Posted on: August 21st, 2015 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein

It is with great sadness that the blog we hoped to push off as long as possible is being written, as we had to euthanize our beloved Princess Aurora today. She was in end-stage kidney failure, and trying aggressive treatment for her kidneys was then causing heart failure. Aurora, who has lived to eat, was barely eating and Dr. Mustillo and I made the very difficult decision. But, we didn’t want her to suffer when we knew she wasn’t going to get better.

When we adopted Aurora 5 years ago, she was an unwanted kitty and grossly obese at 18 pounds. She had been banished to the basement, because she didn’t get along with the other cat in the home and was urinating outside of the litter box. We had just lost our previous hospital cat, Jasmine, so we agreed to adopt Aurora. We put her on canned food and her weight came down to 12 pounds; she was so happy when she was able to groom herself again! At first, she would flinch when we petted her head, but after a dental procedure by Dr. Mustillo which involved multiple extractions, she became a much more comfortable and affectionate cat. And no more litter box issues.

We’ve written about her health challenges the past few months. After two episodes of collapse and a trip to the cardiology specialist, she was put on a new medication and seemed to be doing well. But this week, the signs were different and her kidney values were significantly worse. After two days on IV fluids and with her heart getting worse, we knew we had to stop. When she had barely eaten this morning, we knew it was time.

We will be starting an “Aurora Fund”, dedicated 100% to helping cats get needed care they would be unable to receive. We know this will be a small thing, but we think this is a way to honor her memory. We will let you know details as available.

Aurora, who was 17, has had a very good life with us. She certainly has spent more time with awake people than many of us spend with our own cats at home (at least during the week). And, she will be greatly missed.