We said goodbye to our little Tuxedo Lemieux this morning. She was named after the famous Pittsburgh Penguins hockey center and because phonetically “Le Mew” is a pretty cool name for a cat.
Lemieux was diagnosed with injection site sarcoma as the result of a rabies shot a few years ago. She had to have one of her hind legs removed all the way up to the hip.
I was concerned that she would have a hard time getting around and functioning after such a traumatic surgery.
I was wrong. When we got home after the surgery she practically leapt out of the carrier and bounded up the steps to the litter box. She moved about with a renewed enthusiasm.
It was as if her attitude was not “woe is me, I lost a leg.”
It was more like “my leg doesn’t hurt anymore and I feel great! All I have to do is adjust a little!"
I have taken Lemieux’s life lesson to heart.
Too often we dwell on the negative and fail to take something positive away from even the most challenging of circumstances. If we believe that we are doomed, then in reality, we are.
If we embrace conditioned survival as a blessing rather than a curse, then we can continue to move forward and take whatever life has left to offer.
Lemieux enjoyed life for two additional years on three legs! She was a real ball of fire.
Unfortunately Lemieux became ill a few weeks ago and when the vet checked her, the cancer had returned. This time there was no surgical option. The condition was terminal.
We would not allow little one to suffer. As she began to experience more and more discomfort we knew that her time was short. We knew when the time was rightand allowed her to be released from her pain.
Adieux dear one! You will be missed.
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