Once upon a time, in a (supposed) "cattery" in Pottageville, Ontario, a beautiful little black kitten was born into a litter made up of mostly tabby cats. She was the only black kitten born of a beautiful black long-haired persian mother, who had huge round gold coloured eyes. The little black kitten was very small (the runt of the litter) and very sick. She had lost her whiskers and her eyes were nearly completely sealed by infection. She was crawling with fleas and because of her age and size, she was clearly not having much luck staking a claim at the communal feeding dish. Things were not looking good for this little kitten, who also had to dodge large dogs, other cats, and ferrets - not to mention those human creatures too. A man named Phil had passed this house one day while on duty at work and saw a sign that there were kittens for adoption. He knew his wife Rochelle was hoping to add a kitten to their family, so the man spoke to the owner of the "cattery" and she had told him that there was a black kitten in the litter, just born. He decided to surprise her with something she had mentioned she would love in particular.. a little black kitten to become part of their family and to be a companion to their other furry child, Dexter. When she opened her birthday card and saw the note about the little black kitten, she became very excited. It was hard to wait the necessary time before the kitten could be weaned and adopted. The woman who had the cats told them they could pick up the kitten when it would be six weeks, which seems young but in retrospect, the little black kitten probably wouldn't have survived much longer in its condition and the environment it had been born into. During the second part of August, on a warm, starry evening, the man and the woman came to pick up the little black kitten. When they saw the kittens they first noticed the lively little tabby ones. They were frolicing and being adorably cute as kittens have a tendency to be. They searched for the black one, fearing it might already be gone, but then they noticed this tiny kitten, black as coal, looking despondent and sick. The woman picked it up and started speaking to it and it began to purr for her immediately. The black kitten was so small it fit easily into the palm of her hand. The husband asked if she'd prefer one of the other more boisterous and playful kittens, but the woman shook her head and insisted they take the sick little black one. She knew that it would need a lot of love and she was mortified to see the environment this sick little kitten was trying to survive in. Besides that, it was love at first purr for both of them. All the way home the tiny kitten sat still and purred in the woman's lap, encircled by her hands, listening to soft soothing whispers of how happy they were to have her join their family. For nearly an hour she purred, despite being so sick and covered in fleas. When they got home, the woman and the man, brought the little kitten into a washroom and proceeded to give her a bath to get rid of those pesky fleas. She sat quietly and patiently let them do what needed to be done. The next day she went to see the vet for the first time and got some antibiotics and shots. In no time she was on her way to becoming a healthy and bouncy kitten and a new member of their family. The other resident cat, Dexter (who was six months old), was not all that thrilled about the new 'baby'. He hissed and growled and ran away when he first saw her and he continued this behaviour for a very long time. Eventually, the little black kitten won his heart over too, and they became the best of friends, playing and often sleeping curled up together. They seemed to have the most fun, chasing each other around the house when everyone else was sleeping late at night. When choosing a name, the son, James - who was disappointed to find out the kitten was a "girl", decided he wanted a "strong" girl name.. so after some thought and discussion, he decided "Ripley" was fitting, since that was the name of the captain in the Alien series (played by Sigourney Weaver). Captain Ripley was as tough as any man.. so our little sickly runt of a kitten, became "Ripley" and got healthier by the day. For years the two furkids enjoyed a wonderful life. Living mostly indoors, they were eventually allowed to venture out into the fenced backyard as they got older. Dexter was six months older, but Ripley was the calmer and braver of the two. She was also the better hunter and was always friendly with other cats and animals. Dexter was quite the opposite in that respect - the only cat he loved (or even tolerated) was Ripley. Ripley never scratched furniture or people and never hissed or was unfriendly. She was never any trouble at all. She was friendly, sweet and brave. Though rarely demanding it, Ripley loved attention and would dip and twirl her head just from hearing someone she loved speak affectionately toward her. Her fur was jet black with a snow white underlayer and faint, shadowed tabby markings. Her eyes were golden with a hint of green and they were large and round and expressive. Her whiskers, which grew to be long and full, were jet black. She never stopped looking like a kitten, even when she was fully grown. Ripley's size and features were much smaller than most cats. She was so beautiful and unique on the outside and on the inside. For nearly twelve years, Ripley enjoyed the love of her family and the companionship of her brother Dexter. She had many adventures in the back yard.. finding mice and chasing butterflies were two of her favourite things. At night, she would sit inside on her favourite mat and stare out into the darkness through the patio doors. We now think she had made friends with several neighbourhood cats and other critters. Her tail was always held high and curled, a sign of friendliness in cats. Sadly, one day it was discovered that Ripley was sick with something called feline mammary adenocarcinoma (breast cancer). She had surgery and all sorts of treatments and medications, but nothing could stop the terrible disease that was ravaging her little body. Her family was devastated, but when they learned that the cancer had spread to her lungs, they decided to do everything they could to make her last weeks comfortable and happy. Her family made sure she had plenty of water and food of different varieties and gave her several meds throughout the day. Her 'furless Mommy' made a special iPod songlist that played round the clock so Ripley would always hear sweet, soft music. Ripley and her 'Mommy' danced to a favourite song(Rainbow Connection), several times a day and cuddled and talked and shared many secrets together. Ripley seemed to really enjoy this time and also got spoiled by the rest of the family. Dexter seemed disappointed that she wasn't more willing to play tag and the other games he'd played with her for many, many years. He eventually did seem to understand, that Ripley was not feeling too well and he was very well-behaved. Eventually Ripley began to feel even worse.. she had trouble breathing and had to endure injections and meds of all sorts and could no longer eat on her own. Her 'Mommy' would syringe feed her and she hated it, but as usual behaved the best she could. She would only drink from the bathtub, and so the tap was left running at a trickle for her and she was also lifted into it many times a day. She still wandered around the yard to her favourite places, but it was obvious to her family that even this was getting harder.. and that she was getting sicker by the day. Even though she was on pain medication and several other meds to make her feel better, her breathing capacity was deteriorating fast. Worried that she would suffer respiratory distress and have to be rushed to a strange emergency animal hospital in the middle of the night, her family decided it was time to let her go.. to ease all of her pain and discomfort. It was the hardest decision they had ever had to make. They arranged for Dr. O'Sullivan, to come to their house so Ripley would never again have to go to the vet's (she wasn't a big fan of the car or the Cat Hospital, as nice as everyone was there). For the three days leading up to their vet's visit they did as many special things as they could fit in. Ripley had a lot of dances and cuddles and she spent time alone with all of her favourite people, and brother Dexter. They had picnics on a quilt in the backyard, visited her favourite place in the back garden where they sat and watched the birds and sunset together. Her family spent much time curled up together in bed and singing quietly. She would purrr even as sick as she was and look up with those big green-gold eyes.. but she was clearly not feeling well and it hurt everyone who loved her to see it. The day that she would be helped to fall into a 'forever sleep' came, seemingly too fast, even if everyone knew it was indeed "time". Ripley spent most of day with her 'Mommy', fitting, since they had a special bond and had spent most of their days together. They went outside to see all of Ripley's favourite places one last time.. to smell the flowers, to talk.. to say goodbye. Ripley's Mommy thanked her for being such a wonderful, special kitten and told her she was going to miss her so much that her heart seemed to ache just to imagine her life without her, but she loved her too much to let her suffer. She would take the pain of losing her only 'little girl' rather than allow her to feel any more pain. Ripley seemed to understand and although she'd been such a brave girl, she seemed to have given up fighting this horrible disease. Phil came home from work early that day. So did James. They all lay together with Ripley on the bed and talked and petted her and tried to keep things happy (it was not easy) and positive. At one point Dexter, who NEVER jumped onto the bed when Ripley was there with anyone else (they would sleep together on the bed, but not if one of the rest of us were there), leapt up quietly onto the bed.. and sunk down low on his belly, and crawled to lay near her, eyes wide.. as though hoping it was okay he do this. They stayed like that, with the rest of the family, until Dr. O'Sullivan's car pulled up. Dexter knew what was happening, somehow, and he cried when she came in.. a strange cry they hadn't heard from him. In a peaceful, quiet atmosphere, Ripley was gently guided into her 'forever sleep' around 5:30pm on June 13, 2007. She was surrounded by her family, who not only loved her, but appreciated how special she was and were grateful for all of the love, joy and comfort she had brought to their lives. As hard as it was to lose her, they knew that she deserved to be eased from a disease that was slowly taking away all of the things she loved most about life. They were comforted by their belief that Uncle Tom, who loved cats very much, would be there to take good care of Ripley until she could be rejoined by the rest of her family. Ripley was as beautiful in death as she had been in life. Despite the heartbreak of losing her, it comforted her family to see her looking so serene, as though she were just sleeping peacefully - and without pain or discomfort. There is no ending to this story. Ripley will never be forgotten, for she has left perma-purrs in the hearts of those who were fortunate enough to have her as part of their lives. She taught many lessons and she loved her family and life, in a gigantic way. She will bring many smiles as she is remembered quietly or in conversation. Ripley, our sweet angel kitten, was anything but "just a cat".. Au Revoir.. Our sweet Ripley.. Sleep soundly in the warm, soft glow of the rainbow We thank you for teaching us about unconditional love We will miss you, and your sweet, gentle ways, always.. xo :: Home ::       :: Ripley's Story ::      :: Rip & Dex ::      :: Slideshow ::      :: Links ::      :: Mammary Cancer ::      :: Rip's Favourite Song ::