emailed the breeder's vet pictures and details about the results. He immediately sent me a reimbursement check for my expenses and said he was retiring.
After that, life with Ayla was wonderful. I called her "Princess", and she deserved it. Even for a cat, she was unusually graceful, dignified, and agile. She just naturally posed "royally".
She talked to me often, but not in a demanding way. She was a true mouse-hunter and loved the back yard. But she was also always a good lapcat, tolerating my occasional shifts of position easily.
But all good things must come to an end. In late August last year (at 16+) she stopped eating. Meds didn't help. The vet couldn't see a problem on x-rays. Her weight was dropping rapidly. The vet and I agreed that she was just "shutting down".
I will always miss her greatly.