City Kitties Memorials
This page is dedicated to the cats and kittens who didn't make it to permanent, happy homes.
Einstein
April - June 2008
Einstein was one of two tiny kittens dumped in a cardboard box on a porch in West Philly. Starving, dehydrated, and with no mother to care for them, these kittens would have died very quickly. Luckily, they were scooped up by a kind-hearted rescuer who bottle-fed them and tried her best to give them a second shot at life. While Orwell thrived and began eating on her own, Einstein still needed round-the-clock care. He loved being carried around in a bandana so he could be as close to his human caretaker as possible. Despite several trips to the vet, he never quite recovered from his ordeal. Sadly, Einstein died a few weeks later. Like most memorials on this page, Einstein's suffering could have easily been prevented. RIP, kitten.
Spike
? - June 5, 2008
Spike was tossed out of a neighbor's house when his unneutered smell and fleas became a nuisance. We worried that Spike would be hit by a car, and sure he enough he was--twice, according to the vet at the emergency room. The first time, he didn't heal completely. There were maggots in his old wounds, and portions of bone showed beneath his sleek black fur. Severe neurological damage affected use of Spike's hind end; he must have been in agonizing pain. Flea dirt literally poured onto the exam table as we rubbed his head and neck. When the vet told us that Spike had no hope for recovery, we had no difficulty deciding to humanely euthanize him. Nobody would want to suffer like that. We don't know what Spike was thinking when they gave him the first of three injections and he drifted off, but we hope having two caring people there to comfort him was some consolation. He deserved it after such a brief, painful life. If you know anyone who lets their cat out into the city streets, please tell them Spike's story.
Snaggletooth
? - March 10, 2008
This big tomcat was the quintessential City Kitty. Straight from the streets of West Philly, he was smelly, dirty, and just a little pushy at dinnertime. We dubbed him Snaggletooth for the mouth full of broken teeth that gave him a delightfully crooked smile. Despite many attempts at capture, we were never able to outsmart this clever stray. But one day he was hungry enough to follow the bowl of food inside. We had a sinking feeling this crusty street kitty wasn't healthy, but we were hopeful he would beat the odds and test negative for feline diseases. We were crushed when Snaggletooth tested double-positive--both FIV and leukemia. We made the difficult choice to humanely euthanize him. After several big bowls of wet food and lots of love, we said goodbye to our favorite stray. Snags, you will be missed.
20/20
June ? - August 27, 2007
20/20, a kitten with massive eye infections, was dumped in a box at a local vet office with a note attached: "Help me see again!" But it was too late for 20/20's eyesight--her corneas had already ruptured, rendering her completely blind. This tough little kitten survived a week of pain as her eyes ruptured and healed repeatedly; she was too weak for surgery to have them removed, but we hoped she would make a full recovery once on antibiotics. The kind vet even took her home over the weekend to see if she could be nursed back to health. A few days later, we realized she wouldn't make it unless the vet operated to remove what remained of her infected eyes. Sadly, her heart stopped during surgery. If only her "owner" had cared enough to find treatment for her a week earlier, little 20/20 would be alive, possibly with normal eyesight. RIP, kitty.
Daisy
March 7, 2007 – May 23, 2007
Daisy was the only girl out of six kittens born to Gabby in early March, 2007. Daisy and Gabby were temporarily adopted together but the adopter changed her mind. Thankfully, Daisy returned to the home she knew to play with her brothers for two days before she fell ill. Unbeknownst to Daisy's foster mom or the vet, Daisy was born with a congenital defect that caused her lungs to rapidly fill up with fluid. After arriving at the veterinary emergency center and learning that her prognosis was grim, Daisy was humanely euthanized. Although Daisy graced our lives for a short eleven weeks, her memory will be with us forever. RIP little angel.
Lehigh
? - August 14, 2006
We found this tiny, dirty kitten on Lehigh Avenue in North Philly. He was mewing for help but wouldn't let us anywhere near him. After trying to coax him near us for a while, we came back with a kitten trap. When we got him home to his temporary digs in the bathroom, Lehigh was happy to be inside with food and water. He let us pet him and purred when we scratched him behind his ears. But by the next afternoon he was too sick to stand on his own. A victim of the deadly panleukopenia virus, he didn't stand a chance. Sadly, Lehigh had to be humanely euthanized. We are comforted in knowing that he spent his last 24 hours in a safe, comfortable place. RIP, little guy.
Cookie Cat
? - October 1, 2006
A kind Penn student found a young ginger tabby girl roaming the campus and took her inside. Before long, she had a wonderful new foster mom named Shak. Shak instantly fell in love with Cookie Cat and gave her everything a kitty could want--toys, food, a comfy bed, and lots of love. But just a week later, this lovely kitty tested positive for feline leukemia, a disease that is fatal to a cat as young as Cookie. Rather than condemning her to a long, painful road, we made a very difficult decision to humanely euthanize Cookie Cat. Her foster mom, especially, will miss her dearly. We thank Shak and Seychelle for providing Cookie Cat with the best life possible for the last few weeks she was with us. Read Shak's memorial to Cookie Cat >>
Please help us prevent the needless loss of kitties like the ones on this page by making a donation towards vet care, food, litter, and other necessary supplies.