Imagine Home’s Month of Gratitude, Day 6

Sweet Susie’s picture struck a chord for many people in the cat world. Susie was abandoned by her previous owners at MDAS (Miami Dade Animal Shelter), a notoriously high kill place.  A shelter worker took a picture of her crying, inconsolable, while sleeping.  We lost track of the number of shares that picture got, but the sad picture got her out of that scary place.

After leaving the shelter, Susie got vetted, was treated for a slight URI (upper respiratory infection) and seemed pretty healthy.  At first.

When her transport finally started to get off the ground, Susie’s foster, Bernie Alfonso took her in for a checkup.  The vet noticed that Susie’s ears seemed jaundiced, which is a sign of liver damage.  Within two hours of Bernie calling Kelly, our Transport Director, with this news, Susie had crossed to the Rainbow Bridge. Our hearts were all shattered.

What follows is from our Transport Coordinator Teresa, and her thoughts about Susie before she came “behind the curtain.”

“They say people cross your path for a reason, I believe that animals cross our path and enter our lives for reasons as well. Susie had a story of her own to tell. This is my version of what Susie meant to me.

It was about two weeks before Christmas of 2012 when I saw Susie’s transport request with Imagine Home. I went to take a peek at the transport event and there she was! Not sure what it was about her but, she grabbed my heart immediately. I often wondered why people would adopt kitties so far away when surely there were cats in their areas that need homes. Susie answered that question for me. You never know when one kitty will grab your heart and hold it even from 1000 miles away. I wanted to make sure this sweetie got to her forever home (I was more then willing to take this kitty if for some reason the adopter back out). I started calling in a few favors from some people on her route and got the transport filled! Sadly, Susie never got to make that trip home. Susie brought me to Imagine Home and brought all these wonderful ladies into my heart and my path. Thank you Susie! You showed me that distance should never be a factor when it comes to true love whether it is humans or furbabies. So many strangers stepped up to help one kitty named Susie, a little tux kitty that had even heard of. That was the moment I decided that I wanted to feel that kind of love everyday. I wanted to be a part of an amazing group of people who would give so much of their time just to see one kitty go home. Susie left this world with a piece of my heart. The gift she left behind for me is priceless!” ~  Teresa Hinchcliffe-Dechert

Author: Noelle Sparks

Like many of my fellow admins, I knew nothing about pet travel until I heard the story of Jack the Cat. I was appalled to hear that there was no regulation requiring household pets to travel outside of cargo. I wanted to act, I wanted to do something tangible to give people options. With that one decision, I've found a group of ladies who have become sisters to me. Together, and with a whole lot of help, we're making a difference. View all posts by Noelle Sparks