In Memory of Nina

I know Nina's not a Priuschat member, but there are plenty of adopted parents who will understand.

My wife and I adopted Nina on January 15, 2001. She was estimated to be one year old.

My wife and I had only been married for one year so it's almost always been the three of us to the point that when friends and family ask how we are they also ask about Nina. We are relatively quiet with no children and Nina fit right in with a laid back demeanor, occasionally playing, normally lounging, never angry and at home on a warm lap as well as a laptop keyboard. Her purr came easy and loud. She never had a care in the world and we accepted it as our job to make sure she never would. She even did some guest spots on the "What Drives Us" podcast from time to time.

Last month Nina started pawing at her mouth so we took her to the cat vet. The doctor discovered a mass growing in soft palette and up into the hard palette. She referred us to a specialty clinic with animal surgeons, considered some of the best in Chicagoland. After a visit with the specialist, we opted for surgery and scheduled for the following week. The plan was to remove as much as possible with recovery expected for less than a month. We knew that we were buying, at most, another year. During the surgery, the doctor realized that the mass had grown noticeably in the past week and the surgery became more invasive than anticipated. The surgeon strongly believed the mass to be Fibrosarcoma, which he described as very aggressive and invasive.

She came home two days later with a feeding tube. Ever the gentle girl, she accepted the new arrangement in stride; probably bummed that she shouldn't smell or taste the food since eating was one of her favorite activities. After 10 days of hiding and sleeping, she purred again - such a welcomed sound. She was showing positive signs such as reacting when a new food can was opened and hanging out in the general areas more. However, all the while, she still occasionally pawed at her mouth and would grind her teeth; very disturbing behavior that tore at our hearts as we would try to soothe her.

Yesterday we took her to the vet for a check-up. The sutures in the soft palette had opened creating a hole in the roof of her mouth. Even worse, the cancer had grown and spread, now noticeable on the inner cheeks, gum line and lips. This stuff was wicked and fast. Not only would she ever eat orally again, it was a matter of weeks before the cancer would simply overwhelm her.
This left us with no choice but to lay her to rest. Yesterday was a very difficult day for us. Except for a short while more than a decade ago, we have never been "just the two of us." For the first time in a long time I will be coming home from work to an empty house with no one to greet me. And going to sleep will no longer come with the anticipation of waking up with Nina waiting patiently at the end of the bed for us to get up and serve her breakfast.

She will be severely missed and always remembered.