Wyoming – Recently, a Wyoming dog rescue agency fell in love with an elderly, ailing cat who showed up outside their door, seemingly searching for help. The staff at Black Dog Animal Rescue named the scraggly 18-year-old cat Eddie and shared his short, poignant story with their supporters.
In a July 12 news release, the animal welfare agency recounted their first encounter with Eddie, explaining how the elderly cat did not run when they went out to see him:
I knelt down, put out my hands and this sweet creature walked right up to me asking to be held. I picked him up and brought him inside. We all fawned over him, gave him as much food as he wanted (which was a lot!) and marveled at the fact that he showed up seemingly out of nowhere begging to be rescued.
Eddie ate until his belly was full, and enjoyed the deep, sound sleep that comes with knowing you are safe. But sometimes being safe and loved is not enough to prevent the inevitable.
Blood work run on Eddie revealed that he was in the end-stages of FIV, (feline immunodeficiency virus) which is common in stray cats. Given his age and his poor state of health, the difficult decision was made to humanely end Eddie’s suffering.
Though the group knew Eddie for just a short time, he made an impact and his death left a mark on their hearts:
I cried over Eddie. It took me a couple days to reconcile his death even. A stray cat I knew for barely a moment. I finally decided he came to us because he knew we would help him and Eddie needed us to help him not live anymore. He knew that we would do what was best for him. We still have no idea where he came from or where he’d been and, like nearly every animal we help, we wish we would have known him sooner.
Eddie did not deteriorate and suffer for the days or weeks left in his life. He received love, care, and a peaceful release from his failed body.
Find the rescuers on Facebook at this link.
Continue reading: Don’t Let His Story End Here – Dog Named Tyson Has Languished At Shelter For Over A Year
