In Memory of Willa 9/8/2020 – 5/1/2024
In 2022, we were fortunate to have gotten to know our darling tuxie, Willa. She came to us through TNR efforts, her placement in a home paused by the ever-daunting feline leukemia diagnosis. She stayed in a feral trap for a month as her rescuers searched for a home for this sweet girl, and that’s where we had the pleasure of stepping in.
Willa joined us in Cookie’s Place first, where the lively (and a little chaotic at times) kitten energy proved to be a bit much for this sweet girl. She was shy and reserved, and she didn’t really know what to think about all of her housemates. Quietly and in her own way, she was telling us that another room would be a better fit…Cookie’s Annex! So, the switch commenced. Over time, our wallflower bloomed as brilliantly as a daffodil in springtime.
The normally shy Willa surprised us all when she took to jumping on our backs during our daily tasks; she wanted to be a parrot on your shoulder! It tickled us, and we welcomed this little gymnast’s antics with open arms. She proved to be the perfect patient for her treatments for her congestion and would sit pretty in the nebulizer without even a peep of complaint. She grew to love sitting on laps, often right there with Baylor in the fight for lap time when you decided to sit for even a second.
Eventually, she even grew to be a bit demanding! She would sit on the counter in Cookie’s Annex, peeping through the door right as feeding time rolled around. She’d stare at you quietly, her own little reminder—you better stop in here and give me a plate! She loved to eat, our sweet girl, not missing any meals, and we were happy to spoil her where we could.
Her good appetite and good spirits couldn’t stop the unstoppable force that feline leukemia can be, though, and our sweet girl developed GI lymphoma. We treated her, always prioritizing her comfort, her care, and her happiness. But there came a day when she looked up at us with those beautiful anisocoria eyes, a side effect of her feline leukemia, and told us it was time. Our sweet girl with her sweet pink, freckled nose couldn’t find comfort in her favorite things anymore. We had to make the difficult decision to let her pass on.
In Cookie’s Annex, surrounded by the staff who loved and cared for her every day, who carried her on their backs at her whimsy, and all the cats that lived day in and day out with her, Willa left us. Tearfully, we pet her freckled nose one last time and said goodbye. It’s never an easy decision, but it is the right one, and we can all take some comfort in knowing that our precious girl doesn’t feel pain any longer.
We always ache for more time, but that isn’t always what life affords us—what it does afford us are some incredible bonds with incredible cats, and Willa was one of those. Her gentle spirit, her soft presence, and her innate warmth will be missed deeply and dearly. We love you, Willa. We always will.
Thank you to the staff who loved her so deeply and cared for her daily, to the incredible veterinary care she received, to the volunteers who always gave a lap for our sweet girl to warm, and to her sponsors, Louis L and Lana S. Thank you, to any and all who were touched by our little lover girl Willa.
Willa had 2 Sponsors
Louis Rossi
Lana Stone