Another Star in the Sky

How much loss and sorrow can a person take before they break completely? It has been said that the heaviest burden is placed on those who can carry its weight and I won’t give up, as I’ve never been a quitter, but my ability of overcoming grief has been seriously

challenged lately. Living on the edge of despair over these last few months, while facing tragedies one after the other, maybe I overrated my strength. When we happen to lose someone we love, only one question remains - why?

Cinco is gone. My precious little darling, a calico cutie with big, round eyes and the sweetest face like a little cherub, lost her ultimate fight, the fight for life. Another mysterious disease, another unsuccessful treatment, another big loss, another tiny light extinguished

forever. One of the hardest things about running a cat shelter is that it’s impossible to know which kitty is going to be struck down next and the nagging fear is always present. I cannot escape wondering how many deaths are too many…

I came upon Cinco two years ago, while I was wandering through the market. One of the pet food sellers was also selling three tiny, desperate and totally helpless kittens that were confined in a bird-cage, five euros each. By the time I found a box to put them into,

two of the kittens had already been sold and Cinco was the only one left. She was emaciated, terrified, distrustful and about the same age as my Archi.

Cinco and Archi were inseparable from the beginning, he was her strength and if it

wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t have survived her horrible ordeal. She was full of worms and fleas, she had an eye infection and her tail was broken in three places – probably due to not enough space in that cage. She was under treatment for months but eventually

recovered and grew up into a beautiful kitty, with striking good looks and the personality to match. It seemed that she had her whole life in front of her. Who could have known it would be cut so short?

Cinco was doing just

fine until a week ago, when she developed a high fever, unexpectedly and out of the blue. She exhibited no other symptoms but she had stopped eating and was losing weight and getting weaker at a rapid rate. Not much later, she couldn’t get up and in just a few

short days, everything was over. She didn’t stand a chance.

I can’t believe this is happening, I just can’t reconcile to the fact that I’ve lost so many beloved kitties over this year and I keep asking myself what could have been done to prevent all of

these tragedies. The answer is nothing, nothing at all.

Even now, after my cherished Cinco crossed the boundary between two worlds and became immortal, my heart is still full of her little paw prints. I want to believe that she is at peace

and that her beautiful eyes, so full of love and light, will be watching over all of her friends and me until eternity. The ones we love never truly leave us and every beat of our hearts will be their song until our paths cross again.

To know you was to love you, my precious little darling. Fly free and happy now, on the other side of the rainbow.

You will always be remembered.