Farewell Serene

I know we have been quiet here lately. We have been dealing with the declining health of a much loved, four-footed shop member. Our kitty, Serene, who appears in pictures of pretty much every project we have worked on inside the house (she was not allowed in the shop, much to her disappointment) has been losing weight over the past couple of months. Slowly at first, and then suddenly and dramatically. Several visits to various vets and specialists, many tests and many, many dollars later, led to a diagnosis of Lymphoma (intestinal cancer). This is often treatable in cats (with kitty chemo) if they are still healthy enough to handle the treatment. Serene had already gone from her previous 13 pounds, to just 6 pounds (she lost 2 pounds in the past week alone) so she was a high risk. After more vet/specialist visits, attempted treatments with medicine and even dental procedures, Serene was no longer able to eat or drink. The cancer had very quickly spread to her brain. A week after being diagnosed, we had to make the very tough decision to let our sweet little fur baby go.
Serene was a very active member of our cosplay family. If I was sewing, she sat on my sewing box, supervising. If there was seam ripping to do, she would help pull the extra threads off the table, you know, so they’d be out of the way. She loved to help me lay out patterns, cat weights being the best way to smooth out the wrinkles. Her method of spreading fabric across the table was unparalleled in its furry efficiency. Need help getting a hem straight? Serene was there (underneath the hem) to point out the crooked edges. She enjoyed helping me mix colors when it was time to paint (who needs brushes when you have kitty paws?) and loved to sit inside the paint tote to keep the paint warm. When projects were done, and it was photo shoot time, she was the first one ready for her close up, always looking directly in to the camera, with her happy little face.
She will be missed by the Cosplay4UsAll family. We hope, wherever she is now, or in her next life, she has piles of foam and endless spools of thread to keep her busy and happy.