Creampuff and Tennyson were a bonded pair of very sweet cats. Creamy was rescued from the streets of Chicago, and Tennyson is from Atlanta, Georgia. Through quirks of fate, they became legendary lovers--Shakespeare couldn't have created a more dedicated match. Creampuff started to show signs of illness in November 2025, but several vet visits didn't uncover a cause until I rushed him to the emergency vet on New Year's Eve. A sonogram revealed heart failure and a mass on his lung. Because he was struggling to breathe and could barely stand, I felt the kindest thing to do was let him go.

Creampuff was the sweetest cat I've ever known, and I've known a lot. He loved everyone--every human, every cat. I first met him while walking to the train station in Chicago. He'd trot alongside me and mew his responses to my questions. "You're going to stay out of the street today, right?" Mew! "You're going to avoid strangers today, right?" Mew! "I'll see you in a few hours, okay?" Mew! Our daily ritual led to me falling hopelessly in love. After his first vet visit, where it was discovered that he was 9 months old and in very good health, he joined my other fur kids. One of them was a lovely blue girl named Tennyson. They knew immediately that they belonged together, and thus ensued one of the greatest feline love stories ever told.

It's so unfair that Creamy got only 11 years on this planet with his girl. Within days of his leaving us for the great catnip factory in the sky, Tenny became despondent and refused to leave her heated bed, the one she used to share with Creamy. I thought at first it was just grief, but after a few days, I could tell something was wrong. Was she going to fade away and die because her other half was gone? The vet's exam showed that her right eye had severe glaucoma and was at risk of rupturing. It needed to come out.

I made the appointment for Tenny's enucleation wondering how I'd ever pay off these credit cards. I've been unemployed since October 2024, but I love my fur kids, so I just kept charging everything. Creamy's bills topped $5,000 and Tenny's, so far, more than $3,500.

I didn't want to ask for money because it doesn't feel good. But it would be a great blessing to be able to pay down these credit cards. Please do not donate if you cannot afford to do so. I'm hoping to find a job soon and I can start reducing this debt.

Thank you for being Creamy and Tenny's friends and for cheering us on on Facebook and Instagram. I know for sure that Creamy would have happily head-butted every single one of your shins. :-)