The Purr-fect Pair in Separate Lifetimes
How two cats strengthened my definition of what it means to give and transformed how I see kindness
![Multiple photos of Theo, an orange cat.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb8d7ae9e-439a-4a40-a556-ea1f2c6554b7_1440x1801.jpeg)
![Multiple photos of Theo, an orange cat.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7bb33f55-33f7-4120-af18-070794479241_793x991.jpeg)
![Multiple photos of Theo, an orange cat.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff9534bd-22b8-4a57-94fc-9aed1d13e5b4_649x1211.jpeg)
![Multiple photos of Theo, an orange cat.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14083e48-4e43-4b19-ad8f-1135a0fcde4e_4032x3024.jpeg)
![Multiple photos of Theo, an orange cat.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb60d0370-2581-4161-bd28-d1b8fa932da8_1440x1080.jpeg)
![Multiple photos of Theo, an orange cat.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F35132662-496e-4fc1-8aea-231f8cb728a5_1440x1800.jpeg)
I vividly remember the morning of Tuesday, July 5, 2022. Normally I press the snooze button too many times, but that day I left for Boston at 4:40 a.m., which gave me enough time to see my first ocean sunrise. Despite the fact I lived in New England for a year, I had yet to wake up early enough to catch one.
It was quiet on Short Sands Beach in York, ME, but the leftover Independence Day trash filled the silence, distracting me from the sunrise I was so excited to see. Thankfully I neglect to clean out my car after each drive, so I pulled three plastic shopping bags from my trunk, using one as a glove and the other two for the trash people left behind. After 40 minutes of picking up trash, I threw the two bags into my trunk and drove to work.
Later that evening, after a long commute home, I was puzzled when Theo did not greet me at the door upon my entry (we have a habit of attracting cats with dog-like tendencies). I found him in our office lying on the floor, appearing very fatigued as he refused to eat his favorite treats and food. Immediately I knew our next stop would be the closest emergency veterinarian hospital.
At the time, COVID-19 policies were still in place, so we waited nearly an hour and a half until they brought Theo out after his exam. The technician said that nothing seemed abnormal except for his temperature, which was likely due to the stress of not feeling well. We followed up with his veterinarian on Thursday morning, hopeful as he started eating again once we came home from the hospital.
“You have a very sick cat,” the veterinarian said as the door closed behind her when she returned with his test results.
Not realizing the severity of his condition, I simply thought, “Well, what medication will we give him?” The examination room became silent as she explained that Theo had an internal mass roughly the size of an orange, causing him to go into liver failure.
At this point, I think you know how it ends. My partner, Phillip, arrived at 1 p.m., and we sat on the floor while we tearfully deliberated for three hours, repeatedly finding new questions to ask, new what-ifs to wonder, and new ways of how we could maybe keep him with us. Though it seemed like we knew the answer from the beginning, we desperately discussed plans A through Z. The staff at Lafayette Animal Hospital (LAH) were incredible, and they are truly saints for dealing with our anxiety that day and during our subsequent visits with Luna. Phillip and I have not forgotten their patience, kindness, and understanding, and we both appreciate their work immensely. On July 7, around 4:40 p.m., Theo passed away in my arms, wrapped in a light pink, knitted blanket from Ikea.
The apartment was empty and eerily heavy. I held the vile of Theo’s orange fur that the staff at LAH wrapped with a piece of thin red ribbon. Phillip and I sat silently on the couch as we processed the pain from the events. Theo was our travel kitty, my (legitimate) emotional support animal, and our best friend.
A few days passed, and I felt guilty for searching through Petfinder. I asked my sister, best friend, and Google if it was too soon. If I was a bad person. If I would be judged for even entertaining the idea of bringing a new kitten home. I was assured that everyone is different and moves on at their own pace. What does it even mean to move on? I hadn’t done so at all, but I knew that filling the void was necessary.
On Petfinder, I sent an application in for two kittens, but I included Luna—who at the time was named Boing-Boing—and another kitten in the message. Her adoption was a… we will say, difficult process and is a whole other story. We brought Luna home on July 16, 2022, to begin our new adventure.
Theo was your typical orange cat. He was chill, did not care about much, and required no leash training despite being a former stray from Trenton, NJ. On the other hand, Luna lives up to her previous name. She is the sweetest and will even give kisses—more proof that the cat distribution system gives us cat-dogs—but do not be fooled; for exams, she needs to go to the back, and we can hear her scream while we wait in the room. She is leash trained but required more patience and time. We are still working on her animal skills, but her people skills? A+. She is a girlie with a sensitive tummy, which has resulted in a series of visits to her veterinarian and *a lot* of cleaning supplies. Nonetheless, (okay, I’ll say it) we love her cat-titude, and it makes up for the tail she doesn’t have.
![Pictures of Luna, a multi-colored tabby cat](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74ea8c09-9461-416c-ac59-513eb441b39a_768x1024.jpeg)
![Pictures of Luna, a multi-colored tabby cat](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49c5e537-a97f-47a8-9693-5a1bf9e79f62_793x991.jpeg)
![Pictures of Luna, a multi-colored tabby cat](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7272de12-4b89-4598-aba4-1d7a0878a46a_1086x724.jpeg)
![Pictures of Luna, a multi-colored tabby cat](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe05a2970-76c7-4a16-a348-97a4921e1409_690x971.jpeg)
![Pictures of Luna, a multi-colored tabby cat](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca16b9c-c437-4566-b41f-19892b53d6b0_1086x724.jpeg)
![Pictures of Luna, a multi-colored tabby cat](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd6cc4da7-ab17-4f50-be6c-d48b324645fe_828x994.jpeg)
Each animal is different and cannot replace others that we’ve loved. Theo and Luna have both taught us lessons we cherish, such as patience, what true quality time means, unconditional love, and so much more that will come in later posts. Hours of videos, Jackson Galaxy (My Cat from Hell) episodes, and peer-review studies have been consumed to help us care properly for them. The lessons they both taught and continue to teach us are invaluable, and I cannot wait to share more “tails” of how I’ve been shaped by their existence. Theo’s presence lives with us even today, and though we could only give him eight months of our love, we cared for him until his last breath.
Short Sands was one of the last places we took Theo before we said goodbye. I often reflect on the morning after Independence Day and the unexpected events that happened that week. Why do bad things happen to good people? I wondered after Theo was gone. I quickly threw the selfish, misguided thought away, realizing that we shouldn’t give to the world only to receive good things in return. We should give to the world because—just like the negative—the good lives on whether we see the benefits of it play out or not. As a cat, Theo wouldn’t even understand his impact, though that doesn’t matter. What matters is he inspired me to do better, help more, enjoy each moment, take Luna to the beach often, and the list continues. If two cats can transform how we view kindness, then we can also inspire each other as humans to create a better world.