10-26-14 – Sungold

Posted on by Robyn

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Sungold, 2012.

I’m very sorry to start off the week on a sad note, but I didn’t want his passing to go unremarked. A few days ago, a volunteer at the shelter went into the cat room to find that Sungold had unexpectedly passed away. There was no sign of trauma, and he’d been perfectly fine in the days leading up to his passing. Susan said that he looked very peaceful – and the vet wasn’t able to find anything wrong during a necropsy.

He was two years old.

Sungold was one of the kittens from the ‘Maters litter, and came to us with his mother Brandywine and his brothers Caspian, Wellington, Dingwall Scotty, and Mr. Stripey. Brandywine and the other three kittens were adopted, but Sungold and Mr. Stripey were at Petsmart so long that they ended up coming back here for a break in November 2012. They were eventually adopted together in January 2013, but were returned several months later. They were living in the cat room at the shelter since they were returned, and I can tell you from seeing it myself that both boys were very happy – they were among the first to greet you when you walked into the cat room, and loved being petted and cooed over.

Mr. Stripey is still at the shelter, and I was a little worried about him because he and Sungold were very close. But Susan assured me that he has other friends in the cat room and seems to be doing just fine.


June 2012 – Sungold’s in the center, wearing the green collar.


Always a mama’s boy.


::rawr::


July 2012.


With his brothers, July 2012. Sungold is the one wearing the green collar, in the back right.


July 2012, with Mr. Stripey (Sungold’s the one in the basket).


November 2012 (this is my favorite picture of him.)


November 2012.


Rest in peace, sweet boy.

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Edited to add: If you’d like to make a contribution in his name, the contact information and Paypal link for Challenger’s House is at the bottom of the page, here.

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Previously
2013: “I get NO RESPECT from these little monsters. None at ALL!”
2012: I worded that sentence as though there’s ever been a week in my entire life where I’ve dusted more than once. I have not.
2011: “It’s a giant sparkle ball! Someone left me a giant sparkle ball! This is the most awesome thing ever!”
2010: We’re beginning their training early, making them help with dishwasher duty.
2009: I love my Wonkas.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: “What? You’ve never seen a cat in a box?”

Comments

43 thoughts on “10-26-14 – Sungold”

    1. That’s a good question – I don’t know! There are some great cats who just never seem to get adopted, or who take a long, long time to get adopted for no reason that I can determine. I figured that their people just hadn’t come along yet.

      1. I didn’t realize that they weren’t adopted yet! Shocking. Orange stripeys are very popular down here.

        Just soooooo sad. I wish an answer could have been found. It helps when you can understand why. 🙁

  2. So sorry his time was cut so short. He had a great kittenhood with you, and it seems he was happy in the cat room at the center. I suppose that is a fine way to go — suddenly and without illness — but I expect it’s jarring for those who cared for him.

  10. Oh, Robyn, NO! As soon as I saw the email notification with his name in it, I knew immediately which one he was. Sungold stuck out in my memory because he and Mr. Stripey were so different from Brandywine and their siblings, that they always looked to me like they’d been put in the wrong litter. Not that ANYTHING was wrong with that litter (other than Brandywine looking pretty damn grumpy more than once, but really, who can blame a Mom Cat for being grumpy when all she wants is SOME PEACE AND QUIET AND CAN’T YOU KIDS LEAVE ME ALONE FOR 10 MINUTES???).

    I like to think Tubby was waiting for him on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge saying, “Dude, over here. This is the Crooked Acres Alumni Club. You belong with us. And you better hurry up cuz it’s Snackin’ Time!”

      1. So this is the comment that made me cry. This is one of the first of the kittens that I have “known” from baby to die. I agree that not knowing is so hard. At least it seems his short life was filled with love and friends. I am so sorry to hear this.

  11. Oh no one of my ‘Maters!! I loved this litter, since I helped with the name and they were so close in age to Sabrina and her siblings I was raising at the time. This just hurts my heart, especially since I too never understood why Sungold and Stripey had yet to find their people. Safe travels to the Bridge sweet boy…

  13. Garfield, my orange kitty, died at 2 years old. The vet seemed to think he had a stroke and was losing perfusion to his back end, so we put him down. Those orange ones just grab you by the heart strings 🙁

    I am sorry…

  14. RIP, Sungold. One excellent tribute to this sweet boy would be a loving — and permanent — home for Mr. Stripey. Thanks for letting us know, Robyn, and condolences to you and Sungold’s family, human and feline, at Challenger’s House.

  16. Sungold was such a handsome soul, convincing me I need to adopt a golden boy next time around. I, too, adore that whacky picture of him!

    I never understood why his and Mr. Stripey’s forever family didn’t come along (May a special person find Mr. S. and bring him to the perfect home soon!)

    Sungold pranced his way into so many, many hearts – condolences to all of you who knew how special he was!

  17. Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments. Somehow, it seems only right that so many people remember him with such fondness. <3

    1. How could we not??? Why did I think he had been adopted though??? That really breaks my heart that he passed without his forever family. Two…just a baby….

      1. Well, he and Stripey had both been adopted, so I made a big deal about that, and then probably didn’t make quite as much a big deal when they were returned, so maybe the initial adoption stuck in your head.

        1. Perhaps this is true. Everyone (human, kitty, dog, bird, bear…etc.) should pass being comforted by their loved ones – and at a VERY ripe old age.

  18. Even though this happens once in a great while, it never gets easier and it always upsets me and I know it’s traumatic if a volunteer finds them. The vet said it was probably a sudden clot or aneurysm in the brain. My only consolation was that it was probably fast and he didn’t suffer. Today, Mr. Stripey acted like his usual self coming up immediately for pets & attention from the volunteers & me. Thank you all for caring so much about all the animals needing homes.

    2. Thank you for that information Susan & to Robyn for letting us know. I do remember Sungold and loved his coloring. I lost my 6 year old sweetheart unexpectedly nearly the same way…we just found her with no signs of trauma, just laying on a box with her eyes closed…saddest day of my life! It helps to know that it may have been a clot or aneurysm, we did not have a necropsy done. I think it’s always been hardest not knowing for sure and wondering if we could have helped prevent it. I hope Sungold finds my sweet Olivia and they can be friends on the other side of the Bridge…she was always a great big sister to her brother 🙂

      1. You could not have helped to prevent it as your kitty had no symptoms. We all know that if she had, you would have taken her to the vet. Please ease yourself knowing that there was NOTHING that you could have done.

  19. So very sad 🙁 he was such a sweetheart. It is even harder when you have no idea why 🙁
    I do think like Jennifer that he is with all the Crooked Acre alumni and snacking time !!!!!

  23. how heartbreaking, that his life was so short, that he didn’t actually have people, and for the poor person who came into the shelter that day to find him that way..

    and while he might not have had people and a forever home, he was loved, quite a bit, and that is a lot..

  24. Oh no!!! Well I cried quite a bit over this news… I feel like I watched him grow up, even if it was just online and not in reality.

    I’m so glad he didn’t suffer, and that he was a happy boy at the shelter.

    Thank you for telling us, Robyn — you’re right, it’s important to mourn those who have left us, in addition to all the rejoicing we do over the good stuff.

  25. I’m so sorry to hear of this, Robyn!! Although his life was too short, it was a good life! He was loved and well taken care of.

  26. Oh, how sad to hear of the loss of one of your babies..and they are like your kids. RIP sweet Sungold.

  27. Oh Sungold, you were such a sweetie. So sorry that he died so soon but I’m glad that he appears not to have suffered.

    That was such a great litter, they were like the boy band that I always wanted fangirl.

  28. As soon as I saw the subject header ‘Sungold’ and the date following his name, I wept, because I knew that could only mean one thing. I am so very sorry and heartbroken to hear of this sweet little angel’s passing. It is always so much more heartbreaking when we don’t know why, coupled with dying at such a young age. Rest in peace, beautiful Sungold. You were loved by so many, and will always be in our hearts, and always remembered, with much love.

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