On Friday, June 9th we said goodbye to our beloved Misty. Misty had been my friend and companion since January 2008. She was five months old when she came to me. Our years together were a joy. She was very loving and affectionate and had a great personality. She was also very intelligent. It is difficult to write this, but I wish to share a tribute to her.

Misty was about 2.5 years old in this photo. We lived in a two-story house with a basement. She loved to run upstairs then run back down and leap to the top of her kitty condo, making it rock back and forth. She was very feisty! If the basement door was open she would run down to the basement and then up to the 2nd floor and back down. She followed me around the house. If I was doing something in the basement she would be down there with me. If I was watching tv, she would be in my lap.

I don’t have many photos of her during her early years. She didn’t like to have the camera pointed at her and would turn away. The photos below were taken after we started traveling in the Nash travel trailer in 2017.

I was unsure how well Misty would adapt to our new lifestyle, but she loved it from the beginning. She particularly loved the desert. We would go out for morning walks. She would explore around our camp with me staying close by. She would stalk lizards but had little chance of catching them with all the prickly plants. But if it did look like she might catch something, I would discreetly walk up to scare it away. She would give me a reproachful look for doing so.

At 16 years of age, Misty was in the upper end of the feline lifespan. She had always been in good health, never having had any serious illnesses. About 18 months ago she started having some health issues. We went to a couple vets and couldn’t determine the cause. Finally this past winter she was diagnosed with hypo-active thyroid. She started a daily medication to treat it and seemed to be doing well. Her blood tests were excellent and heart seemed fine over the last few months.

Friday evening, Misty began to have great difficulty breathing and was gasping for air. We took her to PET Emergency Treatment in Anchorage, which is open 24/7 and walk-ins only. When we arrived, they immediately took her in and placed her in an oxygen chamber. She was able to get some oxygen and perked up somewhat. The vet came in to the exam room where they had placed us. She thoroughly explained to us the potential causes of Misty’s condition and the possible courses of treatment, all of which were pretty grim. The recommended first step was x-rays of Misty’s throat to see what was keeping her from breathing. Then we could decide on further action once we had that information. The x-rays were taken and sadly they revealed a very grim situation. There was a large soft tissue mass completely blocking the airway. There was a 90% chance it was cancer. Due to the location, any treatment, even trying to get a biopsy was difficult and she could die during the procedure. All of the possible treatments would not return her to a normal life but only prolong her suffering. Alan and I discussed it and we did not want to put her through that. It was a horrible decision to have to make, but we decided to let her go peacefully. I miss her terribly and always will. I’m very grateful for the 16 years we had together and especially for the last six years traveling around the west together. I try to think of all those good times and all of the happiness she brought me.

Farewell my friend!