Simba

Dear Dr. Forslund,

I am writing to you at exactly a week (4/23 - 4/30) since the painful farewell to our sweet, special Simba. Needless to say, we miss him terribly and will, undoubtedly, miss him forever as we do our other beloved departed pets.

It is eerie to feel his absence and to find ourselves reminding ourselves not to expect him to greet us at the door or to find him at his favorite spot.

We adopted Simba at a street fair (from a reliable organization) when he was a tiny kitty with a small face and large ears. (Didn't he grow up to be a very handsome cat? ) Simba quickly attached himself to our dog  who, he thought, was his mother. As sweet as she was, Moty (Sweetness) who missed her previous feline companion, Fila, liked Simba but did not assume a maternal role toward him. Nonetheless, she did not thwart his efforts to nurse from her. They were good friends, a team who, on occasion shared human food which Simba pushed off the counter onto the floor.

When he was about two and a half years old, Simba and Moty were joined by Mitzi (a foundling) who adopted us, and whom we domesticated. She was a gregarious, adventurous beautiful black cat whose mischief Simba, reserved and anxious, learned and emulated. However, he also guarded and protected Mitzi when we failed to spot her behind a closed closet door. Simba would simply sit in front of the door to let us know... Though he loved Mitzi, it seemed that following her death three years ago (due to an illness), Simba became more confident and enjoyed his status as an only child, loving the undivided attention he was receiving.

Simba's departure to pets' heaven marks the end of a 26 year period throughout which we continuously and concurrently had pets. So, to realize during the day or in the middle of the night that we no longer have the company of any of these dear furry four legged family members is so very strange and empty. We are, however, comforted by the fond memories we have and by knowing that each has enriched our lives and deepened our sensitivity beyond what words could convey. We know that our kids learned lessons about compassion and love for animals and hope that our young grandkids will remember the loving relationships they had with our pets.

Since he came to the end of his life, we are deeply grateful to you, Dr. Forslund, for helping Simba find comfort and peace and for making the experience as kind and as tender as possible for Simba and for us.

We THANK YOU for coming into our lives at this difficult time and for offering all three of us such deep kindness and great comfort.
With heartfelt gratitude,

Ora, Alvin and our beloved Simba
Irvine