With great sadness, but also strengthened
by the thought that death can be
liberating, we say goodbye to our beloved
sweet boy,
Rossity Bogdan of Mystic Melody
07/22/2006 - 08/15/2008
Bogdan came to us May 2008. Before that he was living with a family in Texas (the daughter of a siberian breeder of all things!), where he never got a chance to be the wonderful cat he was. He was banned from the house, locked up in a barn with very little human interaction, and no proper food or care. When the call went out that he needed to be re-homed, I jumped in, paid for him and had him flown over to our cattery. What I saw when he arrived was beyond anything I could ever imagine. I was told he was not in the best shape because he was "hard to brush" because supposedly he would bite the person brushing him. He was in a shape no cat should ever be in, and quickly after his arrival I rushed him to the vet where we found out he was covered in fleas, matted to the bone, with kidney stones and all kinds of other problems. Bogdan only weighed a sad 6 lbs...
We
spent a small fortune having him groomed, health checked and nursing this boy back to
health, but his health was not the only problem. Due to lack of human
contact and obvious abuse, Bogdan had no trust in humans at all. He
didn't understand hand and feet were not supposed to hurt, and he
didn't understand we wanted to help him and love him. The first few
weeks after his arrival, there was no touching him, let alone brushing.
He would growl and scratch as soon as you'd approach him. I took us a
long time before he very slowly started to trust us, and began to
understand he was not going to be mistreated anymore. He had his own
room and his own outdoor run, and it seemed he started enjoying
himself, even to the point where he would come up to me and rub himself
against my legs or hands to be pet. He loved to be brushed with a soft
baby brush, he would rub up against it and sometimes accidentally a
purr came out, loving every minute of the attention he got. And this was the same cat that was neglected because he was so aggressive if they tried to brush him? There were times where we really did not know what to
do, doing one step forward and two steps back. We got desperate many
times but never gave up on him. He started recently to show a lot of
improvement and we had high hopes that once neutered he would be able
to become a pet to someone or at least stay with us and merge in with the crew.
On
the morning of August 15, 2008 everything was fine. I had gone
downstairs to take Bogdan outside in the run to play for a while. He
ate some treats and he even sat on my lap for some ear rubs. I cleaned
his room, gave him food and water and left for the day. When I came
back home later that evening Bogdan was sitting in a corner. His paws
were all dirty and wet from litter clumped around it, and he had litter
clumped in and on his nose as well so he could not breathe. I quickly
cleaned his face, wondering what had happened when I noticed he was not
moving and his body temperature was way down. This was such a sudden
change from the morning that I quickly wrapped him in towels to keep
him warm, and started to give him fluids as his gums were mud colored.
He gave very loud meows which indicated that he was in some sort of pain.
To
make a long story very short, after an emergency vet visit, they
discovered he had total blockage of his bladder, which was already an issue when we got him. This can actually
release toxins into the body rapidly, and health will start to
deteriorate very quickly. The vet came out and told me he needed
emergency surgery to get the blockage out of his bladder and to give
him a catheter so he could urinate. She said he would be fine, so I
left Bogdan in their care and went home, waiting for the call that he
came through fine, but that call never came... After about an hour my
vet called me, telling me that during the surgery Bogdan's heart rate
dropped and was very slow and weak, but that they were doing everything
possible to help him through it. She wanted me to know she was at that
point worried about his condition. 3 minutes later she called back with
the devastating news that Bogdan didn't make it and that his heart had
stopped beating. Bogdan had left us...
I didn't fully realize what had just happened until I arrived at the vet and they brought my boy in on a beautiful white bed with a white blanket. It was like he was asleep, very peaceful. The vet came in and hugged me visibly upset by what just had happened. I sat with him for about an hour, crying, telling him he had no more pain, and didn't have to fight any more fears, and that he could go on and be happy now for the first time ever. The vet told me that Bogdan's condition was a direct consequence of 2 years of neglect, and that there was a lot of damage on more than one organ that were obvious proof of neglect. It was determined that besides all other medical problems Bogdan had, he also had heart atrophy, and his hearts was half the size it should be. This is caused by extreme confinement, so the heart doesn't develop well at a young age, and malnutrition. She said there was nothing else I could have done then what I did in the 3 months I had him here, and that she was so happy he has known loving and caring hands before he passed away.
I am devastated...I
miss my boy, my heart is screaming for him, but at the same time I know
he is at peace now and no longer has to fight his demons. Death can be
liberating in some cases, but it doesn't hurt any less for the ones staying behind. I hope Bogdan's
former owners read this, and can live with the fact that they never
gave this wonderful boy a chance and never got to know his true beauty
the way I did when he slowly started to trust me. They will never know how loving and endearing he really was underneath that harness of fear.
Bogdan my sweet boy, I miss you! In the short 3 months you were here, you have enriched my life so much and I have learned so much from you. You have taught my children to respect all life and you have taught me, that no damage is beyond repair if given enough time, patience and love. In many ways, you and I were very much alike. With trying to help you heal, I also tried to heal some things in myself. That made it all the more harder when we lost you. I lost my soul mate in you. I will never forget your beautiful eyes when they finally started trusting me. I will never forget the way you looked at me when I came in in the morning for your brushing and treats, which we called our "lovey dovey" session. I always told you, I would help you fix the boo-boo on your soul. Now your boo-boo is healed and passed on to me. I am crying for you and I am so very heart broken, but I know some day I'll be able to hold you in my arms again. Bogdan means "Given by God", and a gift of God you sure were. Fly my little angel, fly and be happy at the rainbow bridge. If I feel a little breeze on my cheek when I think of you, I'll know those are your angel kisses telling me you are still with me. I will always love you my wonderful boy, rest in peace...
Your Mommy
xxx
This poem came with Bogdan's ashes after his cremation. His ashes will be spread from the top of Lookout Mountain in Tennessee, to symbolize Bogdan's freedom.
To those I love
To those who love me,
When I am gone, release me, let me go,
I have so many things to see and do.
You musn't tie yourself to me with tears,
Be thankful for our beautiful years.
I gave to you my love, you can only guess,
How much you gave to me in happiness.
I thank you for the love you have shown,
But now it's time I traveled alone.
So grieve awhile for me, if grieve you must,
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
It's only for a time we must part,
So bless the memories within your heart.
I won't be far away, for life goes on,
So if you need me, Call, and I will come.
Though you can't see me or touch me, I'll be near,
And if you listen with your heart, you'll hear
All my love around you soft and clear.
And then, when you must come this way alone,
I'll greet you with a smile and say:
"Welcome home"
I'd like to thank the staff of Bells Ferry Veterinary Hospital for their love and dedication to Bogdan from the day I brought him in, all the way to the end. Their sensitivity and support after Bogdan passed away is much appreciated by our whole family.
The statement below is merely my own opinion, based on my own experiences...
Bogdan came from Elizabeth Hart, living in Texas, who just goes on her merry way breeding cats even after what she did to Bogdan. This is the same woman that sent Bogdan to me, and told me "breeding was not for her", and 4 weeks after dumping Bogdan on me, she bred her female to another male. Her Lottadots cattery is not really a cattery, cats are not treated the way they are supposed to be treated (even though her website fools you regarding that) and the above story is proof of that. She also breeds dogs, has pictures online of the pups with the umbilical cord still attached, claiming they can go home at age 5 weeks. I reported her to the Texas SPCA, in hopes her animals will be taken away from her. She may claim on her website her cats are well cared for now, but Bogdan certainly was not. He was afraid of hands and feet, he was a extreme fear biter, terrified of people, he was in horrible physical condition, and I have a file full of pictures, video's, vet bills and vet reports to prove it. Her mother is Nikki Wharton from Nikarl cattery who knew about this situation but claims she couldn't do anything about it. Liz may claim on her website that I am spreading lies, but I have the truth, vet reports and witnesses who have seen Bogdan at the time he came to me on my side. Both are completely unethical in my opinion and I do not recommend buying any kittens from these breeders.