RIP Maui & Indy -the best cats ever!

I am truly heart broken.  Just a few weeks ago I shared with you our loss of our wonderful 14 year old cat Maui.  We lost him to cancer just a couple of weeks after diagnosis.  It was a heartbreaking and devastating ordeal for all of us.  I know that we were grieving the loss of Maui but last week we found out how much it took a toll on Indy our other cat.  The day I left for Ranger U Indy passed away from sudden respiratory and kidney failure.  I found out later that stress (like the loss of Maui) can trigger it and cause death.  We had NO idea that anything was wrong with her.  She like my husband and I were all saddened my Maui's passing and she was much more clingy in the week since he was gone but nothing signaled anything medically wrong. That morning my husband had dropped me at the airport and went to work as usual, after work he came home to spend time with her but when he called out for her she gave a cry that he knew something was wrong.  He found her in distress and rushed her immediately to our vet.  After 2 hours of tests, oxygen, and IVs they said there was nothing they could further do and sent him to another Dr.  Tim drove as fast as he could the 20 min. drive but Indy passed in Tim's arms just moments from reaching the Dr office.  Tim had them try to resesitate her but it was unsuccessful.  We are beside ourselves with the loss of not 1 but both of our cats within 2 weeks.  Since I was in New Jersey for Ranger U I was not there and my husband didn't at first want to tell me (I knew something was up the first day I talked to him, I could hear it in his voice).  When he did tell me I went immediately to disbeleif and that is where I have stayed since.  I am still waiting for her to come strutting into the room and jump on my lap, I will find myself grabbing for a can of catfood in the morning, I want to hear the jingle of her collar. 

 We got Maui 14 years ago, shortly after we got married.  He was a stray that someone found.  When we got him he was covered in fleas and was so tiny. The picture below is of his first bath. 

Maui just grew...and grew...

and GREW!!!

to a whopping 20 lbs.  The vet said he was health and not overeating. 

 He was just Maui and was a BIG cat.

 Indy came along shortly after we got Maui.  You could say she adopted us.  She was a stray in our neighborhood.  A very mean stray, I fed her for a long time but could never get to close (she would hiss and growl).  Then one day when we were getting our house painted the painters tossed her in our house thinking she was ours.  We took her to the vet and reported her to the police to see if anyone was missing her but no one claimed her.  At the vet we got her a check up,  all her shots and had a bullet removed that was lodged in her hip and then brought her home to begin the lengthy task of socializing her.  Once she realized she could trust us and she was safe she was glued to our side all day and night.  She was our little princess and her and Maui became best buds.

Maui and Indy loved hanging out together especially checking out the wildlife

around our house and taking LONG naps together. 

Indy was often my assistant as she was always by my side, it didn't matter what I was doing she was trying to help.  We will permantly have an Indy paw print on our table in the game room because she was trying to "help" me when I was stamping with archival ink and walked across the ink pad.  At the time I tryed to get the print off but Now I'm glad she did it. 

I also found out early on that Indy loved to be the center of attention and loved to model anything.  If you look at pictures that she wearing something she sits up proud and is like "look at me!"  She was quite the character!  She somehow knew when I was taking pictures to look all cute, Maui usually closed his eyes for the camera and just wanted his belly rubbed. 

  Indy loved looking at live through her favorite rose color glasses

We didn't always have her dressed up. 

 I'm not like a crazy cat lady or anything but at Christmas we would break out a Christmas outfit because Indy was sure to be there in the middle of helping decorate the house.

Indy loved just about everyone but Maui was a bit more picky on who he let into his circle of friends so we were just tickled that every morning that Kyler came over Maui would romp downstairs to say goodmorning to baby Kyler.  Last week I could tell that Kyler was looking around for the cats it broke my heart that they won't be greeting him anymore.

 I am hoping by journaling this it will help me begin to deal with the loss of Indy and Maui. My husband and I have discussed it and we both agree that we do not want another cat at this time.  No cat or kitten could compare to Maui or Indy and it just would not be fair to them or to use to try to fill the hole in our hearts with something that isn't them. They were more than just pets, they were family.  They will be truly missed!