Penny

Penny, one of the ferals in the lower house passed away this past Saturday, March 29. I know many of you will probably say, "Penny, which one was she?" But to me, this was one of the hardest losses I have been through at Blue Bell. I have such a heart for the ferals and the cats of the lower house in general, as that is where I spend the majority of my time when I am working. Blue Bell cats are loved on and spoiled by the staff and volunteers, but the ferals have always been alone in the sense that they do not allow what I wish we were able to give them - love. I always talk to them a lot and give them their own plates of food and extra chicken. Several of them actually like to play with toys.

Penny was a rescue from Dana Point Harbor in 1999 and came to Blue Bell with her "sisters" Lilly and Tabitha. I am not sure if they were actually related but they were very close. Tabi and PenPen would always be the two you would see curled up in a bowl or outside in a box in the sun together, with Lilly not far away.

A couple of months ago, Penny was diagnosed with kidney disease and a terrible mouth infection. The vet had to give her anesthesia in order to get blood and urine and she literally died on the table - her heart stopped. She came out of it and spent several days in an incubator on IV fluids and antibiotics. She ate very well and would let me pet her, though she was cautious. She got stronger and was able to come back to Blue Bell.

She had been doing well and we were continuing to monitor her but had gradually been declining especially over the past week. She did not eat Friday. When I came in Saturday AM, she ate a little bit but she made it obvious to me that it was time. She spent the morning outside in the sunshine with her sisters and when it got a bit overcast and a bit chilly around noon, she came inside and slept in her hammock bed. At 3pm, the sun came out again and she spent her last hour in the sunshine watching the birds and bugs.

Donna came to say goodbye and Sarah said goodbye to her over the cellphone. Dr. Alacala came down around 4pm as we wanted her to be able to be put to sleep in the home she knew. Donna picked her up and wrapped her in her favorite red candy striped blanket and we lay her on a soft blanket on the table outside in the sunshine. She did not struggle and she let us stroke her fur and give her kisses. We told her we loved her and that we would take good care of her sisters and she went to sleep very quickly and peacefully.

The lower house will be very empty to me without her. Sunday I even called her name out loud out of habit when I was feeding. I'm going to miss you Miss Penny, little PenPen, my little feral girl.