About a year ago, we had to put our kitty Toodles down:

[truedelphi]

I just had the sweetest dream about her, that I was taking down a tablecloth off the "kitty table" in our den, and I saw a kitty blanket crumpled up. When I went to straighten it, Toodles was hiding there.

She gave me a big grin and then I realized that over the past year, I should have looked for her. Finally I said, "I'm so sorry I didn't realize you are still with us." And she gave me her "outlaw grin" like she knew she could fool me.

In the dream, I never thought to consider that she was doing so well even though we hadn't fed her in over a year. This was a cat that showed up on our second floor porch, despite being 90% blind, half of the skin and flesh on the right side of her face missing. The vet who had tested her for feline AIDS, at the point in time after we had her for two months, and let us know that she had it. Yes, we were told way back in Nov 2010 how she had only six months, yet she blossomed under my spouse's tender care, including a mushroom potion he obtained monthly over the internet.

Under his patient and loving care, she became a beauty of a cat. When she became tumor-filled, late summer 2012, I went into denial, as I really thought she had beaten back the disease.

http://tinyurl.com/kqrkzar

[Sweet Freedom]

1. Aww...

A lovely visit from your fur angel.

[truedelphi]

2. Thanks. I can't explain how happy I was to see her.

When my dad died, at age of ninety in 2002, I knew he'd be around. (And he was, quite often. He even told me that he couldn't believe how terribly screwed up the politics in our country was - and that his teachers on the other side were showing him how the republicans were such thieves! He said, "Why didn't you tell me!&quot

But it never occurred to me that our animal friends can still "visit" us, just as the important people in our lives can. Anyway, I added the link to her photo, in the OP with my spouse's thumb reaching out to pet her.

[840high]

3. Love to you.

[truedelphi]

6. Thanks, 840high. n/t

[Sanity Claws]

4. I had a visit from my deceased dog once too

A few years after his passing, I dreamed that I saw a poor bedraggled dirty dog. I took him in and cleaned him up. The dog turned out to be my late dog, Sullivan. I remember enjoying cleaning up that poor dog and providing him with care. I was just so filled with joy when I saw it was Sullivan.

I thought it was a message from him to move on and find joy in giving care to an animal. I don't remember how much later, maybe a year or two, I adopted two cats and loved them completely. One is still with me; the other one passed away summer 2012.

Aren't our pets just amazing?

BTW, I checked out the photo of your late cat. She was a beauty. Her face healed totally.

[truedelphi]

5. I have no doubt that was your doggie letting you know

You weren't being unfaithful by going and adding a new member or two to your family. Or maybe just looking out for your emotional health and helping you see how you could keep yourself cared for.

Our house is an energy vortex for lost animals. We have a dog living here maybe four weeks a year - some poor pooch that can't figure out how he got to our house and how to get home. Usually within 36 hours we discover the owner, so the pet can get back home, but the last time, it took a week. And the final day, the dog went and sat in our van, refusing to eat or come in our house, and letting us know we better find her real home. Boy, was I glad when her owners showed up. We had a whole network of people helping us find those owners. They were both deaf, (local radio ad couldn't be heard) and so that was part of the problem.

[truedelphi]

7. BTW, the problem with her face turned out to be totally

related to a milk allergy.

Initially, we thought she had been in a fight with some animal that clawed her. But the problem continued until we realized she only scratched at her face on days when she had milk. Her health improved almost overnight, as she no longer threw up, and she started putting on weight.

[Skittles]

8. .

our pets, they take pieces of our hearts with them

Grieve not,
nor speak of me with tears,
but laugh and talk of me
as if I were beside you.....
I loved you so --
'twas Heaven here with you.

--by Ilsa Paschal Richardson

[840high]

9. That made me cry. ty

[truedelphi]

11. Quite gorgeous words of comfort -

Thanks Skittles.

[In_The_Wind]

15. Thank you

[orleans]

27. "they take pieces of our hearts with them"

my god--they absolutely do.

[Phentex]

10. Sweet thing...

I'd consider that dream a little gift.

[truedelphi]

12. It really was a gift. n/t

[joeybee12]

13. Ah, you took good care of her and she's now in kitty heaven...

[truedelphi]

14. We took care of her, as she took very good care of us.

She was an incredible life force. The smallest of all our other cats, she ruled the house.

Since she couldn't see, her behavior was confusing to the other dominant female. Vanna, the other calico female would approach her to attack, and Toodles would hear the noise of the approaching attack, and bare her fangs IN A SMILE! And this so confused Vanna that she would back off.

She was afraid of absolutely nothing. And very loyal to her good chum, Chellbie. They went everywhere together , which often looked so funny.

A Mutt and Jeff combo if ever there was one. Chelbs weighs in at 18 pounds, and T. weighed less than six when soaking wet. Their favorite game was to do a Ninja Sword fighting dance, that often went on for 20 minutes. (Toodles did have some sight, so she could be very good at close range fights.)

[joeybee12]

20. Sounds like she had a very strong will to survive...

She wanted to stick around and lasted much longer than others might have. Did you get pix of the Ninja Sword Dance? I bet they're funny...

[libodem]

16. That touched my heart

I was going to start a thread about Ralph getting better. She has had a mast cell tumor. It disappeared on its own. What kind of tumors did your kitty have?

Apparently, Ralphie has a thyroid growth, too, and I was giving her medication, but she stopped eating and threw up constantly. She was so sick I thought she was dying. I quit the pills and the 'pilling' cuz I figured she had little time left. I bought new dry food and changed canned food brands and she started eating again. I think she may live a little longer now.

I'm so happy you had a visitation from your fur baby. I do think they wait for us on the other side.

[truedelphi]

17. libodem, sorry to hear about Ralph.

About a month after T.'s was put down, we found out that it is possible to administer steroids (maybe prednisone?) that can often shrink any thyroid or neck tumors. I didn't pay much attention to what the vet was telling us, as I was still so hurt over losing her. But you might call your vet's office and see if they know about this. If they don't know about steroid use for neck and thyroid tumors, call around until you find a vet that does. Be sure and ask about side effects, and expected outcomes. I don't think it is more than $ 60 for administering the dose. (Maybe a lot less?)

Some vet's offices only want the consumer to pay for expensive cancer therapies, which one of the vets we consulted offered us. Some $ 350 a week, with no hope that she would last more than an extra month or two. We declined. Right now, I can't afford $ 350 a week to save me!

As long as Ralph is eating, and using the litter box, she has a chance. My husband follows people on FaceBook who use "Rick Simpson's cannabis oil" and that stuff does amazing things for people with tumors and the furry friends too. But it is essential that you are secure in using it. Even in Calif., people are arrested for use of cannabis for med treatment, if the Feds come after them.

[libodem]

18. Thank you for the information

The vet wanted 650.00 to remove it or wanted me to take her 60 miles away for chemotherapy at $1100.00. She's 15 and I'm not putting her through that. So far she is acting like herself again and shows no signs of suffering. I wasn't ready to give her up. It put me through the paces of self reflection when she quit eating. I had to face it that there were selfish reasons made me want to keep her alive. She is such a good companion. I hope that neck tumor never comes back!

[truedelphi]

19. Oh, the neck tumor is gone. That is excellent.

Older animals, like older humans, do not have much "growth hormone." Which is why it takes us longer to get over a drinking binge or over-eating binge. But on the flip side, if we an get a tumor to shrink away, there is not a lot of growth hormone to encourage the cancer cells, or tumor cells, to come back.

Fingers crossed you have Ralph on this side for quite some time.

[libodem]

23. .

Thank you much.

[joeybee12]

21. Glad to hear she's doing so well..here's hoping it keeps up!

[libodem]

22. Aww, thanks

I feel guilty that I'm not giving her the medicine but it wasn't worth having her sick or for her to hide in the closet, rather than cuddle up on my bed....AKA the Ralph-nest.

[joeybee12]

24. Yeah, I don't blame you...you don't want to make her miserable and

have her run from you...sounds like the right decision.

[libodem]

25. It was killing me

She wanted to sleep in the sink cabinet in the bathroom. It was warm and dark but away from me. I was feeling very sad. It is a great relief to have her back to her old self. It is so fulfilling just to see her eat. And enjoy it.

[Bertha Venation]

26. Toodles was a beautiful cat.

Thanks for sharing your dream. May you have many more, all just as sweet.