Besa was our constant companion.  A sweet and sometimes surly ginger cat, he always wanted to be in the room that you were hanging out in, and was always up for a serious snuggle (which we referred to as ‘festering’).  My husband and I loved him immensely, even though he totally cramped our bedroom style by insisting on sleeping between us every night.

A few years ago Besa was misdiagnosed with diabetes.  The misdiagnosis later morphed into pancreatitis, pyelonephritis, severe arthritis, and probably a few other it is’ that went undetected.  Besa endured 2+ years of palliative care from our vets and us.  We diligently gave him his cocktail of pills daily, subcutaneous fluids and injections, and took him to the vet for reassessments and medication adjustments frequently.  We monitored him constantly for changes or signs of distress which kept us fairly tied to home for a long time.  We wanted to be nearby to make sure Besa was ok.

Caring for a sick pet can be like trying to put a child through university financially.  Though we were stretched, we could not imagine a life without our Besa, so we paid the bills and kept up the treatments.  Many people thought we were crazy and said that they wouldn’t go so far to keep a sick cat alive.  We felt differently.
Besa was our family, and as long as Besa purred when we held him, and showed willingness to be around, we would do what we could to make sure that he was comfortable and content, despite all of his problems.

A couple of months ago, Besa took a turn and we suddenly faced with the difficult choice to put our Besa to rest.  To this point, our vets had been guiding us to feeling that Besa still had time.  This vet visit was different.  The vet said that this was now an issue of quality of life.  Besa had trouble walking and was zoning out.  He just didn’t seem like our happy Besa anymore and the meds were not cutting it.  So we made the impossible decision to say good bye to our best friend.

Our hearts were shattered on this day, and those feelings still cling to us.  Often, a  bond with a pet can be stronger than the bond you feel to other humans.  And this is why we are so grateful that would did whatever we could to give Besa a long life with us.  We miss him every day.

I wish that all animals could receive the same long life and love that Besa received daily.  Ladybird Animal Sanctuary strives for this and I feel so honoured to be a small part of helping to improve the  lives of these animals. For everything they give back to us, they are so deserving.

Please donate to Ladybird Animal Sanctuary and help us help these beautiful friends.