R.I.P. Hunter

We also lost Hunter, an older momma cat from the Union City Shell station pack- we caught them all in early 2015- in this group, there were two momma cats, Cleo and Hunter, and we really didn't know which of the many kittens in the group came from which mother cat (except for the four that Cleo gave birth to two days after we caught them all- there's NO doubt about those 4!) But we suspect Hunter had had many litters there, she was small and had obviously lost a lot of nutrients and calcium to litters in the past- she immediately needed Dasuquin for ease of movement, and a little supplemental nutrition- but she seemed to recover and had a good life with us- starting about 3 years ago, she finally decided we really were okay as people go and she started coming out and mingling with the crowd and getting pets and table scraps and such, and REALLY started enjoying her life with us- she would show up at dinnertime and beg for food, and starting about a year ago she showed up next to our bed and yelled at me to get up at exactly 7:30am every morning to give her some rotisserie chicken (her favorite food) for her breakfast- she'd show up in the kitchen at other times, too, wanting extra food or just pets and cuddles and such- but she was obviously old and not completely well...... the vet started her on Lasix about 5 months ago and that perked her up quite a bit (her yelling in the morning got louder and more insistent and she wanted MORE pets and cuddles)- but she was clearly old and losing ground slowly........

This past Monday, she didn't show up to wake me up and I feared the worst- I found her with Junior, a very large boy whom we're sure was one of her kittens, in the middle bedroom on her favorite sheepskin bed, obviously shutting down...... I stayed with her until she passed, it was fairly quick and gentle, but it's never easy to say goodbye to an old friend- she passed away in my arms with Junior right next to her.......

Over the next hour or so, many of the Union City cats came and said goodbye to Hunter- they do know and acknowledge the departure of a family member....... and God knows I'm going to miss my furry alarm clock- but at least she had good food and heat and A/C and especially for the last several years, pets and affection and extra food and needed medical attention-- I KNOW she enjoyed her life with us- and we're really gonna miss her-

Rest easy at the Bridge, little momma cat Hunter- you were a GREAT mom to a lot of kittens and a wonderful friend and companion, and a totally reliable alarm clock- send us purrs if you can--- hope to see you again one day little Momma Cat-

bowlkat