Ben: My name is Catherine Thresher and, while I have volunteered for Wanda's worthy rescue cause by fundraising at PHCR's annual Yard Sale as well as in the summer of 2005 volunteering at the shelter, I am writing you with an immensely heavy heart to announce the passing of my beloved Himalayan, Ben.  In July of 2005, he and I met (and fell in love!)  while I spent time there on Sundays.  The best thing I've done so far, I selected Ben because he stood out primarily due to his uniquely gentle disposition and kind nature.  He had a sweet way of walking up to you and lightly touching your ankle with his front paw to get your attention as a greeting.  While he walked with a slight congenital balance disorder, Ben would find himself occasionally the target of other cats' dominance however he gently yet resiliently took it in stride thus never suffered their wrath.  Inevitably the result was no cat could resist the sweetness of my "little fella".  In fact, any person or animal who had the pleasure of meeting Ben would not soon forget his sweet nature and mellow behavior.  I deeply love as well as miss him and will never forget him.  In his honor, I will continue to passionately champion animal causes (including but not limited to finding forever homes for shelter animals especially Himalayans and Persians) because Ben truly deepened my heart and so too others will benefit from this experience's real and compelling type of love.

I'll forever miss my sweet beloved little Himalayan guy, Catherine Thresher (Ben's Human Forever Friend) 

Izzy: Let me say that Izzy was the most wonderful, silly, loving, gentle, patient kitty I have ever had the pleasure to own.  Even though her time with me was brief and we fought many health issues, I am not the least bit sorry that I adopted her. Trisha

Pugsley: My sweet Puggy passed away early this morning in his sleep. He was sleeping next to me and when I woke up this morning he was already gone from this world. My Vet had told me last week after Pugsley's blood tests that his kidneys were failing and he didn't expect Puggy to live too much longer. I was hoping for one last Christmas with him. He was one of the best cats I have ever owned, and I loved him very much. I am truly grateful for the time I shared with my Puggy, and my sons and I will miss him. We will never forget him. Kim

Mia: My girl Mia passed away suddenly one evening from stomach cancer. She was loved very much and I still miss her company and her purring. I want to thank a kind gentleman named Bob for watching over her while she was in the shelter and then bringing her safely to Wanda. It was love at first sight when I met her. Suzanne

Athena: PHCR is sad to announce that Athena passed away 4/9/07 of heart failure. Athena had a tough life, traumatized from abuse before she entered the rescue.  We loved her dearly and our hearts ached for her, since she seemed to be the cat with the greatest desire for a familly.  May she be happy and at peace over the Rainbow Bridge.

Luke/Lucca:  It is with great sadness to Luke's forever family and we at PHCR that Luke passed over the Rainbow Bridge on 3/28/07 from an enlarged heart. His forever family writes: He struggled to take each breath and it became harder and harder for him to breath. We tried everything we could to save his big heart from failing, but it only got worse. From the moment we brought him home he was so happy and loving. He was only with us for a very short time, but we have never loved an animal more than we loved our Luke. He brought sunshine and smiles to our lives. Every day when we came home he would greet us at the door with his big copper eyes and soft meow. He would give us hugs and kisses to show how happy he was to be with us. His favorite was making the bed ... he loved to jump and pounce on the sheets when we lifted them up and he would hide underneath making it hard to make the bed. But we loved to play along with him! He was always the center of attention. When someone visited he would sit in the center of the room to watch and listen. Everyone who met him found he was unique. He was our love, our pal, and we truly miss him. April, Jeremy, Anthony & Peter.

From Pat, who orchestrated his rescue from the streets, and Susan, his foster mom who brought him back to health from his struggling to survive on the streets: He was a Lionheart. He was a loving, brave, beautiful, intuitive cat. I always felt like he told me long stories within his deep gold eyes (and included his very own soundtrack of snorting and snoring!). I'll always remember our nightly ritual of feeding him by hand, followed by combing his head and tail and then a long snugle on my chest with snorts of graditude in my left ear. I was sooo pleased he was adopted by a family who loved him wholly - as he deserved to be loved. My heart goes out to his forever family.

Scarlett:  The vibrant lady who recently came to the rescue died 1/8/07. She was a tender soul who had a perky and playful side. She stole our hearts. We are sorry she passed away before being adopted by her own loving family and a family missed out on being blessed by her.

Poupee:  Two months and two days ago the light of our life left us. Her name was Poupee (Doll in French). She died from kidney failure. We had rescued her when she was barely one and since had been the happiest parents in the world. My husband is a physician and he did everything to keep her alive. She was the sweetest little girl in the world. Isabelle

Angel:  We are so sad that Angel crossed the Rainbow Bridge early the morning of 12/17/06 due to pneumonia. Although she had come to us from the shelter just a few days prior, she was such a sweet cat that we could not help but love her instantly and she is dearly missed.

Teddy:  In memory of Teddy (a/k/a Rambo) who PHCR took in from a shelter even though he had major heart problems because he was so very sweet. He was only 5 years old. Our Rescue Vet gave Teddy less than a year to live in April 2006. In May 2006, Teddy went to live with his foster mom, Geri. Geri monitored Teddy's heart problem, gave him many pills daily, and showered him with love. He passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, 11-26-06. Wanda

Natalia:  Sadly, Natalia, one of our dear Special Needs kitties, has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She had been diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure on 11-14-05 and we are advised that she could live only months, or years. She was only 6 years old, but unfortunately keeping her on a special diet and giving fluid therapy was not able to give her a full life time. She was very loved, and lovingly cared for, during her short life. She was always loving and sweet even during her fluid therapy - she was a wonderful cat and is missed.  Ellen

Vanessa Susie:  We are very sorry to have to announce that darling Vanessa Susie, who you probably have seen on our Seniors & Special Needs page, has crossed the Rainbow Bridge due to kidney failure. A very sweet, gentle and affectionate girl, she lived out the last years of her life in the wonderful care of her very special foster mom, Julie, who loved her and misses her very much. Wanda

Miss Julia Pardo:  Adopted from Foster Mom Caroline & Wanda back in January of 2002, died at home on Sunday, November 13th, 2006 at the tender age of fourteen. She and I were the best of friends, and she traveled from San Francisco to our current home in Seattle, where she lived with her brother dog, Conner. Miss Julia was the perfect cat. With her one front tooth and overbite, her beautiful grey doat, and her sweet little meow, she charmed everyone she met. We buried her with her favorite plush toys: Carrot, Gremlin and Lamb, under a rose bush in our backyard. My heart aches at the loss, but I know that I was deeply blessed to have had her in my life.  She was my little ray of sunshine and I hope she is now rolling in catnip in a grassy meadow, over the rainbow bridge...Stephanie

Norman:  On 10-4-06 my beloved Norman had to be put to sleep due to complete renal failure. We had been best friends ever since I adopted him from you in 12-03. His 'nest' was my LL Bean down vest, which was situated next to my computer where he could keep an eye on things. He always sat on the couch and watched TV with me every evening, and was always waiting in the window for me every day when I got home from work. Every night he slept on top of me, or whichever of my hips was available. When he was being frisky he would become the 'Norman-ator' attacking crinkle balls and any picture on the wall within his reach. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge sitting in my lap. I'm sure he is now happily chasing bugs and crinkle balls in Kitty Heaven. Julie

Oscar:  On 5-11-03 we drove to Davis to look at Oscar. Since we were living in San Francisco, Wanda with her many lovely cats was just over the Golden Gate Bridge. But, after looking at the website for many weeks, we had settled on Oscar as our first choice. He was the second from the top, meaning he had been at PHCR for a while. He was an older cat, and he had the most soulful eyes. How lucky we were to have found him as he was the gentlest, sweetest little soul. And how brokenhearted we are now that he left us on 8-31-06. Oscar was a cat that comes along once in a lifetime. We have had three cats and, although he was the one we had for the shortest time, he was the one we became most attached to. He was the kindred spirit, the most loving and the most gentle little creature. He made the long trip/move to Tucson without one whimper. A real little trooper. His photo here is when he was getting a bit of rest as boxes were being moved into our new home. He died from severe bowel and stomach inflamation. Everything was done to try to save him, but it would have taken a miracle and, unfortunately, that did not occur. It was Oscar's time to cross the Rainbow Bridge. He was our little Koala Bear and it is so difficult without him. Kristina

Volunteer, Pat, holding Fuzzie after his face wash. Such a darling, sweet, wonderful gentleman!

Peaches
 

Polly

Peaches:  Little Peaches came in to PHCR after being found in a night drop with 3 Persians. She was a very sick kitty and, sadly, in spite of huge efforts by our wonderful veterinarian, she died with in a few days. The veterinarian staff and Wanda were with her, so at least she died while experiencing tender love and care. In spite of being sick, her very, very sweet disposition and intelligence made her a stand-out. We at PHCR all loved her immediately, she had that kind of affect on people. And we so wish that she had lived to have many happy years in a loving home.

Polly:  Little Polly came in to PHCR in the group of 4 with Peaches. She too was very sick, though not as sick as Peaches at first. However, within a couple of days of Peaches dying, Polly suddenly took a turn for the worse and also died with the same symptoms, breaking our hears beause she, too, was so incredibly sweet. They both had an intestinal illness and tests are being done on Polly to determine cause of death in order to better treat the other 2 sisters, who are also sick but not as badly as Peaches and Polly. We suspect that they were abandoned for a long period of time in a room and ate food or drank water than had gone bad and caused a deadly bacterial infection. We are so, so sad to loose these very sweet and darling girls.