Farewell, Dearest Caden – March 2018
Caden – in Memory
We lost the battle for Caden on March 12th, 2018. Dr. Lipanovich came out to the Sanctuary and helped ease Caden’s soul into his next journey. Writing about it brings tears and floods of memories spanning the years we had with him. He came to us as a small kitten, emaciated and sick. Our worst fears were realized when the vet diagnosed him with Panleukopenia. We provided supportive care around the clock for Caden and even with the odds stacked against him, we wouldn’t give up the fight. We took turns staying with him, caring for him, and praying. And our prayers were answered, he beat the disease despite the odds against him. We had pulled off a miracle but had no idea that there would be more challenges.
As we watched him play we noticed more and more that he was having trouble walking and would often lose his balance. As much as I was hoping it was nothing, I couldn’t ignore what was happening and made the decision to have an MRI done. The extensive exam found that the disease had left him with neurologic damage and he would always have trouble walking. We were devastated by the news but our commitment to him never wavered. We were determined to give him the best life possible. As he got older we saw him adjust to his issues. When he was walking he was still wobbly but when he ran using that gorgeous cougar tail as a rudder you would have never known he was different.
He grew into his huge paws and was the largest cougar at the Sanctuary, even bigger than Kennewick. Very inquisitive he would stop and smell everything he saw. Watching this huge cougar walking around sniffing the leaves on the trees just made us smile.
Caden was such a big healthy boy we never imagined that kidney disease would take him from us. Over the past two months, we have done everything we could to save him, but in the end, we lost the fight. It’s hard to find the words to describe how much Caden meant to us and how we are trying to imagine life without him. He taught us so much about overcoming adversity and living life to the fullest with any self-pity or regret. He came into our lives for a reason and we are all the better for it. He leaves behind broken hearts but so many special memories. Safe travels Caden, we miss you more than words can say.
