In Memoriam

Brrryanna D. Watson

Jan 1 1992 - 16 May 2008

Faithful Companion; Loving Friend

"World" Traveler

You will be missed.

Our Favorite Memories of Bree:

Dad (Derrin):

"I think my favorite memory of Bree was the way she reached out of her cage at the shelter and grabbed Derrill. She had him wrapped around her tail from Day One!

"I shall also always remember what a Good Little Traveler she was, as we three drove from Santa Barbara to Ithaca when Derrill was accepted at Cornell."

Mom (Julene):

"I had just lost my first "very own" cat, Samantha, when we adopted Bree, and I clearly remember how her kittenish antics cheered me up! I think one of my favorite memories (albeit with a certain amount of angst) will always be the times I found her poking her little head out of the middle of the Christmas Tree, pretending she was one of the ornaments.

"I also appreciated her for teaching Derrill to keep his clothes and important papers off his bedroom floor! &:-)

"One of the most remarkable things about Brrryanna was her ability to ride on Derrill's shoulders, like an extremely large parrott or living fur collar - - - most of the time standing up!!

"Since Derrill got engaged, and Bree came home again, she has become my office cat, and we have shared many, many hours together. I have appreicated her companionship. It's awfully lonely in there now without her."

Joy:

"My favorite memory of Bree was when I visited Derrill maybe the first or second time, and she cuddled up to my shoe (I don't think I was wearing it at the time.)

"I felt that meant she knew I would be an important person in Derrill's life."

Steve:

"I'll never forget the day when Brryanna reached out of her cage and grabbed Derrill by the arm. And the one time she was united with Katrina in standing guard against letting Q into the family."

Emilee:

" One of the first times I met Bree: Dad put ice cubes in her water bowl! Imagine that! A cat that won't stop crying until someone gave her ice cubes! Silly cat!"

Her Last Day (don't read if you don't want to get sad):

Brrryanna was 16 years old on Jan 1. Ever since I got back from New York, I can only think of maybe three times I've seen her leave her Cat Basket - - - which was unusual. On Friday afternoon, May 16, I went to pet her, and decided she felt *awful.* She really hadn't been cleaning herself very well for some time, and I had put it down to being so chubby, and her probable arthritis making it difficult to reach everywhere. I decided I *HAD* to give her a bath IMMEDIATELY - - - but when I put her in the sink and soaped her up, and she just lay there in the water like a rag doll - - - completely unresponsive!! After I got her out, bundled her in towels, and took her to the warm living room to dry her off and called Dad in. He held her and soothed her, and she began to purr.

Once she was more or less dried off, we let her go and went to call the vet. She stumbled a few steps toward a sunny spot and then sort of tripped and sat down and didn't even try to get up. The vet took us in immediately.

After running some tests, it was determined she had diabetes, kidney failure, severe dehydration, and a bladder infection. The only curable problems were the dehydration and possibly the infection. Treating the diabetes would mean giving her 2 insulin shots every day and bringing her back to the vet regularly for additional blood tests - - - which would run into thousands of dollars - - - and we wouldn't even know for a week if there was *anything* we could do to treat her kidney problems.

Under the circumstances, we chose to have her put to sleep. The vet agreed it was the wisest decision.

But, even though I have cleaned the office, and it now smells of Orange Glo, and there's no water fountain running, I still find myself looking for her when I come in . . . .