Piper (2001-2018)

Well, I am back here again to notify my friends that we have lost another member of our family. Piper passed away on February 3, 2018 after a two month battle with kidney disease/failure. She fought hard and Matt and I worked diligently to make her last few months comfortable. After suffering Trudy's loss not 4 months ago, I was ill-prepared to say goodbye to my beautiful kitten.

Piper was born on March 20, 2001 and came to live with me in my very first apartment on May 26, 2001. She was from a litter of kittens which was completely unplanned and needed a home. Her situation wasn't the best and the "free" kitten I adopted needed a tremendous amount of medical intervention. $$$

When Piper was 9 months old, we moved into an apartment with my sister. I remember my sis being as in love with her as I was, although Piper did not feel the same way in return.

9 months after living with my sister, Piper and I moved into our own apartment again. This was the apartment on Grant Road, the one where we would eventually meet Matt at. There were a sequence of several more apartments after this (my brain can't keep them all straight), Matt and I added Lily to the family and we got married. Piper was underwhelmed with this decision (Lily and the marriage).

We moved Piper (and Lily) to a house out in Rita Ranch which was preferable as she had more places to hide and windows and doors to sun herself in.

Than we added Trudy to the family...
And guess what, Piper wasn't happy about that either.

Surprise! We moved again (to Water Street near the U of A) when I decided to go to college full time and Piper helped me every step of the way!

And guess what? We moved again, this time to the house on Hospedero and when Matt left for the Marine Corps, my little companion was right by my side. My sister also lived with us during this time, so that would be twice in Piper's life that Auntie Pillows lived with us.

Than Matt and I did something truly insane. We packed up the house and all the animals, threw them in a U-Haul and drove them from Arizona to Oregon - by ourselves. I think Piper enjoyed this house (in Tigard) the most, it had the most space, the most carpet, the most windows and two levels. She spent a lot of time on these stairs.

Piper finally got her forever home when we moved into the cabin.

She was much older then but it didn't stop her curiosity.

Just a few years ago, we added Churro to the mix but this time Piper didn't care.
She was too old and likely had given up on the idea of a quiet home ever again.

We even puppy-sat from time to time which she tolerated rather well!

For 16 years and 11 months (almost half my life), Piper was my tiny, little love. 

She loved taking a shower/bath...

and getting wet...

warm blankets...

and sunshine.

And eventually she even let Matt touch her. 

Back in December she was diagnosed with terminal kidney disease and she was hospitalized for 3 days. She rebounded, something the doctor's thought was impossible. She was down to 4.9 lbs but was stable enough to come home.

But she continued to lose weight. Here she was around 3.9 lbs.

And here she was around 3.4 lbs.

On the day of her passing, Piper weighed 2.9 lbs. She had stopped eating, stopped drinking (so she was having fluids put in subcutaneously) and she was unable to walk. She made the decision to leave us herself, we only helped end her suffering. That doesn't ease my pain or the heartache I experience at every moment of every day since she left us. Piper was not an easy animal to care for. She was sickly and expensive. She was mean and vicious to everyone, including me from time to time. Her litter box etiquette left much to be desired and she was the source of many a fight between Matt and I during our marriage. But in the end, he stood beside me, he held me as I held her while she died and he continues to hold me because she was family and I loved her endlessly and he loves me. I am so grateful to him for his compassion and his unquestioning willingness to pay for whatever she needed these past few months. While it is difficult to get the images of the past few weeks out of my head, as I watched her slowly slip away, I am trying to remember Piper as she was, when she was younger and healthy and happy.

I will miss you for the rest of my life, my sweet Pips.