Boo-Boo Kitty from Palm Bay

by Robbie
(Palm Bay, FL)

Boo's Family

A few months after our first kitty passed, we went to the Humane Society to get a kitten. The one we picked they said was sick, and we could not get a kitten that day.

They pointed us to a wall where people listed pets that needed a home. Found one where a mommy cat had given birth to 6, 20 minutes away - off we went (after a call).

We walked up to the house, saw a Calico (mostly white) mommy cat sitting outside looking at us with part of her tongue hanging out (so cute!).

Inside, it was chaos! Five orange tabby kittens had taken over the sofa, climbing up the back, running across the top - we checked to find a female (I'd lost a male years before, I get so close to male cats I just couldn't go through it again, so no more males!). All of the orange tabby's were male.

There was one medium long-hair tuxedo kitten sitting on the arm of the sofa with its tail wrapped around it, looking like it was appalled with the actions of the siblings. We checked, so furry we saw no signs of it being male, so we took "her."

The owner gave us a pink mouse, saying "she" was the first to come out of the closet where mommy cat had her litter, so she gets the toy.
We get home, I give kitty a bath, wait a minute! What are these lumps down there?!?

Dang it, we made a boo-boo. Hence the name, Boo-Boo Kitty.

I was in love. I was out of college for the summer so Boo and I were together 24/7. Boo-Boo could do no wrong in my eyes. When I took in a mommy-cat - Tooney - with 6 kittens (adopted out 4 begrudgingly), kept 2 and the mommy, I had kept them separate until the last 2 were adopted.

I took the orange one (Peach Kitty - boy) and showed him to Boo, whose eyes got so big - made me wonder if he was remembering his orange siblings.

From that moment on, he was the 2 kitten's (Peach Kitty & Kali-Kat) "mommy." He would not let their mommy near them, which was actually OK with her.

Years later, Boo was in his usual position on the sofa with me, on my back due to back issues. I noticed his breaths were coming in/out much faster than normal.

I took him to the ER. The sonogram showed something that had burst open attached to his heart. Liquid was filling up the chest cavity making it hard to breathe.

They put a small tube between the ribs, which had 2 tubes attached and a switch between the 2. In one position the Dr. would use a plunger to pull out liquid, turn the switch and the plunger could send the liquid into a bowl.

My baby just laid there. I was in charge of turning the switch, so he trusted what was going on. It got to where we were going to either the ER or the Vet's to have this done every 2-3 days.

Our vet (who I love and trust) said Boo needed open heart surgery to remove the thing that had burst, to see if that would stop the production of liquid in his chest.

The surgeon was 2 hours away. They wouldn't let us visit, and they took days to tell me he wasn't eating the wet food. He only eats DRY.

They finally called and said to come. He was turning for the worse. I said it was because he thought we deserted him.

We got there in record time. Found out that the first time they gave him pain meds he had a reaction, so they didn't try anything else.

Open heart surgery without pain meds? He looked like he was out of his mind in pain. I demanded they give my baby something for pain right then and there!

Within 20 minutes he was recognizing me, finally. I begged them to let me take him home, but they wouldn't. We made that trip every evening. He was getting better. We stayed for hours until they kicked us out. I brushed him, sang to him my little songs I had come up with over the years. Then finally, we were told we could take him home!

He was SO excited to be home. The first thing he did was jump up onto a cat condo, popped one of his stitches. Took him to our Vet, who used staples over the stitches (!?!) so he wouldn't pop one again.

We put all cat condos on their sides, to prevent further damage to Boo.

Then we noticed the fast breaths again, and had to take him to the vet when they were open, the ER after hours, when the breaths got too quick, to have liquid removed from his chest.

The last time we took him to the ER, which is a 35-40 minute drive, they knew us, knew where we lived. The Vet said he accidentally punctured Boo's lung when he inserted the tube - blaming Boo for moving. I was there, he didn't move - I freaked out! What do we do? More surgery?

The vet said that we could sit there for about an hour. If he thought it was alright, we could take Boo home. At his final check of Boo, he said to take him home.

We were home for 10 minutes when we noticed Boo panting, tongue hanging out. We grabbed him up, and took off, and made it to the fire dept. a few blocks away when Boo went into distress.

I tried putting my mouth over his, trying to suck out so he could breath while my husband went to the fire/rescue men telling them what was wrong.

Boo stopped breathing - I screamed for the rescue men to come over to where I had Boo on the ground. They brought equipment, and I explained what they should do.

I got the ER vet on the phone and told him to tell the rescue guys what to do OR ELSE. Handed the phone over, all they did was put an infant oxygen mask on him, wouldn't put anything in the chest to re-inflate his lungs.

We drove back to the ER, me holding my precious Boo-Boo Kitty in my arms. At the ER, we asked for the vet. When he came into the lobby I shoved Boo into his arms saying, "Look, see what you have done? You killed my baby. You knew we lived too far away to get here in time if there was a problem - and we still owe 5k for the surgery and I no longer have my baby!"

We made the arrangements to have my baby cremated. There was no way I could let go of him,. At least I would have him "with" me, forever.

I ended up in therapy over this. The therapist could not understand me because my throat was constricted in agony and I was crying my heart out.

About a year later, a stray we took in with her kittens (when Boo was about 1 year old), Tooney, had to go to the ER, sneezing so much snot she was not even interested in food.

Boo's vet took my husband aside and told him that he still has nightmares about what happened to Boo-Boo Kitty and that he was sorry and he thought that horrible incident made him become a better Vet.

I was glad that he had nightmares, he should have already been a better vet. I suffered nightmares from the day I lost Boo. Took me years to forgive this vet. A small part of me still despises him.

So, I lost the one little man that gave me unconditional love. To this day I have problems talking about this without crying my heart out. Losing Boo-Boo like I did hurt so bad that I can't love another cat as much as I did him. I hold back love, not only to my other babies, but to people as well. Sounds selfish, but I'm afraid that losing another baby that I love as much as I love Boo will send me off the deep end.

I have Boo in a beautiful wooden "urn" with a clay paw print on one side and a place where I keep photos of him on the other side. This wooden "urn" is like a double photo frame that folds together, but thicker, where it holds his ashes.

I have kept his fur from his brush. I have kept a couple of teeth he had removed a couple of years before he died. There are very few days that I am strong enough to even look at his Urn. I do know that when I pass, there are instructions that Boo and all of my other babies (who have been cremated) are to be in my casket, buried with me.

The photo I have included is of Boo (far right), then from the left is Tooney, then her son Peach-Kitty and her daughter Kali-Kat, both who were taken away from Tooney by Boo-Boo Kitty. He became their "Mom," then their best buddy.

I can't wait until I meet Boo at the Rainbow Bridge...