City Kitties Memorials
This page is dedicated to the cats and kittens who didn't make it to permanent, happy homes. Nearly all of the stories below could have been prevented by keeping cats indoors, vetted, and loved.
Fifi
January 5, 2009
Fifi was found outside of the very same corner store as Earl (see story below) and Tastykake (since adopted). She had clearly been left to fend for herself on the cold street. Starving and rail-thin, this kitten wouldn't have survived much longer in the cold winter weather. A City Kitties volunteer scooped her up and carried her home, and Fifi purred all the way. Fifi was thrilled to be inside with people to love and feed her, but something wasn't quite right. When we took her to the vet the next day, we found out she had pyometra, a uterine infection. She also tested positive for feline leukemia. Fifi must have been in a lot of pain, but she never showed it. Cats who test positive at such a young age rarely live to be 3 years old, and with such a severe infection, she likely wouldn't have survived spay surgery. After lots of wet food and love, the vet put Fifi to sleep. Rest in peace, kitten. We're sorry we didn't get to you in time.
Earl
November 23, 2008
We found Earl outside of a West Philly corner store, begging for scraps. A store employee was smacking him on the head with a broom, so we knew we had to act fast. Within a few weeks, he had a foster home all his own, a doting foster mom, and plenty of space to roam. But Earl's past must have been worse than we could even imagine, and he had some demons that love couldn't fix. After Earl viciously lashed out at the people who loved him most, we made a difficult decision to humanely euthanize him. Though his end was difficult for everyone involved, we're glad Earl had a second chance at life.
Maude
November 9, 2008
This beautiful tortoiseshell with stunning green eyes was found wandering the streets of Philadelphia one summer day. City Kitties brought her inside for warmth, food, and veterinary care. Maude spent more than a year in foster care with her dedicated foster moms, Angie and Courtney, who made sure she got plenty of attention and daily brushings. She saw many other foster cats come and go, but nobody expressed interest in adopting her. That was fine with Maude's foster moms, who understood what a special kitty she was. Maude died suddenly one Sunday evening. We're glad she lived out the last year of her life in a loving home with such dedicated foster parents. She will be missed very much.
Seven
November 6, 2008
Seven was rescued from Northwest Philly after years of life on the streets. He was FIV+, had been hit by a car at least once, had severe flea dermatitis, a crooked ear, and only a few broken teeth. This gritty tomcat had certainly used up most of his nine lives. Despite all of this, Seven was an absolute gentleman who wanted nothing more than affection and a quiet place to call home. Sadly, Seven's health declined rapidly. After some blood tests and a cardiac ultrasound, we discovered that he was in kidney failure and had an enlarged heart. So he came home with us to live at City Kitties "headquarters," where he received hospice care and lots of love for the last month of his life. Seven let us know when it was his time. We called his friend Dr. Andeer and his foster mom Haley to give him a proper send-off. Seven died peacefully at home, surrounded by four people who loved him very much. We miss him terribly and wish he could have spent more than six months inside with us.
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
June - 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.