This one’s for you, Sushi Bear!

It’s been a crappy week.

Since I last posted a life update as 2023 rolled in, I was optimistic and excited to start a new chapter in learning new skills and exploring getting my feet wet in a brand-new industry in tech.

That search continues. If you missed my last update, you can check out that post where I shared my experience with taking a hiatus and finishing Course Careers.

As May fast approached and April ended, a few unexpected events recently happened in my inner circle.

The time has come.

A dear friend shared that she and her husband had to help their senior dog cross Rainbow Bridge the other weekend. I never personally met her dog. (I’ll call him Rocky to respect her family’s privacy, and quite frankly, his spirit is that of a champion.)

But hearing stories of how he overcame Cushing’s disease and many other obstacles in his little life left me so inspired. He was a relentless fighter until the very end, and I’m sure he left an indelible imprint on everyone he encountered, including me.

Unexpected farewell.

And just a week later, our lives would be similarly impacted.
With a saddened heart, I share that my sister’s 16-year-old cat, Sushi passed away on Thursday night, April 27th.

I got an evening phone call I wasn’t expecting from my sister. She was distraught and devastated that her fur baby was in distress. As she explained on the phone, Sushi, her fur baby of 16 years who dealt with hyperthyroid issues, got violently sick at the end of the day after dinner.

Instinctively, she knew something was wrong and rushed Sushi to an urgent care vet. After evaluating her condition and doing bloodwork, the vet determined that Sushi’s condition had worsened. She had developed kidney failure, a heart murmur, and a condition called cardiomyopathy. Her prognosis didn’t look good.

As any pet parent faced with weighing the potential option for euthanasia, she had to consider Sushi’s quality of life.

Well, it didn’t take much to know in her gut that her baby and my niece would not suffer until the end. And thus, after calling Sushi’s Auntie Kamira and uncle to say their final goodbyes, my sister had to help her baby cross Rainbow Bridge.

This 16-year-old cat’s got purr-sonality!

Although Sushi was a senior cat, aside from sporadic episodes of peeing outside her litter box recently, she was quite the feisty sassy munchkin.

Sushi was always so timid and skittish her whole life. However, she learned to let her guard down and grew more comfortable around people with age. I always called her Sushi Bear because she spent much of her life overweight and would hibernate like a Bear.

Although she didn’t have a super lovey-dovey disposition with me, she adored her mommy and grandpa. She slowly lost her extra pounds with time but always kept her appetite and thirst for life, literally and figuratively.

Even with her hyperthyroid condition, she had a zest for life and, in her final weeks, loved to snuggle close with her mom playing her shadow.

I’m fortunate, as her Auntie, that I could visit and see her just a couple of weeks ago. She let me pick her up and give her several pets on her little noggin without a fuss.

As a 16-year-old cat senior cat, we knew Sushi had more years behind her than in front of her, but we never saw this coming. We never questioned she wouldn’t see the end of 2023!

Deja Vu

The whole experience reminded me of the most challenging time in my life, having to make the call to have Dusty euthanized.

For any pet parent that has lived that experience, I know you remember too.

The only silver lining in everything that evening was knowing I could 110% understand her pain and agony of having to make the tough call. And more importantly, Sushi no longer had to suffer in silence.

As pet parents, one of the most heart-wrenching things to discover as we take this journey called life is understanding that our pets often suffer in silence unbeknownst to us. They usually mask their discomfort or pain very well.

Bittersweet celebration

As the evening turned into daylight, my husband and I welcomed our 11th wedding anniversary on April 28th. However, it was bittersweet, with the news of our furry niece now having earned her angel wings.

We are blessed to have a happy home, years of memories and experiences, learning lessons, and more to come. It was just bittersweet. Between us, the day was simple, filled with lots of love, and ended with a good meal at home with our favorite comfort foods.

Our celebratory adventure will be in a few weeks out of state so I may post an update on that trip later. But in the forefront of my mind was knowing Sushi was no longer here and empathizing with my sister’s pain.

Final thoughts

As I write this post, it will be a week since Sushi’s crossed Rainbow Bridge, and my sister is hanging in there. As any grieving pet parent knows, the grief waters are rough. Living through this time is the most challenging, but you do make it to the other side.

I’m glad that in my small way, living this experience firsthand, I can support my family. I know this is just one chapter of a long story called life. This, too, shall pass.

The love for our beloved 16-year-old cat Sushi will continue. And I’m sure our other angel cats, Precious and Dusty, were there to greet Sushi at Rainbow Bridge and give her the grand tour.

Meanwhile, on Earth, it’s one day at a time to create a new normal without her physically here. The love never dies but transforms; her spirit continues to live on and forever imprints our hearts.

Rest in peace, sweet girl. We love you.