Losing A Pet From Heat Stroke: My Story

Today I have a painful personal story to tell, but I am sharing it in hopes that it will help save animals' lives.


Last July, a tragic accident ended the life of our dear cat Quan Yin.  She had her own room in our house because as a former feral, that was how she felt safe.  On a day of very high temperatures, we didn't want her to get too hot, even though the air conditioner unit was a room away.  We positioned fans drawing cool air into her room, provided a giant water bowl with added ice cubes, and I checked on her frequently to make sure she was comfortable.  If it grew too hot in her room, we planned to move her to the main air conditioned room, even though she might be stressed leaving her regular space.

All day I checked on her and everything seemed fine.  In the early evening, my partner called me as asked if I wanted to go out for dinner.  I said yes, but we couldn't stay out for very long, because we had to keep an eye on our animals.  We were out less than an hour.

In Memoriam: Quan Yin McLendon-Kunz, 2000-2011

Quan Yin was our little mystery kitty. When we took her in in 2001, the shelter told us only that she was spayed, possibly 9 or 10 months old and very shy. It was later admitted she was probably feral, but all we saw was a beautiful young cat with a scared but sweet air about her that no one else would adopt. Not long afterward, we realized from her constant hiding and lack of proper socialization that she had spent her life from a very young age on the street or in a cage.She hardly knew how to be a cat, misunderstanding our other cats' body language, and not sure how to properly groom herself, much less consistently use a litter box. A fellow animal communicator suggested we call her something kind and reassuring, and she became Quan Yin, the bodhisattva associated with compassion.