Memorials

In this section, you will find an honour roll for all of our beloved companions listed in alphabetical order by the first name. Please click on the letters to see the memorials that have already been added.

Animal friends will be remembered on our Today We Remember page on the anniversary of their death.

Animal friends that passed away within the last 3 years will also be remembered on our Facebook page. Please note that only memorials with a photo included and the date of death recorded can be shared on Facebook.

09/07/10 - 02/05/23
Human family: Vail-Boutges
Photo(s) of Groucho Marx (8)

Groucho Marx

Our baby Groucho Marx, forever in our hearts. Groucho was found on the same day he was born, in a parking lot with his umbilical cord still attached, covered in afterbirth. We always wondered how he ended up on the hot pavement in July in NY, he was probably being moved by his mom (there were many feral cats around) and accidentally dropped. A coworker rescued him, placed him in a box and when I came to the office handed me the box and said "This is for you!" We already had 3 other cats and had never had a bottle-baby. My husband worked evenings, so he took care of Groucho from 11 pm to 5 am. I took care of him from 5 am to 9 am (when it was time to go to work.) My sister came over during the day and then I picked his feedings back up at 5 pm until my husband came home. He was a labor of love, I honestly loved him from the 1st moment I held him.

Groucho turned out to be a once-in-a-lifetime cat, full of personality and especially connected to us. He didn't care for anyone other than us (and my niece) and would hiss and swat if anyone else touched him. For us he was the most affectionate cat we've ever had, constantly laying on our chests and shoulders. He gave the best smooshes ever!

In the summer of 2021 he began to lose weight, was drinking like crazy and was diagnosed with both diabetes and HCM. We started him on insulin and heart medications, and while he was picky eater and made his insulin time a challenge, he lived a very good life until the very end of April 2023. He stopped eating, couldn't have insulin and went downhill within a day. On April 29th he was rushed to the hospital (I was away at the time) and was diagnosed with DKA and pancreatitis. Two days after his admittance he began to suffer other ailments, his kidneys started to fail, the lining of intestines started to thicken, his liver was enlarged and no matter what the vet tried they couldn't control his blood sugar. We went to see him and the only improvement he ever experienced during his stay was that his blood pressure raised (still low but no longer dangerously low) when we were with him. We had agreed with the Dr to reassess the next morning and at 11 pm the Dr called to let us know that he wasn't improving and that at best he could expect a very long hospital stay with on-going complications that might never be resolved. We made the decision to let him go and on May 2nd we said goodbye to our beautiful boy. It broke our hearts.

Dear Groucho, Mommy and Daddy loved you more than you will ever know. You were our special baby, and we'll spend the rest of our lives remembering and missing you. We hope you are at peace and have connected with your brothers and sisters that passed before you. We will do our best to honor your memory, and one day in the future we'll rescue a cat in need and we'll know that you sent them to us to love and to help us heal. Please know that you changed our lives for the best in so many ways and you are loved beyond belief. Love now and forever, Mommy and Daddy

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