Candy, 2003-2017 -- RIP

Sorry this is late; it took me a while to feel up to posting about yet another of our beloved pets, gone ahead of us...

Candy was one of those real sweethearts that come into your life and make changes.

Candy was 14 years old, a small white-with-black-patches indoor cat. She always seemed to have some slight sinus problem, but the night we took her to the clinic she approached us and lay down, gasping for air. She was in the clinic and on oxygen within 30 minutes.

Her X-ray showed all of her lungs covered with white spots – so many that all the air passages in her lungs looked frosted.

Over the next few days, there was no improvement, though she breathed a bit more easily in the increased oxygen. Sumako and I visited her every evening after work and classes. We could have her out of the oxygen cage for only a very short time tough, as she soon began gasping and struggling for air again.

When it became obvious that there would be no improvement (her condition was worsening), we made the decision…

I sent the below message to my Indian students on 1 September. A husband-wife team, they became inspired by my wife and me to adopt some of the starving stray cats in their neighborhood. This is considered highly unusual in India, where often there is no feeling for animals, and often no “extra cash” to spare for food for pets. Mostly, the only “pets” kept in India are “working animals” – guard dogs, cats on farms or in warehouses to keep the mouse and rat population down, etc.

Selvam and Geetha became especially close to Candy, who spent as much time as she could curled peacefully on their laps, watching Geetha cooking, helping Selvam study, etc. They had just spent three weeks with us in training, and had left for their home in Minjur (north suburb of Chennai).

Selvam left his sandals in the dojo for me, since they fit me and I once told him they looked good.

~~~~~
Selvam and Geetha,

I am very sorry to tell you that Candy passed away last night at the 22 Vet Clinic.

She had lung cancer. It was very difficult for her to breathe.

She was at the clinic for 5 days. Every day it became harder for her to stay
alive. So Sumako and I decided to let her have peace.

It was very calm and painless for her. Sumako and I were both there for
her. We were both holding and petting her, and she fell asleep very peacefully. We were the last people she saw as she fell asleep.

I wore your sandals to the vet clinic because you could not be with us.

I will dig for her in the yard this afternoon. Sumako will choose the
place. Later, we will find a good marker for her spot in the yard.

We will never forget her. She was so sweet and mild and friendly. That's
why we called her "Candy".

In sadness,

Seizan and Sumako