05/27/2026
RIP sweet Ben 💔🌈
This one was an extra hard goodbye because it felt so unexpected and so unfair 😔
Last week, while picking up traps to rent from Peggy Adams, a community member was dropping off this friendly boy wrapped in a towel because he could not use his front right leg. They weren’t able to take him in, and there was no way I could let him be returned outside, so I said I would take him.
The next day we went to Sunshine vet for x-rays. Ben was one of the sweetest cats you could ever meet. We were all hoping the news would be something fixable — surgery, recovery, then finding him the forever home he deserved. Instead, we found out Ben didn’t have a broken arm at all — he had aggressive, terminal cancer 😭
The kindest thing we could do was let him go peacefully ❤️🩹
Ben was microchipped, which means he had a home at some point. We did everything we could to try and reunite him with his family, but judging by the condition he was in, he had likely been on his own for quite some time.
A huge thank you to my amazing and compassionate friend Susan for giving Ben a week filled with love, comfort, ear scratches, and cuddles in bed beside her. Hospice fostering — whether it’s for years or days — is never easy. When Susan told me she had time and space to foster, I know this was not what she expected, but when I asked, she said yes because she knew Ben needed this. And she truly made Ben feel like he had a real home and family again like he deserved 🥺
There were tears, heartbreak, and so much sadness today. This was one of those moments that reminded me why rescue hurts so deeply — we let our hearts break so theirs don’t have to. We gave up our comfort to make sure Ben was finally free from pain and suffering, even if it wasn’t the outcome we had all prayed for 😔
Ben, I only knew you for a moment, but I will remember you for a lifetime.
You were so loved, sweet boy. I’ll see you at the rainbow bridge 🌈❤️🩹
