A Tribute to Marzipan

Today, Chris and I had to do the hardest thing we've ever had to do since we've been together. We had to say goodbye to our sweet cat Marzipan. She's was only 4 1/2 years old, but she was not a well kitty. A year and a half ago, we discovered that her mouth was bothering her, only to find out that she had stomatitis, a severe form of gingivitis that causes horrible inflammation of her gums to the point that eating is extremely painful. With the help of our vet, we were mostly able to keep her happy, having her eat wet food and giving her medicine. After a while, we realized that the meds weren't doing their job and the vet recommended having all her teeth extracted. We wondered what kind of quality of life this would have for Marzi, but we thought that it would make things better. So we scheduled the extraction for last Tuesday. Unfortunately, about two weeks ago, we noticed that Marzi was having trouble urinating to the point that she was straining all the time. We rushed her to the vet and after a urinalysis, bloodwork and ultrasound, found out that she not only had a severe urinary tract infection but also a severe kidney disease. She had also lost more weight. After three days of hospitalization, she came home feeling better but not cured. And things just deteriorated after that point. Marzipan simply wasn't the same, happy cat. She was hungry all the time, but when we tried to feed her, she would only eat a little bit before refusing any more. We had simply reached the limits of the care we could provide for her at home.



Marzipan was such a sweet cat. She loved to cuddle on just about anyone's lap, and she really made a cat lover out of Chris. We both came home from the vet today, after saying our goodbyes, feeling lost without our sweet "Gray Bear." Our house just won't be the same without her. She was our first baby, the first creature we were responsible for after Chris and I started living together. So here are some pictures that we've taken over the years...

Marzi the day we brought her home from the pound - ~ 3 months old
In her favorite spot on my lap.

Giving an itty bitty Tandy some love, albeit begrudgingly. This was Marzi before she got sick, when the vet told me she should lose some weight.

We love you Marzipan, and we'll miss you.