On Sunday, May 10, 2026,  Mother’s Day, I had to make the heartbreaking decision to send my little girl, Passionfruit, to heaven 

Passionfruit was deeply loved her entire life from the beginning until the very end, and I hope that’s what this story I’m about to tell reflects…

Just like many of my cats, I found her in the bushes at Duffer’s Mill. She had recently been adopted from a rescue, and the people that adopted her abandoned her outside. When I brought her home, she was in rough shape. She was filthy, skinny, and worst of all, she had deer ticks near her eyes and a couple on her eyelids.

I took her home, and she let me remove the ticks. She had some water and some food and went to sleep for a very long time. She was exhausted, understandably.

The next day I took her to the vet. She was scanned for a microchip, which led me to the rescue she was adopted from. I contacted them, and they gave me the option to adopt her myself instead of returning her there, so that’s exactly what I did. I knew that nobody else could give her a better life, and I didn’t want her to end up in the wrong hands again. I knew if I returned her to the rescue I would wonder what happened to her for the rest of my life.

The pictures below will capture the many, many years that we spent together.

Her name was already Passionfruit from the rescue. I’m assuming the people who adopted her kept the same name because she knew her name, so I kept it as well, and honestly it suited her. I gave her the nickname “Girl.” So I referred to her by both names. I don’t know a single person who is a true animal parent who doesn’t have multiple names for their cat or dog.

She was a very feminine, delicate little calico cat. She had the sweetest disposition and the softest little meow. She was mostly independent but loving when she wanted to be.

She was a simple little girl. She loved the cat trees, loved the same exact treats year after year, relaxing outside on the porch, her personal perch in the window, enjoying a consistent quiet life, and saving the most important detail for last, this one specific brush that I have managed to not lose through our moves and just life in general because it was her favorite. I could tell she was very content at my home over the years.

Over the last year and a half, she faced some health concerns which she handled so gracefully and in such a friendly manner I was shocked myself because she had the right to be a lot more nasty than she was. Going through these health concerns, though, she trusted me so much to help her. She knew I was there to help her. She knew I was there to do the best for her. She let me know she trusted me in so many ways, and I’ll always be grateful for that.

Up until the very end, she showed me that same sweet, soft, calm love that she always had for me.

When she was given her cancer diagnosis, I knew one thing: I knew that she was going to go to heaven on one of her good days rather than letting this aggressive cancer get her to a “bad day” or a “crisis day.”

I ended up rushing to an emergency vet appointment on Saturday, May 9th, so the best gift I could have ever received as a cat mom was seeing her have a good day the following day, Mother’s Day. We woke up, she ate some of her favorite treats, had some water, went and laid in her window perch for a while, came down, got brushed, and I knew in my heart and soul that it was time… she went to heaven with a belly full of her favorite treats, freshly brushed by her favorite brush that was with her for a decade, rested from a nap on her favorite perch, and feeling loved at home on Mother's Day, 5/10/26, on a good day. 

I will miss Passionfruit forever and cherish all the years that she spent letting me love her and loving me in return.

She will always be my “Girl.” Rest in Peace