A Tribute to Soup: A Brave and Beloved Cat

8/22/25: Our hearts hurt but our memories are held close as we mourn the loss of a brave courageous cat named Soup.

I remember like yesterday, it was a rainy night in 2013 when I received a call from a woman at the Animal Urgent Care regarding a homeless cat found outside with his head stuck in a soup can. She put his terrified body in her minivan and rushed him in.

When she arrived, I went outside jumped in the van to secure him and transport him inside to the hospital where we used sedation to cut the can off of his head. We quickly discovered more injuries on his body consisting of pelvic fractures, punctures, and a broken femur suggesting he was attacked while he couldn’t defend himself.

That night, he was surrendered to me for care. After several months of recovery and 1 yr as a foster in my home, an angel named Mary Beth Victor and her family came to his rescue, opening up their hearts and home to give him what became the best 12 years of his life.

During his adventurous history, Soup managed to escape one time and it took 141 days to reunite him with his family. They slept outside, turned the city inside out putting up signs, using social media and rewards, searching high and low, captured multiple cats in the process, endless tears, weeks of sleepless nights, but they NEVER gave up looking for him. Thankfully he had a microchip which ultimately identified him.

On Monday August 18th 2025, Soup was brought into the hospital because he wasn’t himself. Several tests revealed Diabetic Ketoacidosis and kidney failure. He was very sick and in order to alleviate his suffering the painful aching decision was made to humanely euthanize and give him peace.

Soup was a “lover boy”. He loved his family and they adored him. The joy and companionship he brought was indescribable. As his family moves forward with each passing day the emptiness and the sadness weighs heavy on their hearts. They reflect on the memories, those whispers in his ear telling him “you were the best boy – the goodest of good”, sleeping and snuggling beside Marybeth, sitting on her lap, greeting everyone that came over, and every day thanking God for bringing him back home after his journey.

These are only a few of the memories that they hold tight.

Soup was strong, he was brave, he was loyal, he was happy, and he was special.

“I’m glad that I was there to hold him one last time, give him one last kiss, be there for his family, and comfort him during his final moments.” -Gina

Deeply missed. Never forgotten and always loved. Soup is a testament of what our mission is about. He was given a second chance and the impact that he had, the mark that he left, it is unmeasurable.