I work in a petstore and upon arriving
to work early the morning of May 5th,
I noticed that the cat adoption cages
were in a different spot.
I had looked into them and
noticed a family
of 11 week old orange tabby kittens.
To the front of the cage jumps
the smallest kitten,
meowing for my attention.
He was the sweetest thing I have ever seen,
big head, big ears, a long skinny body,
complete with a long tail and
extra toes on his front paws.
I knew he had to be ours.
During my breaks and lunch
I talked with the representatives
of the organization and
by the time I left work we had
a new addition to our family.
We renamed him Giuseppe;
it seemed to suit him and
he answered to that name from day one.
Giuseppe was the most amazing cat
I have ever encountered!
He made it every effort
to spend time with us,
always crying when we left the room,
always following at our heels.
He did not sleep next to us;
he would sleep stretched out
across our necks!
He never failed to amaze us,
always doing what we asked him to.
He learned how to use the toilet and
he knew “sit “and “up”.
He would wake us up around
four to six in the morning
because it was time for his massage.
He loved car rides!
He would sleep contently
in my lap while we would drive
to visit his grandparents,
with the trip being at least
an hour long.
You never ceased to amaze me.
So much love poured from your little heart!
At the tail end of July,
beginning of August,
Giuseppe started acting sick.
He stopped eating, and
started sleeping constantly.
His third eyelids showed and
he lossed weight.
We took him to the vet and
they ran blood work and found nothing,
except slight jaundice.
The gave us medicine hoping
if he had an infection somwhere
that he would be cured, and if not,
to bring him back in three days.
That following Monday we took
him back
to the vet, and
they gave us the news.
It could be one of three things,
all but one being fatal.
We were crushed knowing that there
would be nothing we could do,
and to only pray that the medicine
would cure him.
After talking to several co workers,
we took him to another vet
for a second opinion.
This vet had said that his blood count
was going back up and
it looked as if he would be ok,
although there was still a slight possiblilty
that he would die.
We were relieved; we took him home and
celebrated thinking that
we weren’t going to lose him.
He got better then he took a turn
for the worse.
He stopped eating altogether
that following Monday and
we scheduled to take him to the vet
the next day. We went to bed early
only to wake up to him crying.
We ran to find him on the bathroom floor
as he began tossing himself around.
He went through a bought of seizures
for a few minutes then he died.
He left us at approximately 10:14 pm
that night, just a few hours short
of his six month birthday.
I still don’t know how
I continue to survive without him.
He gave us so much love and
taught me so much about life
its incredible.
And the strange thing about it is
that I knew all along.
I had told Rob upon the day
we adopted him that there was something
about him that makes him special,
and I had said as if he would pass
on of a rare disease and
leave us sooner than he should.
Giuseppe died of the
dry form of Feline Infectious Peritonitis.
There is no cure for F.I.P.,
and its extremely rare.
I’ve had cats my whole life
but there was no cat that could
surpass what Giuseppe means to me.
He was the greatest cat of my life,
and thanks to him I can now find
out my purpose in life.
He has taught me what it means
to live and love every single
waking hour of my life,
and I thank him for it.
I know I will never get over
the grief I have for his loss,
it is to immense to let go.
But I know we will meet him again,
either in this life or Heaven.
It just hurts me to know
that I can no longer hold him,
pet his soft fur, and give him kisses.
But I can live on his memory and
do what he would have wanted me to:
help other animals in need and
to comfort those who have lost
a beloved animal companion.
Thanks Giuseppe for the memonries and
for the love!!
Giuseppe’s full story and
pictures can be seen at
www.giuseppebighead.8k.com.
Watch over us Giuseppe, and take care
of Sam and all the other pets
I have loved that have left me
in this life.
I love you Honey, you were our
special baby and
I will never forget you.
You will continue to live
as happy as you once did on this
Earth safe and free in our hearts!!
Your love will never die!!
Sending you love,
hugs, and kisses,
Mom, Dad, Powdered Donut,
and Kuroneko
| Giuseppe Big Head |
| Jennifer and Rob Camp |