THUMBLES

And the last of the “eena” sisters is gone.

Athena, Marvelina and Thumbelina (a.k.a. the three “eena” sisters) arrived at SNAP Cats on December 14, 2015, just after we moved into our new home here in Santa Rosa. Despite a barely-noticeable CH wobble, all three were going to be euthanized at a Bay Area Shelter.

No. Not gonna happen. NO. Sorry.

Actually, Thumbelina’s original name was Stumbelina. You know that makes my blood boil. So I renamed her Thumbelina (a.k.a. Thumbles). Thumbles had a swagger/wobble like she was John Wayne in cats’ clothing. It was extremely entertaining, if not, intoxicating. Thumbles was the most outgoing of the sisters. She was always at the center of activity. Always the first to greet you. Always craving attention. Always stealing your heart with her beautiful, green eyes.

Years before I adopted Thumbles, she went into foster-to-adopt with a local Windsor woman. Honestly, it was really hard to let Thumbles go. Really hard. Like so many, Thumbles had stolen my heart. But that’s our job here. To rescue kitties, then find them warm, loving homes. As hard as that is sometimes.

The next morning I received an email from the Windsor woman. Thumbles was coming back. Seems Thumbles pooped on the women’s dining room table. I, of course, was deeply saddened by this news. Heartbroken. In tears…

Okay. I wasn’t. I was elated! YAY!!! Thumbles is coming back! I couldn’t wait to hold her again. Give her a big KISS!

Is that wrong?

After returning to SNAP Cats Thumbles continued to demonstrate that she preferred counters and shelves and anywhere else but the litter box. Some people, obviously, are disgusted by this. Me? Just another day at SNAP Cats.

I know this sounds weird, but I adopted Marvelina first. She and my cat, Simon, became inseparable. They were the cutest couple. Never wanted to be separated from one other. When one went to eat, the other followed. Water? Same deal. Litter box? Yep. Waited there until business was finished. There’s no way Marvelina was leaving Simon. So, she became my second cat (after Simon).

I guess in the back of my mind I knew that Thumbles would never be adopted due to her questionable elimination decisions. But I held off adopting her for reasons I can’t explain. I just knew she’d always be here. And that was good enough.

On January 12, 2022, we lost Marvelina. She had a massive seizure. Two months later, we lost Athena. Same way. Massive seizure.

With Marvelina and Athena passing so closely together, I questioned how much time Thumbles had left. So it was time to adopt Thumbelina. I had to make her legally mine. I didn’t want her to pass without a dad. So I adopted Thumbles on April 14, 2022.

I hate to say this, but I always thought Thumbles would be the first of the sisters to go to the bridge. She was the frailest of the three. The smallest. Most medically challenged. On top of that, she suffered a minor stroke about 6 months after arriving here. Looking back, she was never quite the same after that. Mentally. Just seemed a little aloof. Maybe that’s why she started pooping on dining room tables. Maybe that’s why she didn’t respond to her name. Maybe…

Wait. She’s a cat. Never mind.

Despite her challenges, Thumbles was a fighter. She battled disease and infections and urine scald most of her life… and in the end, lymphoma.

After the first few months on chemo, Thumbles looked really healthy. REALLY healthy. She was like a new cat. Her coat was shiny and smooth. Her John Wayne swagger was back. Her big, beautiful, green eyes had fire in them again… I really thought she was going to beat lymphoma. I really did.

But that fire slowly faded. Her coat became old and worn. Her swagger was gone. The lymphoma was winning. Thumbles was dying. And there was nothing I could do.

So in the time that we had left, I made sure that she was comfortable. I Iet her know every day that I loved her very much. And that everything was going to be okay.

When the time came. When it was time to let her go. I kissed her goodbye. I told her to be nice to her sisters. To please wait for me at the bridge. And when we cross the bridge together, to please, do not, DO NOT poop on God’s dining room table.

Thumbelina (Thumbles): March 1, 2015 – August 4, 2024.