I am so sorry to have to share sad cat news with all of you.   Most of you have met and known Sidney, our long-haired black cat who crankily (but barely) put up with most of us for the past few months. We got him out of Town of Huntington Shelter on April 1st.  By that time he’d already endured sitting in his cage there for several months (since October 26, 2010 to be exact) and so by the time he came to us, he was riddled with mats and knots and was very, very unhappy.   We tried to do all we could do to make life better for him. We gave him the “Sky Cage” by the window.  We gave him treats and had him combed. We gave him special, yummier food to entice him.   We tried to make him a free-roamer.   We had him seen and treated by the vet more than once. We had him shaved of all his knots.  Lucy took him home with her so he could be loved and cared for outside of a cage and surrounded by nothing but space and peace and love all day.  Nothing was working.  He stopped eating and simply started to deteriorate rapidly.  The vet performed several tests and could find nothing physical to explain his situation.  The conclusion was that Sidney had simply given up.  He was sadder than sad, madder than mad, and just couldn’t recoup from his losses.   This past Friday, Sidney began to jaundice and the decision was made to put him out of his misery.   We are all so sad about this, but thank goodness Sidney is no longer suffering.  I personally will use Sidney’s pain as inspiration to be that much more loving, that much more giving, towards the animals I love — my own, and the ones we take from the streets and shelters each day.

– Eileen Osmers