In Memory of Penelope 8/24/2023 – 4/18/2024
Sometimes kittens are found during TNR efforts, and they can usually be socialized and adopted into a forever home…but a special conundrum happens when they come back positive for feline leukemia. The solution to that conundrum for Penelope and her sister Purrsephone was to come to Shadow Cats!
So on they went, traveling from Cat Spring, Texas, to our sanctuary. These two little Christmas miracles arrived in December of 2023 and became fast staples in Cookie’s Place after their isolation period. Purrsephone was pretty spunky and had a lot of opinions (some of them rude at first, but we gave her plenty of time to mellow out) but Penelope couldn’t be bothered. She walked right into Cookie’s Place as if she’d lived there all her life, marching to the beat of her own drum.
Penelope and Purrsephone played and made fast friends with Pawl, who loved to run back and forth through Cookie’s Place with the kittens. They were groomed (and taught some manners) lovingly by both Pixie and Bob. Jacky and Ferris would both curiously peek into their kitty condo when it was time to eat kitten food, and Morris opportunistically tried to steal it. The sisters’ bond remained strong, and they could often be seen cuddling peacefully. Despite feline leukemia, they were happy and had lives worth living.
We wish that those lives could be longer, but sweet Purrsephone left us in February. We wondered how her sister would adapt, but Penelope soldiered on as she always did. She was beloved by staff and volunteers alike, and when Saffron and Marigold joined us at Shadow Cats, Saffron and Penelope became the best of friends. They were always near each other, both of them so incredibly playful, so sweet, and noodley as can be. They loved to be held! Penelope even tolerated being put in a cat sling for a time. She’d look up at you with those soft, sweet eyes and absolutely melt your heart.
Unfortunately, the timer of feline leukemia had been placed on our girl. She struggled with upper respiratory infections, pneumonia, and even a collapsed lung. Somehow, we got her through it. She showed incredible resilience, and despite it all, she wanted nothing more than to come out of her condo for playtime. It took us all by surprise when our sweet, brave fighter of a kitten couldn’t fight anymore. After being rushed to the emergency vet with organ failure stemming from leukemia, in the arms of those who loved her, Penelope left us.
While our hearts are broken, and we’ve shed our tears and will continue to, it’s worth mentioning that something incredible happened to Penelope when she made her way to Shadow Cats. She was given a chance. Penelope ran with that chance every day of her life. Nothing could stop her—she was always happy, always ready to play, always ready to soak up some sun on the catio. Every day, and every second and every minute of that day, mattered. She made sure of that. I think we can all learn from Penelope’s resilience and her beautiful spirit. We’ll miss the light she graced us with, but we know now that Penelope is trotting across the rainbow bridge with her sister and we take comfort in that. We know that they’re playing in the garden Purrsephone, our Goddess of springtime, sprouted in her sister’s absence. Now, they’re together again.
Thank you to all who loved Penelope, and thank you to her sponsor, Pam L, who loved her like she was her own. Thank you to our incredible staff for the exceptional care they gave her, and to Vista Vet and Heart of Texas for the wonderful medical care she received in her lifetime.
We will never forget you, Penelope, or the pawprint you left on our hearts.
Penelope had 1 Sponsor
Pam Lind