Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions and depictions of animal death, including the death of a pet or animal companion, suicide, and other situations that may be sensitive to some. We ask that you’re in a “good space” before proceeding. If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicide, suicidal thoughts, self-harming, etc., please call the Suicide and Crisis Hotline at 988.
Note From Staff: Last week, one of our founders and authors experienced a massive loss. In lieu of her traditional review, she’s written a commemorative piece. We ask that you show kindness, share this article, and if at all possible, use the promo code at the end to make a donation in Pooty’s name.
Our Pooty
To say this week has been hard is an understatement. This past Monday, October 21st, we lost one of the most important things in our life. We lost our baby kitty, Pooty aka Olive! She left an imprint on my soul that will never be forgotten. Her story is tragic and beautiful, and it deserves to be told.
My baby’s story starts a little funny. So, for starters, her name wasn’t always Olive. It was actually Oliver because she was mislabeled at the pet store as a boy. She was born in May 2020, but I didn’t get her until October 2020—nearly four years to the day.
That Fateful Evening
Monday was like any other day. Pooty was on a strict feeding schedule. Due to her tummy issues, she had to eat canned food every 4 hours. She ate her breakfast like normal and had her lunch. When I sat down to have my lunch, she wanted some of my chicken nuggets. I never give her any because she throws up every time she eats them. But today she was persistent, so I gave her half of a nugget broken into little chunks.
She scarfed them down and went on about her day. At her 4:00 pm feeding, she was still sleeping, so I didn’t want to disturb her. By 5:00 pm she had woke up, but was looking like she didn’t feel well. She looked like she was nauseous. This was an almost daily occurrence for her, so I knew what it looked like. All she had to do was get it up and she would feel better.
My husband and I sat down to eat dinner around 6:00 pm and Olive still looked nauseous. Around 7:00 pm she had climbed to the top of the cat tower and looked like she was about to do it, so we got her down to the floor. She walked down the hall to my bedroom doorway and collapsed onto her side, breathing heavily.
In The Blink Of An Eye
I walked into the bedroom, lying down on the floor face to face with Pooty, and her eyes were huge and dilated. When I touched her, it spooked her. Her tail poofed out big, and she walked to the bathroom. She didn’t want me to see her like that. I followed her, staying in the doorway to the bathroom to block any other kitties from getting in and bothering her.
Before I knew it, she stood up and threw up all over my legs and onto the floor. It was nothing but bile and bits of chicken nuggets. Had I done this to her? She walked past me, slipping in the mess, and made her way back to the carpet in the bedroom doorway. By that time, I called for my husband to come. This wasn’t normal. I’d seen her throw up before, but this was different.
She collapsed onto her side, breathing heavily with her mouth open and tongue out like a dog. She couldn’t breathe. My husband yelled to call the vet. I had to leave a message. We were frantic. She was limp and her mouth was turning blue. I looked up CPR for cats, and he gave her breaths.
The on-call vet called us back 4 minutes later, but it was too late. She was getting cold to the touch. She was gone. The Angels had taken our baby in the blink of an eye!
To say we lost a pet is not even the case. We lost our daughter…. our child…. our baby! My heart and my soul!
A Life Remembered
We only had Pooty for four short, beautiful years. She touched my life in more ways than I can even express. I know I saved her life, but in so many ways she saved MY life! I was going through some dark, rough stuff when she came into our lives. We were having marital problems. I hated my job. And we had family staying with us. It was just a lot going on.
I went through some dark depression. I didn’t love myself and I wanted to end my life more times than I care to admit, but she was always there for me! Leaving her behind wasn’t an option. She gave me a purpose when I didn’t feel like I had one.
During that time, I got a suicide prevention tattoo semi-colon on my finger with a paw print at the top. I want to always remember that my cats keep me alive and give me purpose daily.
A Beautiful Story
That evening was horrific and during it all, she accidentally….. no, PURPOSELY scratched me. You wouldn’t believe it unless I showed you the picture. But Pooty scratched right through that suicide tattoo, almost as if to say, “NO, NEVER AGAIN Momma!” That’s what I choose to believe. I’m getting the scratch tattooed through that semi-colon, so I’ll never forget her final message to me.
She held on just long enough until she knew that I loved myself as much as she loved me. I’ll never forget you, Poots! We’ll never forget! You imprinted our souls and we’re forever grateful.
Taking Some Time
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I’ll be taking the week off, but I would like to ask that you honor our Pooty by purchasing Utokia’s Catokia Catnip Joints in her memory. $0.50/pack sold is donated to the cat adoption team and you can read the full review here.
Thanks to Utokia, code POOTYPAWS will give 15% off on catnip joints.
Always remember our beloved, Pooty!
Affiliate Links: Utokia’s Catokia Catnip Joints
Hi, my gardening friends! My name is Misty and I'm the Crazy Kitty Hippie to 12 kitties and 2 pups. For the last 20 years, I smoked cannabis for pain, mental health management, and let’s face it… for enjoyment. I always found cannabis to be my lifeline. It helped me when I was feeling anxious or sad and when I was in pain from being rear-ended. No medications helped my unbearable fibromyalgia pain, and I felt helpless… like I would never live life without pain. I turned to cannabis for relief and since then, CBD and THC have played a crucial role in my well-being and pain management journey. Today I’m testing out other cannabis products such as edibles, dab wax, tinctures, and more to see what works for me and my lifestyle. I was mainly just a flower-smoking girlie, but that doesn’t always fit into society or a group setting. So now, I'm on a mission to help other women improve their well-being with cannabis and hemp derivatives.
