1/26/2024 Dear supporters, I would like to give my most sincere apology for the delay in email notification. We had another medical emergency today that needed attention as well. It is with great sadness to inform you that Stitch has passed over the rainbow bridge. He has been to the vet several times over the last two years because of his weight loss. Every time we thought his time was near Stitch would always bounce back by gaining weight and his symptoms just seemed to fade away. About a year ago we started treating him with pred and chlorambucil for cancer. Recently, he started to lose weight by an ounce or two consistently when we did our weights. We of course had him at the vet almost every 2 months to make sure nothing in his blood work drastically changed. He has been slightly anemic over the past year. We knew we were dealing with leukemia and as long as he showed signs of wanting to fight we were too. This week his appetite has changed, and he was not eating enough to maintain his weight. He still loved to go out for his lobby time to wreak havoc by showing off all he could get into and to sharpen his claws on his favorite cardboard scratcher. We gave him all the dehydrated treats he wanted and he got to stroll in the garden today. We have made it the best few days for him. We weren't going to watch him continue to waste away. As always it's better on a good day than a bad day. Today, he and I made our last trip to the vet. A beam of sunshine shined on him through the window while holding him in my arms as he crossed the rainbow bridge. Stitch is a FELV+ cat who came to us from an animal hospital in Georgia. The owner brought him in to be fixed. When he tested FELV positive the vet recommended he be put to sleep. The owner said to put him down. One of the vet staff begged for his life and asked to get the chance to find him a place to go. The lady that saved his life told me " Another good thing is that Stitch's rescuer is a very nice woman and is glad that he's getting a second chance. She paid for his neuter, vaccines, blood test, etc. She did want to rescue him, I just think most people don't know there's an option other than euthanasia. I talk about it constantly to the doctor and coworkers at my clinic, but I think I'm barking into the wind for everyone to hear what I'm saying." This wonderful lady even drove 6 hours to bring him to us. He truly owes his life to her. Because of you, Stitch was able to have a life that all cats deserve over the past 8 years and got to the age of nine as a FeLV-positive kitty. Thank you so much for everything ya'll do. I am so sorry, Sam