Xena, 1996-2008

We had to have Xena put to sleep on Sunday after she was suffering from kidney issues. She was a great cat, and we’ll miss her very much. This picture is from May.

We always called her the Miracle Cat, because of all she went through when she was a kitten. She was born 24 hours after the rest of her siblings, and the runt of the litter.

One time when she was a few months old, we went away on a camping trip and returned to find she had gotten her leg trapped by a fallen table leaf in the outside pantry. The vet treated her, and we wound up having to tend to necrotic tissue on her leg, cutting it away from her open wound over some days until it healed. That she not only didn’t lose her leg but grew up to be a big, healthy cat (the runt no longer) was truly miraculous.

Squishy and Xena never got along that well, nor did Xena particularly enjoy the appearance of Pharaoh the standard poodle a couple of years ago. Over the last year, however, she and the dog had become buddies, playing with and snuffling at each other. The poodle is the one who found her holed up on Sunday, so he was able to help his friend out in her last hours.

Xena was also a pretty talented huntress (to our chagrin at times ;) so I expect that she is enjoying some plentiful hunting on the other side.