Winston
July 4, 2012 - March 25, 2024
We lost Winston to feline aortic thromboembolism (FATE), aka. Saddle Thrombus at 1:00am, March 25, 2024. Mary watched it happen and it was a horrible experience to watch an otherwise active, healthy cat be struck down and incapacitated within minutes right before your eyes. He completely lost the use of his back legs and was in obvious, severe pain. He showed absolutely no symptoms prior and had just been on the bed with me as I was falling asleep. Winston would have been 12 years July 4, 2024.
We rescued Winston and his brother Maxwell in 2012 from a caretaker in White Salmon WA after the owner gave up the kittens. Mom was a purebred Maine Coon who had escaped the confines of their home and became pregnant from an unknown source.
Winston was my cat, but he shared affection without hesitation with Mary. His favorite activity was laying on his back my chest as I rubbed his belly. He would then shift to the side and lay against my arm with his head against my shoulder. Purring a salivating with pure joy and love. Earlier that previous day (March 24th) we did just that as I watched motorsports on TV and we shared nap time.
And then about midnight FATE struck Winston down. We rushed him to Pacific Northwest Pet ER here in Vancouver and within minutes the told us what we had expected that we would have to put Winston down immediately.
With FATE there is little treatment they can do. It’s expensive and rarely will a cat survive treatment. As longtime feline owners, quality of life is very important to us, so the decision was obvious.
Many thanks to all the staff at Feline Medical Clinic the care and love they have shown our kitties for over 30 years. We are very thankful and appreciative beyond words.
Jazz
Date of birth: October 8, 2007
Date of passing: February 8, 2022
Dear Jazz,
The first time we laid eyes on you we said, "sure hope she grows into those ears someday" 🙂
You came to us in a roundabout way. Stephen grabbed you and your brother out of a box at his work when you were a few weeks old. He then gave you to Michael, who took you back to college with him. We don't think you liked living in a home with college kids as you never did care for fast movement, loud noises and boys. You became ours after Michael graduated, came back and got an apartment that didn't take pets. From the age of 6 months, you were raised by your grandparents, who wanted and loved you.
You loved Grandpa. Playing with him, biting on his finger, putting your paw in his food, laying on his newspaper (back in the day) while he was trying to read it. You were Grandma's girl. Following me everywhere. You loved to scare me and make me scream. 😄 You would help me "make" the bed and in the evenings when wearing the robe you loved, would curl up in my lap. The drooling, oh the drooling when we would pet you! You would love to watch us cook or disrupt us when we were playing games on the kitchen table.
How you LOVED to hunt, and you were GOOD at it!! You seemed to like to bring your LIVE catches in the house to continue playing with them. Grandma and Grandpa were never too pleased about that! We do laugh though, over the bird you brought in the house. I was blow drying my hair, looked out the bathroom door into our bedroom only to see a bird flying by with you in hot pursuit after it! Bird flew into closet followed by you and then you came strutting out of the closet with bird in mouth with a look as if you were saying, "there's nothing to see here----everything is under control----carry on". 😄
We are missing our nightly "tuck in" when we go to bed and you sitting on the couch with us watching TV in the evenings.
It's hard to put into words all the joy, happiness and laughter you have given us over the past 14 years. You are greatly missed.
We love you Jazz
Grandma and Grandpa
Kami
Kami was a gorgeous, male, red Siberian. At the breeder’s home, he was known as the “basket kitty” because he was always sneaking into the various baskets she had around the house in her kitten’s play area. He would hideaway and sleep or plan an attack. That Kami tradition carried through when he came to stay with us 13 years ago.
He had such a sweet, loving demeanor, but was also stubborn! One of his favorite spots to nap was between us on the couch, but his special blanket was required and if not promptly gathered up and placed proper, we got “the look” and a few snarky meows as he was also quite communicative. The photo also shows him in one of his favorite spots on the deck, catching the warm sun.
One thing we noticed right off when Kami came home is that when we’d call him, he would prance over to us. Yes, prance like a horse in a Dressage competition! Add on top of that the special way he curled his tail up over his back, he could not have been more cute!
In his last days he was our touchstone/comfort kitty. This was during the COVID-19 period. He would always reach out with a paw to touch our hand as he napped between us. When I was busy at the computer, he would stand up and grab my mouse hand, wanting to be petted and then he would curl around my back on the computer chair.
His parting really left a void in our household. Maxwell, one of our two Maine Coon Mix rescue cats was his buddy and he misses him dearly as of this writing nearly two months later, as do all of us. This has been the toughest loss of all our babies so far.
We would like to thank Drs. Burhenn & King as Feline Medical Clinic, Vancouver, WA for their donation to WA State University in Kami’s name. That was very unexpected and such and honor! And a special thanks to everyone at FMC for taking care of our kitties since the early 1990’s. You are all angels!
Honda Kuma DeFord
Date of birth: May 10, 1999
Date of passing: September 17, 2012
Honda was such a beautiful, purebred, Maine Coon cat. We remember the first visit to the Feline Medical Clinic. Everyone fell in love with Honda. Many times, during his visits, the doctor would bring in various staff and interns to show them “this is what a REAL Maine Coon cat looks like.” Not only was he physically beautiful, but he had such a warm heart and soul. He would always greet us at the door. He was always there when we were sick or felt sad. He knew. And he always made us better. Always.
He was a large Maine Coon. 39” nose to tail, averaged about 25 pounds and he had a huge head. His fur was so silky smooth and soft and we always loved rubbing his head and so did he, of course. He loved sleeping between us and also warming Mary’s feet. He was our puppy cat. Always there and purring and rubbing and loving and oh we miss him so much. But, he is still here with us. Many times when we are all downstairs with our three kitties they will all look up at the landing where Honda loved hanging out. And there are times where Mary and I both feel a cat jump up on the bed, only to look and see no cat in sight. But, he will always be with us in our hearts.
Smokey
July 1995 - July 2014
Smokey was an FIV positive cat who lived to the ripe old age of 19. He was found as a stray kitten. Smokey was an avid hunter in his prime and brought home many prized catches. He didn't mind dressing up in hats and ties when the occasions presented themselves. Smokey enjoyed being carried around and snacking on treats. He was loved by many and will be missed forever.
Chester Burhenn
August 1, 2001 - October 8, 2012
Where does one even begin to talk about Chester? He was so very difficult to manage. Yet I think we love those the most with whom which we strive the hardest to guide through life's journey. He came to us as a tiny kitten that had been found wandering along Highway 14. Saved by a kindhearted soul who could not keep him, he was immediately a favorite of my husband. Chester would ride on his shoulder like a parrot from a pirate story. He also liked to snuggle with him at night and helped him fall asleep. Chester was a very loving cat, but his behavior was erratic and unpredictable at times. We worked over his lifetime to provide stability and consistency in his life so he was manageable for us, but the staff at the Feline Medical Clinic knew well to watch him with caution. He was easily over stimulated, and easily frustrated...but he never stopped trying to do his best. For 2 1/2 years he was our only cat after we lost our other cats, Harry (2005) and Tucker (2010), because he was totally incompatible with others. He was much happier this way, but tragically it was not to last. He died suddenly of a massive hemorrhage caused by a tumor we did not know he had. He had been otherwise healthy, playing, eating and enjoying the life of a middle aged cat, and this is how we will always remember him. He was our boy.
Marley
Daring to Love (Tribute to Marley)
How strange it is to say that he is gone
When much of what remains of us
Reminds of who he is
For would we trade the pain of loss
For something less
A life having never known him?
Strange gift this is
The loss of something held so dear
As if to say the error lies
In daring to love
Daring to care
Daring to feel
For all seasons pass
For reasons we know not
Except again
For daring
To love again
Annie Kumle
It has taken a while to be able to write this memorial about a very special girl. Annie (Anniversary) Kumle came into our life on July 4, 1994, and she was born on our anniversary May 1st. We knew we wanted a kitten, and we knew we wanted a little girl, and one who had a fiery spirit. From the moment we picked her up, we knew she was ours. Annie captured our hearts, and the hearts of so many friends, family, and yes, even our fantastic doctor's at the Feline Clinic and their wonderful staff. Annie was a constant companion, and our little buddy. From quiet times napping with Dan or, sleeping on Deborah's stomach at night. These are some of the many memories we will treasure.
Annie gave us wonderful, fun-filled 17-1/2 years. She passed away at home (her little castle) from kidney failure on November 12, 2011 at 7:02 P.M. Our Annie was the heart and soul of our home, and her brother Snowbell misses her very much. Annie will stay in our hearts forever, and the hearts of everyone she touched.
Dan, Deborah and Snowbell Kumle
Harry Burhenn
July 4, 1987 - December 25, 2005
Harry was my "vet school cat". He was from a small town called Parvin, near Pullman Washington where I was a sophomore Oregon State University veterinary student. Until 2006, all Oregon veterinary students had to move to Washington for two years to complete our sophomore and junior years. So Harry was my stalwart companion during this time. He was a farm cat and the veterinary student who was renting the house had spayed and neutered all the farm cats one by one and was arranging homes for all the kittens. Harry was just a little orange ball of fur 8 weeks old. Two of his brothers had been taken by owls, but he had survived. He cried all the way to my apartment, and then I learned that other than a screaming howl when riding in the car and a lovely rumble of a purr, he had no voice for the first 6 months. He eventually acquired a gravelly "rrrhhaaa" for a meow...but that was it. He put up with all my palpations, neurological evaluations, dental exams and other indignities we subjected our own pets to when we were students. He knew no other life. Eventually we were to settle in a wonderful rural area of Clark County where he could enjoy the fields in back of the house and sit in the sun on the porch with his best friend, Tucker, who would arrive on the scene our first year in the house. Harry was quite an ordinary cat...but he could win your heart for he just asked for nothing other than your company and a few snacks. He was always hanging about to purr his way around your feet or just supervise any projects you were working on. He loved the snow and hated the rain. He had a talent for being able to be out of doors for less than 3 minutes and come in absolutely covered with leaves, dirt, grass and pine needles. He died on Christmas Day in 2005, of kidney failure, and for 18 1/2 years was one of the best cats I ever knew.
Tucker Burhenn
April 1, 1991 - February 10, 2010
Tucker found us as a kitten. He was dumped at our house by some thoughtless human the first summer we lived in our house in the country. Although Harry, our other cat eventually accepted him, the attraction was all one way at first with Tucker desperate to win over Harry's attentions. He eventually became one of the most prolific hunting cats I have ever seen...and it was his true profession. For nearly 19 years we never had a mouse in the house for he figured out how to get into the crawlspace next to the furnace and eat anyone who dared cross the foundation. He would spend hours out in the fields hunting, and would occasionally bring us a treasure or two that we would grimace at and then bury. He loved me with all his heart, but was shy of other humans, and if I was gone for several days he would finally sit with my husband, Dave, but otherwise as far as he was concerned Harry and I were it. He was a very busy cat, and was 16 years of age before I ever knew him to take a nap in the middle of the day. Many nights I would be out with a flashlight calling for him to come home (because we have coyotes in our area) and although I would bring him in before dark if I saw him, some nights he KNEW I was looking for him and he would ignore my calls until he was finished with his work. Sometimes he would make me so frustrated I would vow to never let him out again, but I never followed up on the threat: His outdoor life was his entire reason for living and he usually behaved for several weeks after an unusual late night adventure. Eventually he lost his best friend, Harry, in 2005, but never stopped looking for him. He died on a winter's day in February, of kidney failure just like Harry. He is buried next to Harry out near the pond where he can be near the fields he loved to roam.
