Saturday, September 29, 2007

My Beloved Phoebe


My little Phoebe came to me when she was just a tiny 3 1/2 week old kitten. She had a brother we named Bing and they were just beautiful. Both of them had conjunctivitis so bad their eyes were "pasted" shut, they were both entirely too skinny, and little Phoebe was terrified. Bing got along well from the start...he gave kisses and hugs and loved to purr. Phoebe was scared to even be held. So, I started putting her inside my shirt. Oh, she loved it!! She was close to me yet still felt hidden. We did this for about two weeks straight and she just seemed to come around.
Well, Phoebe and Bing got sterilized and vaccinated and were ready for adoption. Bing found a home were there was a young boy who just fell in love with him and wanted to play with him all the time. Phoebe found a home with a single woman who had just rescued another kitten and wanted to find her a friend.
After Phoebe went home, her new adoptive mother called to tell us Phoebe and her new sister were getting along great and that Phoebe still loved to climb inside shirts and robes. She would just lay there purring and sleeping.
Then something horrible happened. Phoebe's new mom chose an elective surgery for poor Phoebe, declawing. How anyone could mutilate a kittens hands and cut their fingers off at the first knuckle is beyond me. And if this little angel had already been anesthetized to be spayed, why would you anesthetize her again just 3 months later? Well, without our knowledge, (for we would not have approved of our little Phoebe being declawed), her new mom decided to have this procedure done. Her new mom uses the same veterinarian as we do and I happened to walk in for another purpose and got to kiss my Phoebe goodbye, for she had gone in to cardiac arrest on the table and the veterinarian could not pull her out.
Unfortunately, when a person choses to make a decision for a voluntary surgery to mutilate a baby, the outcome is never good. Whether it is that the baby will now have to live with the tips of her fingers cut off or the poor baby doesn't pull through surgery, this type of procedure is inhumane and uncalled for.
With all my love, rest in peace my beloved Phoebe!!!

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