About Pepsi

Pepsi was Fresca's half brother, a longhair tabby about 75% Maine Coon cat. We got him as a kitten from the same people we got Fresca from. Pepsi was much more independent than Fresca was, although he had his loving moments. Most of the time he preferred to be by himself and to do his own thing, and until he got old he spent much of his time outdoors.

The story of Pepsi's death is a sad one, with an important lesson in it. We came back from a week long vacation early September, 1997, to find that Pepsi was skin and bones, and seemed very ill. After taking him to the vet, they found nothing wrong with his blood work, and he was given an injection of water, and a can of special cat food to take home with him. The vet found that he had lost a great deal of weight since his last visit, and indeed, he was skin and bones. That same day, I knew Pepsi was not just sick, but dying. He was wobbling as he walked, with his mouth partway open, and seemed to be blind (he was just moving around) and in great pain. My father tried taking him outdoors, but he would just settle where he was set down. When my father brought him back in, he let out a heart-rending yowling meow. My father put him down, and he dropped on his side with his eyes shut, breathing extremely rapidly. Pepsi seemed to recover for a while, but toward midnight he began gasping for breath, and he died in my father's arms. Unfortunately, Pepsi suffered for hours before he died, and we did not let that happen with Fresca and will never let it happen with a cat of ours again. He taught us a very important lesson in being perceptive to the needs of a cat in their final hours. Although we still don't know what was wrong with Pepsi, we suspect colon or stomach cancer.

A Poem for Pepsi...

Weep not for me though I am gone
Into that gentle night
Grieve if you will, but not for long
Upon my soul's sweet flight.
I am at peace, my soul's at rest
There is no need for tears.
For with your love I was so blessed
For all those many years.
There is no pain, I suffer not,
The fear now all is gone.
Put now these things out of your
thoughts,
In your memory I live on.
Remember not my fight for breath
Remember not the strife
Please do not dwell upon my death,
But celebrate my life.

In Loving Memory of Pepsi,
1982 - September 12, 1997
Rest in peace, we love you.

(The above poem (sans dedication) (C) Copyright 1992 Constance Jenkins, All Rights Reserved. In Loving Memory of Isolde Jenkins. Used with permission.)


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