MERRY (Aug, 2007 – Aug 14, 2021)

When she first came to live at Safe Haven, Merry was an elderly kitty. Because of her extremely friendly nature, we believe she was someone’s pet. Sadly, she ended up in a feral colony, having to fend for herself. At the colony, the wonderful woman who provided food for the cats developed an attachment to her – Merry would hop into her car every time the woman came to feed the cats.  During one visit to the colony, our caregiver noticed that another cat with whom she had bonded was missing. She began to fear for the safety of our Merry. She decided that, since Merry had already jumped into her car, she would just drive away and take Merry to safety.

Unable to take her to her own home, our caregiver brought Merry to stay with a relative. Merry was infested with fleas, seriously underweight, and in need of some very necessary, basic care. Before a veterinarian had the opportunity to examine her, Merry got into a minor scuffle with the relative’s dog and disappeared for a few days.

When our caregiver found Merry again, someone had attempted to wrap this poor girl in duct tape! Using coconut oil and tender loving care our caregiver was able to remove the tape, but much of the sticky residue remained, creating mats that had to be removed by shaving her belly.

During her first vet visit Merry was diagnosed with severe hyperthyroidism. PFOA made arrangements to have her treated at the hyperthyroid clinic.  Before she could be treated for hyperthyroidism, she was returned to the vet for additional testing. On the second visit the vet found that Merry had fluid in her abdomen. An ultrasound showed a suspicious shadow in her liver that looked like it could be cancer. PFOA originally set her up in our isolation trailer with comfortable beds, cat trees and all the food she could eat. She was then moved to A3 and became roommates with Patrick.  After Pat the Cat left, she became one of our most beloved office cats, with a bed next to the printer and easy access to Danette’s laptop.

For the time Merry had remaining, we supported her with steroids and methimazole for her hyperthyroidism, along with all of the love and affection that our staff and dedicated volunteers could provide.

When the COVID-19 pandemic occurred in early 2020, our volunteers, who could not safely come to the shelter, missed the contact with our feline residents. And thus the column, “From the Home Front,” began. In May, Merry began reporting on life at Safe Haven, and continued writing her popular column until the day she said goodbye.

Despite all she had been through Merry was always very affectionate. She loved attention from people, rewarding them with purrs and soft kneads with her paws. Every day with sweet Merry was a gift, and she was with us much longer than we ever expected. In July of 2021, Merry’s health started to fail, and in August we knew that Merry’s time was here.  On August 14, 2021, we sadly said goodbye to Merry as she left to cross the Rainbow Bridge.  She will be so missed by all of us at PFOA, as well as her many fans and admirers, some of whom had never met her, but only knew her through her writing.