On Saturday, October 11, 2008 the world bid farewell to the beautiful and heroic Scarlett the cat. Scarlett did not only impact those who knew her, she touched the lives of countless people around the world.

On October 17th, at the “Crossroads of the World,” Times Square, NYC, Scarlett’s larger-than-life image illuminated the night on the world’s largest digital sign, the Reuters sign.

At 35 feet wide x 32.5 feet tall, viewers marveled and paid tribute to a cat who surpassed everyone’s imaginations and expectations.

The screen above Scarlett’s picture reads:

“Scarlett, the World-Famous Brave Mother Cat Who Survived a Fire and Saved Her Kittens, Passes Away”

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Dear Friends,

I am heartbroken. On Saturday, October 11, 2008 we had to say goodbye to our beautiful, brave Scarlett. Her endless health battles had become too overwhelming for her. As most of you know, she was diagnosed with Lymphoma in June 2007. She did remarkably well with her medications. But there were other illnesses that made each day more of a struggle. Her heart murmur, thyroid, dental issues, and kidneys all contributed. It was the renal failure, however, that eventually took its toll. Scarlett’s decline was rapid. We knew there was no going back.

Scarlett had been hospitalized last week. When we took her home on Friday, she couldn’t stand. It wasn’t fair to let her suffer after all she’d been through. So we brought her back to the hospital where she went peacefully in my arms while my mother sang to her. Her Doctors were wonderfully caring and compassionate.

Although she had not been eating very much in her last week, either in the hospital or at home, she ate like the old, 19-pound Scarlett Friday morning! That’s a memory we’ll cherish.

Thank you all for all your good thoughts and wishes throughout this ordeal. Scarlett was a very special cat, and she will be missed by all the lives she touched.

Karen

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