Goodbye, Alden

 

As a no-kill shelter, Valley Animal Center has some animal residents who have been with us for a long time. Due to health reasons that make it difficult for our animals to find a furever home, some of our animals can become life-long residents of our shelter. Sadly, however, sometimes our animals’ health can deteriorate so much that the most humane thing we can do for them is euthanasia.

Alden was a domestic short-hair mix who originally was an owner-surrender. He came in with a housemate of his who was quickly adopted, but Alden was not. Alden’s owner would visit Alden frequently in the shelter but eventually stopped coming.

When Alden came into our care, he was diagnosed with diabetes and required injections twice a day. Our staff took on his care without complaints and all grew to love and cherish this feline. 

We also discovered Alden had various other health issues, too.

Alden was required to be fed with prescription food and he would need to be watched constantly as he could often be getting into food he should not be eating. As a diabetic cat, he would often be lethargic, sluggish, and had days where his appetite would go away. Although he demanded a lot of work, the affection he showed us was enough to make everything worth it.

 

We knew that it would take a special and rare person to be able to commit to a cat like Alden but as the months passed by and we saw no serious interest in him from adopters, we understood that Alden would end up becoming one of our resident cats.

Alden’s official date in shelter is October 9, 2019. It would’ve been his two year anniversary with us this October. He was eight years old, soon to be nine in a few months. Unfortunately, his health deteriorated. After our vets examined Alden this past week, we had to come to the hard decision of euthanizing Alden. 

Euthanizing an animal is not an action we take lightly. As a no-kill shelter, any animals we take in stay with us until they have found a furever home. Euthanasia is performed only when an animal is suffering from a serious illness that cannot be cured, or if they are in such a painful condition that cannot be alleviated. 

Alden was suffering and medication and medicated food was no longer enough to alleviate his pain.

Although it broke our hearts, we knew we had to let him go. On September 2nd, we fed Alden the chicken nuggets he was always unsuccessfully scheming for and at 4:30 p.m., Alden crossed the rainbow bridge. 

Our staff and volunteers grieve for the loss of Alden.

Please consider making a donation in Alden’s memory. Funds raised will help us rescue and ensure that animals like Alden are taken care of until their last days.

Thank you.

 

–

Valley Animal Center is dedicated to serving animal companions in the Central Valley and beyond. Our mission is to unite dogs and cats with loving people. We believe every animal deserves a loving family and furever home. Donate to support our endless mission as we care for hundreds of homeless dogs and cats throughout the year.