Toffy's life wasn't the easiest life for a cat. In 2004 she
was rescued by the Humane Society. Someone had called in saying they found a
cat tangled in a fence. Her fur was matted so they had brought her along with a
few other animals to Pampered Paws. This is where she walked into my life.
Pampered Paws was a grooming shop owned by my best friend. While in her shop
she fell in love with Toffy, at the time named Ivory by the Humane Society.
While talking with the worker they had told her that Toffy was probably going
to be put down due to they thought she was to aggressive. My friend told them
that Toffy was quite the opposite there. She was a loving affectionate cat. She
then asked if she could adopt her. They agreed. Toffy became the shop cat for
Pampered Paws.
Not long after my friend got her they noticed something was wrong. She took
Toffy to the vet and they discovered that Toffy had breast cancer. My friend
did not know what she was going to do. I received a phone call of her crying
because she didn't know if Toffy would make it. The vet was able to do surgery
and remove the cancer. But the cancer was so deep she had to cut into stomach
mussels. There was always a chance that it would grow back. My friend took
Toffy back to her home, at the grooming shop and Toffy was happy.
In mid 2006 my friend had decided to close her shop. She did not want to take
Toffy back to the Humane Society and her husband had said she could not bring
the cat home, since she had 4 cats already. Brian and I had been talking about
getting another cat. She approached me and asked if we would take her. After
talking we decided YES we wanted her. A few days later my friend and I went to
pick her up to her bring her to her new home.
So, July 2006 Toffy came to live with us. The first week we would call her
name, Ivory still at this point, but she wouldn't respond. I was kind of
wondering if she was deaf. Kiddingly one night I told Brian "We should
just name her Toffy!" She was lying next to my husband and flashed me this
look like "what the hell do you want?" We started laughing and the
name stuck. From that point on we'd call Toffy and she'd come running. Not long
after we got her we noticed that she was having litter box issues. She'd
urinate in the box, but would not poop in it. We took her to the vet. The vet
could not find a medical explanation for it, just said it was behavioral. Then
gave us the option of medicating her, but I did not want to do that. She was
such a loving cat, I felt medicating her would change her personality. She was
also a very sensitive cat, a personality like no other cat I had ever seen.
After talking to my friend we came up with a good solution to the problem. She
gave us one of the larger dog kennels from her shop. I went out and purchased a
large Ferret hammock and litter box. We already had food and water dishes. She
instantly took to her new home. It was HER room and it also sheltered her from
our kitten, Teffy. Later I bought a cover for the kennel to give her some more
shelter. When we were home Toffy was let out of her home to roam free our
apartment.
After having her here for awhile her personality really
shined through. If she didnt like something shed make this funny snappy meow.
If she made that you knew to stop what you were doing. She also LOVED to purr.
As soon as you looked at her shed start to purr. My husband and I spent
countless hours watching TV with her lying on the back of the couch just
purring away. She was just happy to be there. Once she wanted to be pet shed
come up and just ram you with her little head. The more you ignored her the
more and harder shed do it. Her favorite spot to be pet was her head and under
her chin. She was a long haired cat, but had the longest fur I had ever seen.
The top of her head was like she had a little buzz cut. I was comforting to me
to be sitting on the couch petting her and playing with that fur. When the
other two cats were too good for us while watching TV Toffy was always
there. She was one of the family!
My husband deployed in mid January 2008. Not long after he
left I noticed she wasnt acting right. She was throwing up more than usual and
having diarrhea. One night while out, after using the litter
box I noticed some blood in her urine. I wanted to cry at that moment. I knew
that the cancer was probably back. I was hoping and praying to God that shed
make it till my husband was supposed to come home for a few days or even till
the end of his deployment.
Then in the end of February she started knocking her water
self feeder over. We had bought it for her because she drank a lot of water, so
much that we were filling her bowl 2-3 times a day when she was healthy. So I
ended up just putting a water bowl back into the cage. Well she barely touched
it. Then I started noticing her eating less and less food. I knew it wouldnt
be much longer. When Id pick her up and touch where the cancer was before
shed meow like she was in pain. I held off as long as I could, but knew Id have
to do it. I called the vet and made one appointment. At first I was going to
just drop her off there. But after thinking about it, I couldnt let her die
with just strangers. Id drop her off and theyd probably put her in a cage
till they had time to do it. The thought of that broke my heart. So the next
morning I called back. And got the appointment set up, at 840am on Saturday March 8, 2008. I decided I
wanted her cremated and the ashes returned to me.
Friday night I cleaned out her cage because I knew I
wouldnt be able to afterwards. She kept looking at me like Mom, what are you
doing? I let her stay out that night. I didnt sleep at all. I kept thinking
am I doing the right thing? I got up at 7am.
I took a shower. After I got out my mom called to ask what time I was going to
pick her up as she wanted to come with. I told her around 750ish. I got dressed
and checked my email as I fought back the tears. I checked the clock and knew I
had to get going. I looked outside and it had begun to snow. I put Toffy in the
kennel and sat it by the door. As I was getting my coat on Jack was bugging
her. As soon as I shut the door to our apartment and locked it she started
meowing.
The whole car ride to my parents she meowed. I put my
finger in the cage door and she was rubbing it and licking it. It broke my
heart and I started to cry. I pulled into their driveway and honked the horn.
My mom came out and got in the car. She saw I had been crying already and asked
if I wanted to go through with it. I just kept driving.
We got to the vets and the receptionist was on the phone.
It was about 815 I had written the check out already just not the amount, so I
handed my checkbook over to my mom. I started crying right away, so my mom told
me to go sit down. I began to cry harder. My mom came over and said, You know
we can still go home. Are you sure you want to do this? I told her NO I didnt
want to do it, and then asked her what other choice did I have? They took us
back to a dim lit room. They had a blanket on the table. The vet tech told me I
could let her out and that we could spend some time with her. That at some
point shed come in and take Toffy to put an IV in her for the injection. I
just held Toffy and cried. I kept telling her sorry and petting her. She was
purring the whole time, which made it even harder. My mom kept asking me if I
was sure.
About 835 the vet tech came back in and said she was going
to take her for the IV. She took Toffy to the back room. I could hear my baby
meowing as they put it in her. It hurt so much to hear that. Then she brought
my pretty girl back to me. She wasnt purring anymore At 840 the vet came in.
He asked me if I needed more time. I said no. The more time I had with her I
knew was the longer I had to change my mind. They told me that by the end of
the injection shed be gone. The vet tech held Toffy as the vet gave the
injection. My mom and I cried while petting her. We kept telling her we loved
her and what a pretty girl she was. She let out one last meow before she went
limp. The vet tech laid her on the table and the vet listened. He told us her
heart had stopped. They told us we could spent as much time as we needed with
her and to just prop the door open when we left to let them know. I asked the
tech if I could get a paw print from her. She said yes.
My mom and I stayed with Toffy for about a half hour. I
couldnt take it anymore once she started to get cold. I just kept petting her
and crying. I told my mom I didnt want it anymore I wanted to take her home!
My mom started crying harder saying I couldnt anymore and at least she was in
peace and not in pain. I took her collar off her and put it in the kennel. I
didnt want to leave her! My mom bent down and gave her a kiss on the head and
said Goodbye pretty girl, youll be missed. Then I bent down and gave her a
kiss on the head. I knew my lips would miss that furry head. I told her
Goodbye my angel, I love you! And then picked up the kennel. We walked out of
the room I was crying extremely hard. I could tell the receptionist had been
crying, as her eyes were red and puffy. She was on the phone and her voice kept
cracking. She put them on hold and asked if there was anything she could do for
me. My mom said no. Then she told me theyd call me when the ashes came in.
I handed the keys to my mom to drive. I knew I couldnt
drive home. When we got into the car I looked at the clock, it was 920. We had
only been in there a little over an hour yet it felt like time stood still in
there, that those 65 minutes were an eternity. Toffy will be greatly missed!
She may not know the impact she had on our lives. Shes a one of a kind cat
that could never be replaced. As I sit here typing this with tears running down
my face, I hope she knows how much she was loved. I know shell always be in
our hearts! I can not wait till the day that I get to see her again at the Rainbow
Bridge!