Sad news

After all my exciting posts about family visiting, I'm sorry to report some sad news.  Our dear, sweet  kitty, Mi-chan, passed away two days ago...

We knew that Mi-chan was holding on to life tentatively throughout the month and a half that Leiya was here.  Every morning and evening I was giving Mi-chan thyroid medication (and a treat afterwards) but she continued to get thinner and thinner.  I was concerned that she would pass while Luka was here and how he'd understand that.  I didn't want our precious days with family darkened by grief and many tears.

Mi-chan came to us 14 years ago and Tetsu decided she was ours after she'd been sitting on our porch and looking in the windows for a day or two.  I had hoped that after she'd been spayed (I took her to the vet the next day) that a neighbor who had been feeding her, would adopt her.  We already had four or five cats at the time...  But when Mi-chan was tested and diagnosed with Feline AIDS, the neighbor didn't want to put her children through pet loss within a couple of months or years and so Mi-chan became ours.  I can remember sobbing that this sweet kitty had no place to go and wondering how we were going to incorporate her into our already complicated pet family.  Though the vet suggested keeping her separate from the other cats because of the Feline AIDS diagnosis, we decided that all our animals had come to us with one problem or another and whatever we did we would probably give them a happier and longer life, so Mi-chan joined the throng and she got along with all the other animals.

The afternoon of Mi-chan's spay operation, the vet called me and said that in the middle of surgery he had discovered that Mi-chan was hermaphrodite!  I wrote a post about that discovery and the different names we tossed back and forth before naming her.  (And we decided she was a "she".)

Mi-chan loved people in general and was the friendliest kitty of all of ours and she'd happily trill at visitors and make herself at home on their laps.  I've had a couple of people say that they didn't much like cats until they met Mi-chan.  She made a sweet impression on everyone and got so much love from so many people... neighbors, students, friends, all the other cats (well maybe I can't include Chip) and even John.  While Luka was here, he and Mi bonded tightly.

Luka with Cleo, Mi and Toi.

I'm not sure if they were gazing at each other or had fallen asleep together.

Luka helped me give Mi-chan her medicine.

He talked to her and of her a lot.

And Mi-chan always wanted to be in the midst of things.

Her favorite spot to nap.

"Who's in my spot?"

Snuggling with Tony.

Don't you think Mi-chan lived a very happy last few weeks of her life?  She was still coming up on the bed to sleep with me until the day before she passed so I'm grateful the end came easily for her, and I'm so glad Luka got to meet her!

Such a wonderful kitty who made all our lives better.