And then there was one.....

So 15 years ago, my husband and I got married and were the happy fur-parents to two dogs. Over the first 6 months of marriage we acquired 3 additions to the family in the form of two white cats we named Georgia and Juliette. Georgia and Juliette were found under some debris in the backyard of our new home. They were very young and very obviously orphaned. I bottle-fed them for weeks. Very shortly after they joined us, we got BC. BC originally stood for 'Bad Cat' and then just 'Black Cat' (we're nothing if not original!) when BC outgrew some of her more outlandish transgressions. BC was left in a box on our porch by someone...we never found out who..... maybe six months later. BC was less than 8 weeks old as well and required bottle feeding. A year or two later, we got a cat back that had been ours at one time We had had to give her to a friend at one point. That was Tabs (short for Tabitha).

That's how we lived for many years. We had 4 cats, 2 dogs, a lot of animal hair, and random barking at inappropriate times. Then Tabs got sick. She had gotten out of the house and into something that she shouldn't have. We tried to save her and spared little expense, but her time was up way too soon. Before we knew it the rest of the brood began to age and show the wear and tear of the years. Misty developed a cough when she turned 14 and it ended up being tumors in her chest. She lasted only about a month after official diagnosis. Malibu went a couple of years later at 15 simply from old age. Her mind was still willing, but her body gave out. We decided it was her time after much anguish. BC got real sick soon after that with what was probably cancer. She was gone pretty quick. About that time we noticed a big lump on Georgia's stomach. Yep, it was cancer again. She licked her stomach raw where the lump was to the point of infection. We battled that for a month only to have it reappear as soon as the antibiotics were done. We decided that was no way for her to live.

So now we are down to one of that original bunch. She's not getting any younger so I know it is a matter of time really. It feels like the passing of an era. RIP Tabs, Misty, Malibu, BC, and George.