Lora Lee 
Today is a very sad day for me. As I am writing this, I am spending the next couple of hours saying goodbye to my beloved Panda Bear before we help him cross the Rainbow Bridge. As with most cats, Panda went from being a happy, energetic cat to a very sick cat in a matter of a couple of days. After a couple of days of acting off and then, a full day of not eating, a trip to the vet discovered that Panda was in advanced renal failure, or kidney disease. His kidney levels were so high that the vet was amazed that he was still alive. And if that wasn’t bad enough, she discovered that he has a really bad heart murmur.
So, the decision was made to give him some fluids to keep him comfortable overnight so we could bring him home to spend time with him and say our goodbyes. In a couple of hours, we will help him cross the Rainbow Bridge. This is my tribute to my Panda Bear who brought so much joy to my life in such a short time.
A Long Life, But A Short Time Together
Panda is a little over 14 years old and came with the house we bought over 2 years ago. He was very unsure about me and cautious about what I was doing when I was outside. There were never any hisses from him, just overall cautious curiosity. Every mealtime, he would be waiting for me to bring his food, running down the porch stairs until I placed his food down and went back into the house. I would always talk to him and started calling him Panda Bear.
After a few months of me talking to him each day, I started to receive slow blinks, a cat’s way of communicating love. I was so excited that I was making progress with him. It took almost a year, but finally, Panda trusted me enough to pet him. That was probably one of the happiest moments in all my life of being a Cat Mom. To earn the trust of Panda meant so much to me. And our love affair began.
Panda’s previous caregivers left us his bio. He was born in the summer of 2008 to a young stray cat that had wandered up. He did have a brother as well. Over the next couple of years, the mom and brother disappeared leaving only Panda. They continued to feed him and provided him with a warm shelter during the winter months. Over the years, they were able to pet him some, but only from behind. In bold letters was the warning to NEVER TRY TO PET PANDA FROM THE FRONT for he will try to bite you.
As my relationship grew with Panda, not only could I pet him from any direction, but I could also pick him up and give him kisses. The love and trust in our relationship was deep. He will be deeply missed. Two years was not enough time for us, but I will remember and cherish every moment we shared.
My New Mission
This is my 3rd cat that I have lost to kidney disease in a little over a year. That is a lot. First, Monti last August at the young age of 4. Then, Prudence this past July, also at the age of 4. And now, Panda. Grant it, Panda is 14 and kidney disease is generally an “old cat” disease, but is there something else contributing to this? When Monti was sick, I realized that the food that he was eating was a contributing factor. I, instantly, made the transition to a species appropriate raw diet for my cats. Prudence was on that raw diet, as well as Panda. So, there had to be another component to this.
I have started to wonder about my water. Is there something in our water supply that is contributing to my cats getting sick? We are going to get the water tested and install an in-house filtration system. I am also going to be checking into supplements that I can start giving my cats to help support their kidneys. Kidney disease has become my nemesis and I refuse to let him take another one of my babies. It is now my new mission to prevent this disease from affecting any of my other cats. This is a Cat Mom on a mission, and I will not fail. I will do this in memory of Monti, Prudence, and now, Panda.
I am now going to spend the next couple of hours giving Panda the love, pets, snuggles and kisses that he deserves. He will know how very much he is loved and will be missed. I will tell him how much joy he has brought into my life and how wonderful his life will be at the Rainbow Bridge, where we will meet again someday. Panda will be free to run and play and frolic and he will know that he can come visit me anytime that he wants. My heart will always be open for him. Fly high, sweet Panda Bear. Until we meet again.
“No one can truly understand the bond we form with the cats we love until they experience the loss of one.” – Unknown
