A Letter to Pipistrello's Breeder
Subject: Bemisu Pipistrello, Born 01/29/2006, Died 07/10/2014
Dear Blake,
In early 2006, we purchased a black female sphynx from you (from a litter of Serena and Dr Seus), and brought Pipistrello home to our apartment on Capitol Hill. She moved with us back to Florida, then to Littleton, and finally, we settled for the past few years back on Capitol Hill. We lost our beloved Pipistrello yesterday, quite suddenly and without warning, to saddle thrombus, after waking to find her hind legs paralyzed and cold. She died in my arms, gazing up at me, and never once voiced the pain she felt. From the time we woke up that morning, until the panting began, she had continued to purr and love, as she always did.
I write to you for no other reason than to thank you for blessing our family with her for the 8 ½ years that we had her. She was a very loved and cherished member of our family, a constant joy and comfort to us, and we are shocked and heartbroken at her sudden loss. I cannot fathom the quiet and emptiness of our apartment without her, and I ache to hold her again in my arms and hear her Hello meows. I loved her like my third child, and though I try telling myself she was “just a cat,” I know that’s not true. She was the heart of our family, and her enthusiastic purring was the pulse.
My daughter, who is now 17, is away in Florida for the summer, and while she is devastated, she’s also grateful that we had such an amazing companion in our family. She wrote, "Today, we lost an important member of our family... Pipi was more than just a cat, she was there for me when my parents and friends weren't. She was who I would cuddle up to every night and the first to greet me every day when I got home. It's funny because just a few days ago I listened to others talk about the time that they lost their pets and it made me want to go home and hug her and be glad that she's still here and now after 8 1/2 years she's gone and I didn't get to say goodbye. I hope she knows that she was the most loved cat in the world because this is the most painful thing I've ever felt."
Thank you for the work you do with the breed. I have never known a more magical, enchanting, and loving creature, and it was an honor to share our dwelling, hearts, showers, and warm beds with her for the time that we had. We mourn her, from Colorado to Florida; even the grandparents are in tears over her loss. She touched so many people, and everyone that met her fell in love with her. I've never known anything like the love we found with her. Through your dedication, I hope that many other families have the experience of a sphynx in their households (and hearts).
Sincerely,
Natasha