Wee Wee was given to me in 1999 right around Halloween. My boyfriend at the time lived in Indiana, and I was just starting school in Boston. He thought it was a good idea to bring me a cat. I remember thinking that was a terrible idea, but as soon as I met her that was it. She and I were meant to be together. She was my animal soul mate. From the very first night I had her she slept on my legs. It became our thing - we always cuddled in bed.
Wee Wee was 6 when she was given to me, and apparently her real name was Tiger. I'm not sure how she got the nickname Wee Wee, but I was more than content to call her that - I was not going to call my tiger-striped cat Tiger. Wee Wee would travel back and forth with me to Indiana for holidays, and for long stays over the summer. The longest we were ever apart was the summer that Dave and I traveled cross-country together for about a month.
Wee Wee was your typical cat, seemingly indifferent to a lot of people, and definitely shy. But anyone who really spent any quality time with her knows that she was the sweetest, most loving cat. She really liked being adored, and adoring her wasn't hard to do.
As Wee Wee got older her health issues started to pile up. First came some upper respiratory infections, and a few eye infections (most likely related). Those were no big deal, and easily treated. Then we started noticing that Wee Wee drooled. We didn't think much of it, but one day took her to a vet for a check up. We discovered Wee Wee had a tumor in her mouth that started in a tooth. It was a very rare cancer and we were told the outlook was not good. In fact, the vet told us that they may have to remove half her jaw. This was terrifying and ridiculous all at the same time. I told them I wanted a second opinion and asked for them to write us a referral to Angell, the MSPCA hospital.
At Angell we met Dr. Kearns, a young vet that saved Wee Wee's life. She assured us that she could treat Wee Wee by removing the tooth and tumor, but there may be complications. There was a possibility that Wee Wee may be on a feeding tube either temporarily, or even for the rest of her life. Well, Wee Wee woke up from surgery, they put food in front of her, and she started eating. That was my girl - she always beat the odds.
The years passed and Wee Wee was pretty healthy. Some things came up, like a knot on her back knee that occasionally became inflamed and caused her to limp. When we lived in Jersey City she started to develop some bad stomach problems. Sparing all of the details Wee Wee became prone to pancreatitis, which was difficult to treat. We chased a lot of problems in NY, none of which were ever properly diagnosed or resolved. When we moved back to Boston we returned to Dr. Kearns at Angell, and a laundry list of problems were diagnosed and treated. Wee Wee had a lot of G.I. sensitivity, high blood pressure, hypothyroidism, arthritis, kidney and liver problems, and some other small things that would pop up here and there.
After a lot of trial and error we were able to treat all of Wee Wee's miscellaneous health problems with a combination of medicine and acupuncture. Our acupuncturist, Dr. Moses, at Angell is amazing (she also does animal hospice). She made our old, sore cat happy again. After acupuncture visits Wee Wee was like a new kitten. She would hop around the house, she could jump better, she would eat well, and generally had a happy disposition.
About 6 months ago we woke up (I was pregnant), and I went and sat on the sofa with Wee Wee. I was petting her and as she started to purr she made this horrible noise - it was somewhere between a grumble and a wheeze. We took her to the emergency room at Angell, and after X-rays and examination, it was determined that Wee Wee had cancer in the back of her throat.
How, after all of the hard work, heartache, and money, did we end up back here again?
At this point Wee Wee was about 18. We talked to Dr. Moses and Dr. Kearns and determined that the best thing for Wee Wee would be the least-invasive thing possible. Instead of a risky surgery, and chemo or radiation, we opted to just manage the tumor by giving Wee Wee steroids. The steroids would help maintain the size of the tumor, and hopefully reduce any swelling that was making it hard for her to breathe. This was only a temporary solution . . .
Over the last few weeks Wee Wee's breathing was getting noticeably worse. She stopped sleeping with us (a big red flag), and she stayed in her bed all day and night. And then she stopped taking her treats - her beloved treats. Wee Wee would wake us up to get these in the morning, and follow us around until she got them at night. This was not good. Again, we consulted our vets. Dr. Moses said that this wasn't sounding good, and that she feared Wee Wee was heading towards an episode - of what nature she wasn't sure. But she was sure that whatever it was would be really bad. It was best to end things before they got catastrophic.
We made an appointment with Dr. Kearns and Courtney (Dr. Kearns' vet tech) to put Wee Wee to sleep. Scheduling this is awful. How do you sleep knowing that in the morning you won't have a cat anymore?
When we got to Angell they took us into the room that Wee Wee was given acupuncture in; a room she was familiar with. Courtney placed a catheter for the injections, and left us with Wee Wee to say our final goodbyes. As we hugged, petted, and kissed her she was wheezing for air. We knew it was for the best . . .
Dr. Kearns and Courtney came back in the room and told us what would happen, how peaceful it would be. I could tell Dr. Kearns had been crying. Then there was a knock on the door - it was Alejandro. Alejandro is the lead vet tech at Angell, and he watched lovingly over Wee Wee when we went to Indiana for Christmas this past year, and again when Elliott was born. In the end Wee Wee was with a room full of people who all loved her so much. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. When the injections were given she slowly lowered her head and fell asleep, it was fast. As one of our other doctors put it, we allowed her to pass with dignity.
I can say that I will never be able to love another pet the way I loved Wee Wee. She was with me for 12 years - I wish it could have been 20. I miss her all the time. It is so hard to walk in the house and not see my cat there. She always came to the door to great us. We were her people.
I have no doubt that Wee Wee's life would have been significantly shorter, and not nearly as happy, if it weren't for the staff at Angell. Dr. Kearns, Dr. Moses, Courtney, Alejandro, and Dr. Coster loved Wee Wee as if she were their own. If you have any spare money to throw around, and would like to make a donation to a good cause - check out Angell's memorial donation page. Feel free to make a donation in Wee Wee's memory, or in memory of one of your own pets.
Farewell, Wee Wee. You were the best cat I could ever have hoped to love. I will miss you every day.
Doing 3 of her favorite things: Sunbathing, sleeping on mom, and sniffing fresh air from an open window.
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