One wonderful rainy morning almost eight years ago I was coming in to my office as I was coming around the corner to enter my office door I was greeted by this little furry bundle of joy looking up at me. I looked down and asked "Who are you?" and without skipping a beat Oreo answered. I asked do you have a mommy around and she answered again then reached up to me like a young child would to their mother when they wanted up. I had never seen anything like it before as I picked her up she purred, wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed tight. It was then I knew I was her mommy and she was sent straight from God to be the second child I was unable to conceive. I took her into my office called my husband, told him we were having a girl and I would be bringing her home tonight for him to meet. My husband said okay we always wanted a girl. Little did he know she was a bit furry and walked on four legs. The rest of the day she spent on my lap or on top of my desk she wouldn't leave my side.

If you were to know Oreo that would be amazing, since for the most part she was terrified of people, loud noises and just about anything else, but my husband or I. That evening wrapped in a blanket I introduced my husband to our new daughter, without a second thought my husband said she has your eyes. I knew he had fallen in love with her at first sight, just as I did.

The first few days were a bit rough she had another kitty in our family to deal with, Mu our other female wasn't to keen on having a little sister, but three days later they were sleeping and playing together. On the fourth night in her new home the front door of our house had not got completely locked and the wind had opened the door during the night. As we awoke the next day I found the door open and Oreo gone. I panicked and woke my husband up to help find her, we both torn through the house and knew she was gone. So we went outside and called for 45 minutes to try to find her, nothing no sign of her anywhere. I was broken up, crying beyond control. My husband tried to help me trying to let me know we would find her and just then lighting and thunder started it was raining harder than I had ever seen here. I told my husband I have just to try one more time to find her and ran outside praying to God to help me please find this wonderful angel he had sent to me. As I came around the edge of the house I could hear a very faint meow, I wasn't sure where it could be coming from so I called for her and heard the meow again. I followed it right too an old fridge we had just taken outside so it could be picked up that Monday as I looked inside there was Oreo cold wet and oh so smelly. She had been in there and we must have just not seen or heard her earlier. I grabbed her up and she just clinged to me with fear. I rushed her in and well she had her first bath that day too.

The first month she was with us went wonderfully, she got her shots and was spayed. At about six months of her being a part of our family she was having problems with one of her eyes, so I rushed into the vets. It was then we discovered that before Oreo had came to us she mostly likely had been hit by a car and or had been abused. The doctors had told us Oreo's eye was very badly damaged, had swollen up and needed to be removed. She had shown signs of being in pain that morning so I knew it needed to be done. She had also lost one of her back molars' and it would have to also be removed. Both my husband and I told the doctors anything for her, just don't let her be in pain. Vista Vet completed the surgeries and she was able to come home shortly there after, I took a week off of work so she wouldn't be alone and like she when was spade nursed back to health.

Oreo and I bonded even more than I could have ever imagined. She and I were never apart from that day forward. Oreo was by my side no matter what I was doing and she spent every night sleeping by my side. She laid under the covers with her head on my pillow. She would get up to go potty or eat and when she wanted back to bed she would come to me let me know she was ready to go back to sleep and crawl back under the blankets.

Our love for her was boundless and every night she would play with her sister till she would pass out. This how it went up until August of 2008 when suddenly Oreo seemed a bit off so I was worried and took her to the vet. They checked her and thought maybe she just wasn't feeling well so they sent her home with some medication. Ten days later she was till not feeling well so I took her back in once again nothing. After a month I noticed she was starting to have problems walking and took her in again, they took all sorts of tests, x-rays you name they did it and nothing so we did more medication.

Another few weeks went by and she was going down hill fast we called the vets and let them know we wanted to go to Pullman, we knew she wasn't well and something had to be wrong. So the next week we came up and had her go through some tests. Dr Harris came out and asked to speak with us, we went into the room and heard the news no mother ever wants the hear, Oreo had bone cancer and it was in her spine. I was beyond heart broken my baby was going to die, it was like my soul had been ripped out of me. We were given our options of what we could do to try to save her. After that we decided to go with the surgery and try what ever we could to have a chance of her living. For the most part the surgery went well and Oreo made it through. While in recovery Oreo went into respitory distress and we got the call to come quick they thought Oreo may die. So jumped in the car and drove through a white snow storm from Kennewick to get there as fast as we could. We called very little bit just telling Dr Harris please do not let her die before we can get there and she always said she would do everything she could to save her. When we arrived we were rushed to Oreo' side, she was in this little tent to help her breath. She was so helpless and scared, the doctors let us pet her and she started to purr and rubbed against my hands. She had improved but was not out of the woods and the next 24 hours would tell us if she would make it. We were asked if we could stay in the area for a few days since it seemed to help Oreo. I told my husband I am staying and called my work. I stayed the whole time Oreo remained at the hospital. The hospital was wonderful I would get there every morning before sunrise and not leave until the weave hours of the night. I held her in my arms all day and loved on her in the lobby. I am so grateful the your vet hospital was able to help me be there everyday even on the weekend to take care of Oreo. I think if it had not been for that she would have never made it through her surgery and recovery.

A bit after that we were given the great news Oreo could come home, it was just before Christmas and we felt so blessed Oreo was going to be able to spend one more Christmas with us. After Christmas we enjoyed the New Year and started down the long road of Chemo treatments which was much harder on us than Oreo, until one blessed day we were told that the doctors believed Oreo's cancer was no longer growing, but had an heart issue. The feared started all over again, the doctors reassured us this could be helped and we were very relieved. We were sent home over joy and told to make sure if her time was short to give her all the love we could. Once home we decided since both Oreo and her sister were declawed they could play outside in our fenced back yard supervised. They couldn't jump the fence so this would be a wonderful way for they to play and they completely loved it. I have never seen such joy they ran and played everyday through out the spring and summer. It was the time of our lives, I ran and they chased me, we play hide and seek, chase the feather you name it we were doing it. It was heaven and the girls were as happy as they could be. Oreo loved eating grass and any bug she could catch. I know Oreo was the happiest she had ever been.

The last fall I noticed she was walking slower again and my heart just sunk. We rushed her up to the Hospital and after many tests were told they didn't believe her cancer was back and didn't have any changes to her back. We were sent home to take videos of Oreo walking which we did and posted on utube as requested by the doctors there. I called them and let them know I had completed the videos and they could be viewed. I never heard anything back, so we went to our local vet who showed us that Oreo's bone was growing back in her spine and that was causing pressure on her spinal cord that is why she was no longer able to walk. They let us know Oreo would need another surgery to remove the metal that was on her back from the first surgery because it maybe causing her pressure on her back. My husband and I knew Oreo would never make it through another surgery since the first surgery had caused some scaring in her heart and most likely she would die while under going surgery. So we asked what we could do to give us just a bit more time. The doctors gave her some medications and we were sent home. Oreo spent almost four months on her medication and until it was no longer helping and I knew she wanted to go to God. Oreo was in pain, she could no longer run and play. She couldn't walk straight and would mostly just lay around. She was sad and I knew the only reason she was holding on was because I just couldn't let go. She stayed because I wasn't ready to be alone, as she had always done she wanted me to be okay. I knew I was only prolonging her pain and I had to let her go, it wasn't fair of me to keep her in pain because of my fear of loosing her. So on the morning of Febuary 5th 2010 we took Oreo in for her last visit with Doctor Stidman, since Oreo had be given some medication before we took her in they had to administer the shot through her belly. It was a few mintues before Oreo started to slow her breathing and as she did she looked up to me in the eyes and placed her paw on my face. With her last breath she pressed her paw on my face, smiled then she was gone. That day a part of my soul was given to Oreo to carry on to heaven with her. I know for me my life will never be the same and that day I lost my daughter Oreo. I thank you and all the doctors who loved, cried and laughed with us through all of this. If it wasn't for all that you do I would have never had another year with Oreo.

Thank you again

Carin & Steve B.