By Liz, wishing she was on a beach somewhere before the rest of summer passes us by
Last week was a tough week. I lost one of my best little friends, a cat named Tweetie.
This little guy was a huge love and touched everyone he met – and even people who had never met him, as apparent by all the Facebook well wishers during his brief illness – but he was also the real inspiration behind the Pawsitively Organic Mysteries.
If it wasn’t for Tweetie, I may never have gotten so involved in animal nutrition. When I adopted him 11 years ago, he was a sick fella. Chronic upper respiratory disease plagued him, and the vets were concerned he would not improve. I had always been interested in homeopathy and natural medicine, and Tweetie was the perfect reason to jump in and figure it out.
I researched homeopathic vets in my area and found Dr. Martha Lindsay, a wonderful woman who has made such a difference in my and my animals lives over the past 11 years. It was she who told me that if an animal doesn’t have good nutrition, they will never reach their healing potential. She got me started feeding the cats “real” food, and also recommended a raw diet for those animals who were open to it. Some that weren’t healthy, she cautioned, might never adjust well to it.
Well, for all his health problems, Tweetie adjusted well to all of it. In fact, he was probably the only cat (next to Pumpkin, the orange one pictured above) who would eat virtually anything. Meat, rice, eggs, raw food, veggies..yes, veggies. He would often 
use his oversized paw to swipe broccoli, green beans, asparagus – anything green – off my plate. Veggies made him so happy, he sang songs to tell us how much he had enjoyed his helping. And the best part? His health dramatically improved. Ever since then, animal nutrition has been something I’m always thinking about. It’s funny how things work, because all these years later it became the basis for this series. 
Tuffy the Maine coon cat and Shaggy the schnoodle get most of the credit for being the muses of the books, but Tweetie was the real muse. Without everything he taught me, this series would not exist. That’s the kind of guy he was, though – he never asked for the limelight. He was just happy to be loved, have a nice house, some friends…and some broccoli.
Rest in peace, Tweetie Bird. xo
Readers, share your experiences with a pet that changed your life. I’d love to hear them.
RIP Tweetie.
Thanks, Gram.
Reblogged this on F4l ~ FLECK and commented:
Tweetie xo
Thanks!
My series of cats – Vanessa, Jakuma, Neko, Gatinha, Speedy, Zipper, Athena, Birdy, Preston, Cristabel – have all changed my life in subtle ways, by providing joy, playfulness, sometimes quiet companionship, sometimes quite demanding. So glad Tweetie was in your life, Liz.
They are all special, aren’t they? xo
I’m so sorry you have lost Tweetie, Liz. He was a beautiful Kitty. You must miss him.
Our kitties Buffalo and She-She are my good friends. Buffalo was my service kitty until he retired. Then Kendall came along and has worked hard at filling his spot. Despite his illness he wants to help and will talk into the night with his soothing Maine Coon language.
It sounds like you and Tweetie were close and good friends. I have learned a lot about friendship and kindness from my kitties and pup. Saying goodbye is one of the hardest things ever for me. It seems like sharing your photos is a helpful way of doing that, so I want to thank you for letting us be a part of Tweetie’s goodbye. xoxox
Reine, you’re making me sniffle…thank you. xo
Oh, Liz, you made me cry!
Aww hugs Sherry!
What a lovely tribute. How wonderful that you and Tweetie found each other. Our pets are such a gift, aren’t they? I hope a big pawed beauty makes his way into one of your books soon.
I’m sure he will, Julie. He was an angel, for sure.
I’m allergic to dogs and cats, so I’ve never really had pets. Trust me, it would be a very bad thing.
But I’m sorry to hear about your loss.
Thanks, Mark.
It’s wonderful that you had each other and you both benefitted from the relationship. That’s the way life is supposed to be. Personally, I think raw veggies are best for the human variety of animal life too!! It’s always sad to loose a friend. So sorry.
Thank you Ronna!
I love all animals. I am so sorry for your loss, Liz. We have only cats now, but we have four. I have loved all of my pets dearly; their loss affects me to no end.In fact, it is just about the one year anniversary of the loss of our last doggie, the gentle-giant, Mark,I miss him.
I had one cat, though, that I think you’ll understand when I say he was the best friend I ever had. I still feel that loss.