In Memory of Watson 5/9/2022 – 5/27/2023
“My dear Watson, you were born to be a man of action. Your instinct is always to do something energetic.” – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
A more perfect description of our boy Watson has never existed. From day one Watson has always been a man of action.
Watson and his brother Holmes came to us from La Vernia, Texas. A good Samaritan house cat brought these two babies home to their human mom. They were scrawny, dirty, and obviously unwell. They were taken to the vet where it was discovered on top of nasty upper respiratory infections, that they were also FeLV+. The vet recommended euthanasia but the rescuer wanted to find some sort of second chance for these sweet siblings.
The brothers quickly made their way to us! Upon arrival, Holmes was the more outgoing of the two while Watson was more cautious. Always protecting his brother and looking out for him and never paying any mind to us humans, Holmes, unfortunately, got very ill and had to go into quarantine so as not to get anyone else sick. The brothers could not bear to be separated. Holmes became depressed and was getting worse and Watson was anxious without Holmes. The reward outweighed the risk and we took the chance of letting Watson join his brother in isolation. By some miracle Watson never got sick and Holmes got better! Watson as always was a man of action and a man who protected his brother!
During their time in Cookie’s the brothers always stayed close but Watson decided his brother was right and us humans aren’t so bad. Watson really came out of his shell and became such a playful goofy boy. He was always the star of photoshoots, always willing to ham it up on screen!
As is unfortunately the case with leukemia they are often healthy until they are not and can turn so fast. This morning was like any other morning with the staff doing their rounds, feeding and cleaning. Holmes spent most of the morning playing with Watson, laying on him and grooming him. But within a matter of hours, the staff noticed Watson was breathing heavily. The team is always quick to check on the cats so they stayed close by hoping he had just over-exerted himself while playing. Minutes passed and his breathing did not change. It was quickly determined Watson was in distress and needed to be seen by the vet. He was taken to the emergency vet where x-rays found fluid around his lungs and signs of cancer. We caught it fast thank goodness so he did not suffer and we were able to give him the gift of a peaceful passing in the arms of our sanctuary manager.
All of our cats are so loved and when one passes it is devastating. We spend every day with these amazing little beings and we are so blessed to do so. They are part of our hearts and huge parts of our lives. The loss of even one is crushing. We find solace in the fact that we make sure every day counts for them and that no matter how long they have with us they know nothing but love.
Thank you so much to our dedicated staff. Our hearts break with you. And thank you to all of Watson’s sponsors and those who have followed his story.
Watson had 1 Sponsor
Beth Heathington