A Tribute to Cosmo

Cosmo was living with a gentleman who unfortunately passed away. His family wasn’t able to keep him long term, but was able to provide him with a home until there was room at the Sanctuary.  At first glance, Cosmo was a big, black, beautiful boy with a powerful meow. He seemed to have this “bad boy” persona, which could come off a little intimidating. Yet as time went by, his tough persona slowly diminished which revealed his soft, gooey heart. This chunky hunk loved to cuddle and, just like his powerful meow, his purr could be heard from across the room, showing his loving, affectionate side. Plus, his head-butts were something you never forget. Though he still had his signature “grouch” facial expression no matter what, inside was a big baby that just wanted love and companionship.

One thing you’d never expect from such a big boy, Cosmo loved to play! He was surprisingly active, pouncing for ribbon toys or catching toys up in the air. When overstimulated, Cosmo’s initial reaction would be to use his chompers to communicate he had enough. With his love for play time, burning off his energy proved to help with his reactiveness. Therefore, staff made sure Cosmo got plenty of activity and enrichment with an assortment of toys and really bonded with his friends through play time. He truly enjoyed his time with friends, which left plenty of time for snuggles and lap naps!

As Cosmo waited for the right home to come along, both staff and volunteers always made sure Cosmo’s needs were met. Whether he wanted play time, cuddle time, or some quiet time just sitting alongside a friend, hanging out in the sun on his catio. Suddenly, poor Cosmo’s health took a turn for the worse. His appetite went south and he seemed very weak. There was an enlarged lymph node detected and the vet took a sample for further evaluation. As his condition was worsening, staff quickly responded with appetite medication, stomach supplements to help with nausea or over-acidity, fluids, and pain management meds as needed.

He eventually worsened to the point of needing to be seen by the vet again. During this vet visit, they unfortunately they found a number of issues, particularly a large mass on his spleen. Given this diagnosis, there were sadly no options for our dear Cosmo except administering steroids to try and kick his appetite and buy him a few more weeks. Sadly, despite our best efforts, Cosmo became non-responsive and non-reactive. He was telling us it was his time to go and we had to listen.

Though it’s always hard losing a friend and knowing he never got his perfect “happily ever-after” with a family in a home. Yet, we come to the realization that we were Cosmo’s family and home. We knew what toys he loved the best or where he loved to be scratched. We knew when he needed a friend to spend time with or when he needed his quiet, alone time. A big boy like Cosmo needed a big family, his OC family. And just like a family, we held a memorial service for our Cosmo at our Sanctuary, his home. We also asked for everyone to submit their favorite pictures of Cosmo, to best remember this loveable guy. Please enjoy this wonderful photo album of Cosmo, you’ll be greatly missed: https://imgur.com/a/dAGYvlm.