Marshal

by Linda
(New Jersey)

I became known in the neighborhood as the foster pet person. So when someone found a kitten in the park, they brought that kitten to me. After putting up signs in the neighborhood saying I found a lost cat and getting no response, I decided that this cat was now mine.

My son wasn't fond of cats in general. I named this kitten Marshal, after Eminem - a rap artist my son liked. The name didn't make my son like him, but it seemed like a good name. Marshal quickly became part of the family.

I brought him to the vet and got his shots and got him neutered. I remember he gained a lot of weight after the surgery. I don't know if that is common or not.

He has a respectful relationship with my other cat, Mischief. I think he always deferred to Mischief. He was friendly and easygoing. He liked to go outside, but mostly just to sit in the backyard. He didn't seem to want to explore very much. He was just always happy and content.

Mischief passed on and we got another cat. Marshal was always respectful of the new cat as well. He never wanted to fight or anything. He just seemed to want a peaceful existence, get pets, and eat food.

He liked to curl up on the couch and be pet. He tolerated it when I tried to dress him up. Sometimes he would hang out with our other cat, but mostly he kept to himself.

He stopped eating at one point and started losing weight. It's hard when you see them every day to notice something like that. But I was looking a pictures of him and noticed that he had become skinny.

The vet tried medication, a special diet, and even removing some of his teeth. He went back and forth to the vet and we tried just about everything. He had cancer. There wasn't a lot we could do, but we kept on trying. At some point, I decided we just had to stop. He had cancer in his face and he rested a lot and ate when he could.

Finally, I knew he was suffering and it was time to let him go. I contacted a vet who specialized in home euthanasia. She talked me through the process. She said I would know when it was time to let him go. She promised she would come within a day or two of my call.

Marshall was obviously very sick, but still his easygoing self. Eventually I knew that he was having trouble breathing and walking and life was just getting too hard for him. The vet came to the house soon after I called and put him down in my bedroom as I held him. She was very gentle with all of us.
The other cat came in and gazed at him.

Marshal was a great cat and he had his final resting place in our backyard. We had a small ceremony for him and my other cat sat several feet away and watched.