Frank the Kitten died

August 3, 2019 • 11:30 am

UPDATE: See two rounds of added pictures at the bottom.

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It is with the utmost sadness, and tears in my eyes, that I must report that Frank the Kitten died in surgery yesterday. It’s especially sad because we all had great hopes for him, because a CT scan had shown that he had an external liver shunt, which has a 90% probability of a complete fix, and because he was healthy, happy, and had his pre-op shots. Sadly, when they opened him up, they couldn’t find an external shunt, and, after the vet closed him up, he died without regaining consciousness.

I asked readers to donate to him and to his sponsor, the nonprofit charity Feline Friends London, to cover the costs of his operation, and the kind people at this site came up with more than £2000, enough to cover the operation twice over, so every penny of the extra dosh goes to cat rescue. I’m not sure how much, if anything, this unsuccessful operation will cost, but any funds over the cost of the operation will of course go toward rescuing other cats.

I thank you—and I’m sorry and I’m ineffably sad. All of us involved in this, including Frank’s owners, his fosterer, and the head of Feline Friends London, are heartbroken. The only saving grace is that if Frank’s problem wasn’t fixable, he was doomed to a short life of recurrent seizures, and that would have been worse than the peaceful death he had under anesthesia.

So farewell, sweet boy. Here’s a picture of Frank earlier on, and you can see his pre-operation pictures here.

UPDATE:  I’ll add a few photos of Frank’s last days taken by his foster mom before the operation. As you see, he was a lovely and a lively kitten:

This is Frank with his foster mom, Anna, who took care of him over his last days and took him to the veterinary surgeon. It’s her favorite picture of her and Frank:

And another, with Frank posing:

 

104 thoughts on “Frank the Kitten died”

  1. How horribly, unbearably sad. He was such a cute kitty, too. I’m typing this thru tears.

    Still, the fact that such an effort was made should be some consolation.

  9. Heartbreaking, but at least the little guy had his chance. That alone makes the donations worthwhile.

    1. At least he was in good hands-So bless him & ALL the people who cared for him enough😇I so wish more humans care for animals-who teach us much when we care….Here come the tears again!

  10. I know that kitten only through Jerry and this website, and I can’t believe how sad I am when I read this

    —( i’m feeling the same way when I first saw the movie Brian’s song—)-

    What is the easiest way to donate to that place?
    is there a website?

    1. That’s nice of you.

      Many of us were heartbroken, even if we never met Frank, so you’re not alone.

      Yes, there’s a website, (with a donate link): https://felinefriendslondon.uk/

      and you can donate here (in pounds) via credit card:
      https://secure.squarespace.com/checkout/donate?donatePageId=56b658a301dbaea02670c5be&ss_cid=d2ad08cc-3e30-46e0-8666-c13df06b1fd3&ss_cvisit=1564852472325&ss_cvr=f595f071-094d-4b82-a0ce-09156533a20a%7C1564852472257%7C1564852472257%7C1564852472257%7C1

      Every penny goes to save cats; it’s an all-volunteer organization with no overhead.

  11. My sympathies to cat and friends. I’d like to take this opportunity to rally support for our devoted veterinarians who work hard to help all the animals brought in to their care. They see a lot illness and death that tears at the heart of everyone around the patients. This takes a toll on the vets and over time can lead to depression and sometimes they leave the profession from the stress. So let’s hear it for the vets! They do a great job, sometimes thanklessly.

      1. Yes, vets do a great job, our own animals and those we rescue at Feline Friends London are dependent on the care of a good vet. What many may not realise, is that there is a high suicide rate in the veterinary profession, particularly among those who work in private practice alone, where they have no-one else to share decisions with. They also suffer frustration when owners do not wish to go ahead with the full range of treatments an animal may need.

        1. Yes. My nephew wanted to be a vet, but decided he couldn’t take putting down so many animals just because their owners didn’t want to be bothered with treatments.

  12. Oh, man, UN-make my day! I, too, am writing this thru eyes awash in tears. I can’t take it! There are too many deaths on this blog, Jer! No more! SOOOO sad!

  15. I am so so sad to hear about Frank. I am glad we gave it our best.
    Death seems to always catch me off guard and I just don’t know why I never expect it.
    I’m always left devastated, stunned and sad.

  16. I’m very sad. Thanks for bringing Frank’s plight to our attention so we could enjoy the pictures and send him good thoughts (and $!).

  18. Poor Frank. I had a bad feeling when I read about the operation for some reason….perhaps because he’s a small kitten and things like this are always hard on small animals.

    1. Utterly true, Ms Diana, h a r d on weest ones.
      And, as well, grieving … … is h a r d.

      Blue

  22. Rationally, this shouldn’t make me as sad as it just did, but I have tears in my eyes. I think all of us here vicariously adopted Frank. What a sweet kitty.

    Frank’s owners and caregivers should take solace in knowing they made him happy and cared for and loved while he was with them. That’s the best we can do for our animal companions, but it’s a lot.

  23. I too sit here with tears flowing down my cheeks. Thank you to the vets who worked with him and did their best–and allowed him to die a quiet death. My sympathies to you PCC, to his staff, his foster mom, and everyone else who did their best to make his short life a happy one.
    Agree with others–this is far too many deaths in too short a time. Thank you for continuing to post Grania’s contributions.

  24. “a CT scan had shown that he had an external liver shunt, which has a 90% probability of a complete fix, and because he was healthy, happy, and had his pre-op shots. Sadly, when they opened him up, they couldn’t find an external shunt”

    The 90% probability presumably refers to an external liver shunt being fixed. But what was the probability of the CT scan having got the diagnosis wrong?

    What did go wrong? Or is it wrong to raise questions like this?

    1. No, it is right to raise those questions. On the contrary, t would be wrong not to ask them.
      M&M (morbidity and mortality) analyses are a powerful instrument to learn from our mistakes, and prevent similar ones in future.
      I’m sorry, close to shocked, about Frank, since we all thought he was ‘saved’. If we learn from the mistakes made, we can say (I know it is a cliché, but still) he didn’t die in vain.

    3. No it is right to ask such questions. I have wondered the same myself. I haven’t seen the CT scan or the interpretation that was given by an expert but Celia Hammond Animal Trust, who agreed to do the surgery for a fee much less than a private vet, had told me the interpretation of the scan was that the shunt was external.

      There is a sad irony in the fact that, had we not gone ahead with this surgery, Frank would still be with us and having good quality of life, as the effects of the shunt, i.e. toxins in the system, were controlled with antibiotics and lactulose. The concern was, how long could this continue.

      1. I really hope we can get to the bottom of what went wrong. ie. who carried out the interpretation of the CT scan, and why the shunt couldn’t be found during the surgery. Although, even if the operation had been a success ie. if the shunt had been located & ligated, it seems that Frank’s tiny body was not able to cope with the anaesthetic in any event, so perhaps he wouldn’t have survived it either way; it’s difficult to know. He was facing some very difficult times ahead, whether we had opted for the surgery or not. Research indicates that if left on medication, his health would have deteriorated and therefore possibly endured suffering. Patients diagnosed with a liver shunt and treated with medication only, don’t live for long, as their symptoms slowly worsen over time. So at least we gave him a chance – and he died peacefully, without pain or suffering. All of that said, what happened is an absolute tragedy, and I miss him sorely. He was the sweetest little guy, and he’s touched the lives of so many people. I was so glad to be a part of his journey, and he’s certainly stolen a piece of my heart. Thanks to everyone for all their kind words, and thanks to Jerry, Barbara, and Celia, for everything x

  25. Glad that the balance of the contributions will be of help to other cats sad that Frank died At least we gave him a chance.

  26. Oh my how sad. I am a kitty person and my babies are very special to myself and my husband Mike. My heart goes out to the owners and the lady taking care of Frank

  30. It’s amazing how sad I am about this. I felt so invested (I literally invested in the monetary sense as well). My condolences to Frank’s servants, foster mom, and caretakers at the charity.

    We tried, and that’s the best we can do. Goodbye, Frank.

  31. I am sad to hear this.

    I am glad that Frank was surrounded by love. That’s something to smile about, in all this, I think.

  32. Like so many, the tears started pouring down my cheeks as I read the news, and haven’t stopped. It’s so desperately sad, especially for the people who were looking forward to him being a part of their lives for years to come.

    One of life’s big questions: why do bad things happen to good cats.

    1. Me too, Heather. I found about it from FFL (that’s the rescue where we got our cats) Friday night and have been in bits since. Poor Frank 😿

  35. If only that tale about nine lives were true! I’ve donated in his memory. Typing through tears.

  36. Very, very sad, but the effort was valuable and worthy, and I take inspiration from that. I consider cats almost sacred animals and try to help them whenever I can. Too many cats live bad lives in this world. Let’s hope for the day they can all live long, happy lives.

    1. I too hope and long for the day when cats – and all animals and good humans – may live long, happy and healthy lives.

      Just one correction to your comment. Cats are not ‘almost sacred’ animals. They ARE sacred animals.

  38. He was just a little scrap of life, really…hardly made a ripple. But he had a profound effect on many of the people who knew him. His was a sweet and humble message: life is precious. Thanks for the reminder, Frank.

  39. I’m so sorry to hear that the sweet little kitten died. At least it was painless, and the money raised in his name will go to help other kittens.

  41. Terribly sad. But we had to try. I would be sadder if we didn’t try and Frank died. It still was money well spent despite the sad outcome. The awful truth is that the universe does not care what we want.

  42. Oh no! So much death around here lately!

    Poor itteh bitteh kitteh Frank. At least he had people who loved him. Many kittehs don’t even have that. They die alone and unmourned on the streets.

    My condolences to all Frank’s loved ones.

  44. The world seems a bit of a sad place in any case at the moment, with its better angels apparently working to rule. But somehow an even sadder place with the loss of one little scrap of life. οἴμοι οἴμοι.

  46. I am so very sorry to hear of your loss. Frank was a loving kitten a beautiful face

  47. I am so sorry. Sorry for Frank, for everyone who knew and loved him. I have lost animals unexpectedly in surgery before, and it is devastating, especially when their prognosis was good. But I think now that I am grateful that Frank had so much love and devotion in his short life, while so many cats and other animals don’t have that, no one that tries for them. Sometimes the only thing that can make me happy are the people who do try, who feel compelled to fix the damage other people (or just happenstance) cause.

  51. Im soooo sorry..ill ask his spirit to rest…i didnt kno him but i live him..ill have much love for him furr-ever!!! , julie case..johnstown.new york

  52. Test in peace, sweet, beautiful boy. It’s very obvious how much you are still loved and I am sure, missed. 😪😿

  54. So sorry. Thank you for all you did..u r an Angel. The world needs more people like you.

  55. Deep sympathy to Frank’s pet parents . The Loss of a pet is truly heartbreaking. May you find joy in his/your memories and peace in knowing he isn’t suffering 😢tears and love from cat lovers everywhere. 🇨🇦

  56. Good bye baby Frank. I am so sorry you didn’t get better. You are now in Heaven. Peace be with you. You are in GOD’S hands. HE called you home. Such a BEAUTIFUL and sweet soul!

  57. So sorry for the loss of Frank! Thankfully he had a great foster mum to care for him! Many blessings to you and yours! R.I.P. Frank the Kitten! You were loved!

  59. RIP Frank💔 I’m so sorry you left this world too soon….may you run free and far thru green fields and open pastures! We LOVE you buddy😻💔❤😻

  60. So sorry for your lost . Such a beautiful picture of you both. Handsome little guy. Heartbroken for you all 💔😢.

  62. Don’t cry for him because he is right next to you ( in spirit) & just like humans animals ( our babies) DO reincarnate. So, one day Frank will come back to you. So, smile & look for Frank. He’ll be back 😁😊😆😀😃😄🙂☺️…….

  65. Frank looks so cute and when I read this article it made me up in tears. Frank was a very nice and cute kitten that diserved another chance to live Frank was well respected. R.I.P Frank the kitten😿😺🐈🌹🌹🌹💒🏥🏩

  66. What a beautiful feline and handsome boy. I am sorry for your loss and i know he will be missed greatly. RIP Frank

  67. I’m sorry for your loss, losing such a precious life is not easy. Please take comfort in knowing Frank experienced the greatest gift of all…love.

  69. I am so sorry to hear of Frank’s passing. I rescue cats and have had many and still have many. They are all precious. And any one, mine or someone else’s who passes breaks my heart…RIP SWEET BABY KITTY. You will not be forgotten…♥️♥️

  70. rip little fella. u cud melt anyones heart looking at these. so sorry you have gone. u will b missed by all who cared for you. ur with the angels now and u were too.

  72. How very sad. I am so sorry, but Frank was obviously loved for the duration of his short life. Thank you for being such lovely people.

  75. RIP FRANK, NEVER GOT TO MEET YOU, BUT I HOPE TO ON THE OTHER SIDE ❤❤❤

  77. I just got the news.
    I am so sad.
    I love cats and I loved the thought of this guy.
    I assumed he would be fine, but we know what they about ‘assume’.

    I really hope everything involved in the diagnosis and procedure were properly done, but if not perhaps this worldwide attention will promote extra care.

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