Welcome to Sylvia

This is the special place at Sylvia's Kitty Condo where we are pleased to be able to share with you some of the very special furry friends who we have met along the course of our dear girls journey. As our "extended family" of friends grows, so too grows the love which fills our family's hearts.

This sleepy eyed Empress cutie is Haley, a long time furry friend of ours who cuddles with her family in Canada. Dear Haley is cuddling proof that there truly is "hope" in the battle against the sarcoma monster.
Haley's family first contacted us over two years ago when their dear girl first began her heartfelt battle with the sarcoma monster.
Haley's Mom recently composed the following furry bio for their dear baby so that they could share with other animal lovers the fact that there is life after cancer.
Please say a special prayer for Haley and her family in the hope that their dear girl's furry success in battling the sarcoma monster lends "hope" to the countless animal loving families whose lives have been touched by this terrible disease.

"Haley is about eight years old. She and her sister, Phoebe, adopted us when they were kittens wandering the neighborhood. In May 1999, well after her annual vaccination, she developed a very large lump between her
shoulder blades. The vet told us it was not likely cancerous or related to the vaccination. The lumpectomy she endured told otherwise. When the lump grew back within a month, she endured a very radical surgery three hours away from her family. We debated about whether to put her through chemo, but decided we'd give her the best chance that we could. She finished her chemo in September 1999. She seems to have beat the sarcoma monster as she is healthy now. A habit she developed when she was recovering from her second surgery is eating high fat organic yogurt which she gets every morning when we get up. Because her surgery took a lot of tissue away from her back, she gets cold fairly easily. So, she often warms up in between her mom and dad at night.
By the way, as a result of Haley's experience, their vet clinic now vaccinates properly on the leg!"

This handsome Angel boy is Ninja, a very special friend of our family who after a brave battle against the sarcoma monster has now made that heartfelt journey to the land of love and comfort. Ninja was truly blessed to always have the unconditional love and support of his family, especially during this difficult part of his nine lives journey.
Below we've included not only a heartfelt furry family history that dear Ninja's Mom composed for her Angel boy, but also a beautiful poem that she wrote (and which was published) in loving tribute to this special boy whom their family will forever hold close within their hearts.

"Faithful Friend, Beloved Companion, A Wise Teacher, A Loving Father, and a Courageous Being.
For those who have had the privilege of knowing him, know that he is much more than that, especially when you figure out that we are talking about a cat. He is no ordinary cat; at the age of 5 (in human years) he adopted two male purebred Himalayan kittens and made them his sons, it has never been noted that a male feline has ever done anything like that, but we had already known Ninja was different. Before he adopted his sons, he had watched his human father (my Father) take care of a human baby (his Grand Daughter, my oldest daughter) and watched ever so intently, so he knew how to take care of an infant. He understood when someone was sad or in need of comfort. He also was very protective of his home; especially when he came to live with us, making sure every night that my husband checked the doors and windows before going to bed, but yet Ninja would sleep in our daughters room till early morning, then he would lay at my back. To my husband he would make sure he got up every morning for work, and would harass him into playing to wake him up, he was my husbands buddy (and my furry little brother). It is hard to explain Ninja, he had a hilarious personality, but he also believed he was human, at times we did too. The day that we found the lump was the most devastating moment in our lives, there has been an empty place in our hearts ever since. We swear at times that we still see him at night making his rounds, keeping us safe; even though we are 300 miles away from where we used to live. We also feel him, and hear his calming, LOUD, purr when we are down or sick, making sure we get better.

When he was buried, I made him a purple (his favorite color) collar for honor, my husband gave him 2 action heroes of his to Ninja that Ninja seemed to like to play with, and my both my daughters ( 5 and 1 at the time) gave him their favorite baby blanket that had been used by both of them to be kept warm in. To others it sounded silly, but to us we wanted a part of us to always be with him as he will always be with us. My father buried him in a beautiful spot in his and his fiancés back yard, and my grandmother bought a statue of St Frances of Assisi to be a marker of this beloved family member that changed our lives forever.

This strikingly beautiful girl is Cossette, a furry friend of ours who with the loving assistance of her family is bravely battling the sarcoma monster. Dear Cossette has blessed her Mom's (and now Dad's) life ever since she was in Middle School.
Please include Cossette and her family in your daily thoughts and prayers in the hope that their lives are blessed with as MUCH love, peace and comfort as possible during this difficult journey that has united the hearts of SO many feline loving families.
Cossette's Mom composed the following furry family history for their dear girl to share with all of our animal loving friends:

"This is my cat Cossette. She's an 11 year old DSH with 3 kinks at the end of her tail, and a great talker. In October 2001 she was diagnosed with VAS (Vaccine-Associated Sarcoma) after I felt a tumor between her shoulder blades.
On 10/17/2001 she had surgery to remove the sarcoma. The surgery was tougher than I thought it would be; the only surgeries I've really seen are for spaying and this was much worse. She was pretty out of it for about three days; everything about her was different, like I had brought home the wrong cat. I think this is partly because of the trauma and partly because of the pain medicine she was receiving through a patch. As of 10/20/2001 she is feeling better, and excepting the Frankenkitty incision down her shoulders and back, she is almost back to normal.
On 10/23/2001 the vet called to say that the lab checked out the mass that was removed, verified that it was cancerous but believes that the margins are clean. However, cancerous cells were found within 5 mm of the margin (because the location of the sarcoma, the vet couldn't get the margins any wider). The vet believes that the cancer will return, most likely after 6 months.
I took some photos of Cossette the day before she went in for surgery."

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Never Goodbye