I rescued our cat as a blind, feral kitten in a back alley, and she remained blind and of a miniature size so we called her Biddy, and she was the joy of our lives for 15 years.
After diagnosing her with metastatic cancer, my veterinarian recommended Dr. Forslund's services should I decide to have Biddy put to sleep in our home rather than his office. Now I realize that every pet should have this gift.
How grateful I am to Dr. Rodriguez from Portola Plaza Veterinary hospital for the recommendation!! And if you are reading this now, just know that you have been blessed to have found Dr. Forslund's name. Nothing but time can heal the pain, but the compassion, competence, and presence of Dr. Forslund herself will be the final gift that you can give your pet, your family and yourself. Dr. Forslund is a healing presence who is so professional, honest, and caring; I can't imagine having gone through the experience of letting Biddy go, without Dr. Annie Forslund.
Dr. Annie Forslund showed up at our home, at midnight, like an angel of mercy. Dr. Forslund is a person who has left no detail unthought of, and every detail has been planned with love, down to the beautiful fabric lined basket she has in her car, in which to lay your pet after they have passed. This attention to detail clearly shows Dr. Forslund’s love of animals, and her understanding of the love we have for ours.
I didn't know quite how to deal with my 9-year-old son's grief, and if he should be present during the procedure. Dr. Forslund counseled and prepared me, and my son was able to stay with Biddy throughout the whole time, loving her to the last peaceful moment.
Dr. Forslund is not just a veterinarian, she is a healer. She was honest, explaining everything she was doing, and everything that might happen, moment by moment. She was gentle, patient, and so warm; respectful and competent.
I will forever be grateful that our last moments with Biddy were a profoundly moving and beautiful memory for us; and that because of Dr. Forslund, Biddy was able to go in complete peace, serenity, and love—in her own home, on our warm, soft bed where she felt safest! We are forever grateful.
I recommend Dr. Annie Forslund and Home Pet Euthanasia services, as the best possible gift you can give to your beloved pet in their final moments of life.
I have a wonderful vet, Dr. Rodriguez, who, over the years, has helped me put four of my aging cats to sleep in his office; but in his wisdom, when he saw my anguish over my fifth cat who was blind, he handed me Dr. Forslund's flyer.
How grateful I am that he offered me this alternative for Dr. Forslund's in-home services. What a difference! I had no idea.
Yes it is more costly, but you can't put a price on the peace and comfort you feel, watching your pet spend their last moments in their warm, familiar environment—the softness of a familiar bed, surrounded by the love of their family, rather than a metal office table, where you feel embarrassed to cry in front of tech assistants.
Animals are so sensitive to sensory input, much more than we can imagine. When I observed the difference for myself, I learned that I will never have it any other way for any of my future pets.
As to the compassionate presence and competence of Dr. Forslund, this is a gift you deserve to give yourself during the difficult moments of letting go. She is a healer, who is 100% present, honest, and loving. I felt as if I knew Dr. Forslund already, and as if she was a part of our family.
Dr. Forslund is especially sensitive in honoring the needs of children, as they experience this difficult time. Thanks to Dr. Forslund, my 9-year-old son felt comfortable and safe enough to be present, as he wanted to be the last person to pet his beloved kitty. I would never have thought this possible! Yet Dr. Forslund gave him the space to make his own choice.
She has a true gift, and you will be forever grateful to have found her. We could not have gone through the passing of our precious kitty without her. I am forever grateful.
Haya Sakadjian
Laguna Niguel
By Noah Sakadjian, Age 9
Noah’s Creative Writing Class Story
(Instructions: Write a biography of yourself, from the perspective of your biggest fan writing about you.)
Biddy is my blind cat who died, and she’s writing to me from heaven.
"My brother Noah is a good person (except for the fact that he wears regular clothes instead a beautiful fur coat). I was his adopted cat sister. I was born blind, and left him to go to cat heaven on September 4th, when I was 15 years old. But I’ll always remember him.
He loved to make faces when he fed me. I don’t think it was because my food smelled fishy, or anything like that. I think he made faces to make my mom Haya laugh.
He loved to play video games after his school work, in order to entertain me (even though he didn’t really look at me when he played his video games). I used to like to nuzzle right on his leg to get his attention when he was playing his games.
Unlike my mom, my brother Noah never got mad at me when I went poo in the fireplace.
He loved to let me go outside. We liked to rest together outside and listen to the birds chirp. We always wanted to catch a bird or lizard, but I couldn’t see and he couldn’t hide in the grass like me.
Noah always understood me, even when I hissed at him a million times with my stinky breath. No matter how many times I took off with his stuffed animals in my mouth, he always loved me.
Even though I was blind, I could imagine what he looked like. He sent me a message through his mind and showed me a picture of what he looked like: Curly hair, brown eyes, big bulging muscles on his legs, and a face of pure beauty. That’s what the message told me.
When he was first born, he was crying all the time. I did not know what to make of him. I made sure to keep my distance from him! But then he started crawling, and I couldn’t get away from him. Luckily he pretty much left me alone, because there was another cat to play with in our family. His name was Picasso, but Noah called him Patso. Noah played mostly with Picasso, and Picasso could see Noah coming so he wasn’t scared like me. One day I asked Picasso, “How do you deal with this guy?” And Picasso said, “You just have to be his friend. When he gets older I think you’ll like him a lot.” And I said, “Yeah right, when hedgehogs fly!”
Then, a few years later, my big brother Noah came up to me and started petting me gently. Suddenly in my imagination, I saw a hedgehog flying! And we became great friends.
He used to pet me a thousand times a day, and I loved when he would pet me. One day I sent him a letter on the computer. My adopted dad and mom were talking to each other through this computer thingamadoodle called Skype. So I meowed, meowed, meowed until my adopted dad put me on his lap. Then I hit the keyboard as many times as I could, until he put me down. I waited hopefully for Noah to respond.
This is what I wrote:
8-= b
""""""""""""""""""""""""" VCCCCCC
It means, “Biddy loves you to infinity”. But then again, I was blind and I had paws instead of fingers, so I couldn’t type very well. So I hope he understood what I was trying to say.
If I could say something to him right now, it would be: “I love you and miss you Noah. Love Biddy.”