Hospice for Katie

Katie, the kitten who showed up on our porch twenty years ago and declared that she was adopting us, has reached the steep portion of life's long slippery slope. Over the last few years, she'd been growing steadily more frail. This last week, she began having some difficulty breathing and the vet had to pull lots of liquid from her lungs. Katie has a much-enlarged heart, and her lungs have collapsed to the point of being barely there. She's weak and wobbly on her feet.

For the moment, removing the fluid has eased her breathing, but it's a temporary fix. We're giving her cuddles and strokes and keeping her comfortable, but we're also preparing to say goodbye. We're not going to let her suffer, and if... when... the lungs begin to fill again, it will be time. It's going to be hard; she's been part of our life for so long...