Sad news.
We had to say goodbye to our permanent resident, Mya. Her many medical issues finally caught up with her and we had to peacefully let her go. Our hearts are broken, and we’re sending many hugs to Mya’s forever foster family. We’re so thankful Mya had wonderful people to love and care for her for so long.
Mya’s foster mom, Julia, wrote a beautiful tribute to Mya, that you can read below.
Sleep well, sweet Mya. We’ll never forget you.
💔
“In 2016, a call went out for any homes that would be interested in fostering an older, sick cat named Mya. She was abandoned by her previous owners with a mouth full of rotten teeth and kidney disease. She had all of her teeth removed and was put on meds to control her kidney disease. For whatever reason her first foster home didn’t work out, and she spent some time living in a cage at the vet clinic. Mark and I saw the call and decided we would give this cat a chance.
When we took her in she was terrified. She spent most of her days hiding and hissing. Slowly but surely she became comfortable with us, and learned to avoid Lucy. We soon realized that she was too sick to adopt out, so she was made a permanent resident with Ladybird Animal Sanctuary, meaning she would spend the rest of her life with us.
We spent months building trust and showing her she was loved, and I knew that she was comfortable when I would wake up in the middle of the night, and she would be sleeping on me, purring, making biscuits, and/or drooling on me. She loved to sit on Mark’s hand while he was trying to work, and loved to get chin scritches. When she was excited she would run down the hallway saying “mew mew mew” with every step.
This morning, we said goodbye to Mya. She had been declining for a while, and this last year was especially rough for her. We had her for five wonderful years, and while my heart is breaking into a million pieces, I would do it again in a heartbeat. Mark and I loved her. She was a wonderful cat, and will be missed dearly.”

Ladybird rescued Mya from Hamilton Animal Control. Mya’s owners surrendered her to animal control because they were no longer able to care for her.
Mya had a severe case of stomatitis and had likely been in a lot of pain for quite a long time. We spoke to Dr. O’Brien at The Cat Clinic about the severity of Mya’s mouth issue, and Dr. O’Brien kindly agreed to look after Mya and cover the cost of her dental treatment. We are so thankful that we work with such wonderful vets who are willing to help rescued cats in our community!
Mya spent some time at The Cat Clinic for tests and treatment. She had extensive dental surgery to remove all her teeth and she recovered well.

Though her mouth is feeling better, Mya is a cat who has many strikes against her as far as finding a forever home. While she was at the vet, she tested positive for FIV. Because she doesn’t have any teeth, the likelihood of transferring the virus to another cat is pretty much nil since FIV is contracted through deep tissue bites. But Mya is much happier as the only cat in the home anyway.
Mya also has the beginnings of kidney disease. She’s on a daily medication for this which she is responding well to, and she’s on a special diet for this condition.
And to top it all off, Mya has a bit of “cattitude.” She can be hissy and swatty at times and only wants attention on her terms. With no teeth and no front claws, she’s not much of a threat to anyone,  and her foster home have learned the signals and they give her space when she needs it. That’s not to say she’s a miserable kitty all the time. She can also be very sweet and loving… and thankfully her foster family are understanding of her occasional temperamental episodes.

After waiting for a forever home for several months, Mya’s health issues began to occur more frequently. Bouts of digestive issues and vomiting had her visiting the vet more and more often. She’s still responding well to the vet treatment she receives each time, but now her health is such that she isn’t a candidate for adoption. After discussion with her foster family, the decision was made to make Mya a permanent resident. This means she will stay in her foster home, under our care for as long as her health and quality of life allows. For now, she’s doing well and her foster family are spoiling and loving her up as much as they can.