A Cherished Spirit, Remembered by Shannon

This is Leo (Leonardo, named after a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle-even though. "He" turned out to be a "She" when she started laying eggs. Leo's picture was taken just a week before she died from ovarian cancer. The angle it was taken from hides how many feathers she had lost (on her chest, around her neck & around her bottom) and shows her off well. Leo was a sassy girl. My husband & I had took out pictures of her from before she got sick and were sad to see how many feathers she had really lost. You don't realize how much your bird has  declined when you see them every day.

My husband & I adopted Leo  and her cockatiel cage mate George two years ago. They came to us after their owners (two young boys) got a puppy & paid less attention to them. These two were so much fun & much loved. We lost Leo just two weeks ago to cancer, but were glad to have given her a good home while we could. We brought her to the vet in January & found out she had an ovarian tumor. She was a tough little girl, though. She had good days & bad (many more good than bad). We had her on antibiotics three times over the next seven months to help her stay comfortable when she wasn't feeling well. We simply called & got a refill on the antibiotics when she looked less peppy, fluffed out her feathers & hid under her dish. Getting her to take the medicine was a challenge (via eye dropper). If I didn't hold her until she  swallowed, the smart girl would hold it in her mouth, fly off & then spit it out.

We miss her so much. She was very sociable, very chatty, and cruised the house to hang out on her favorite perches such as my shoulder, our wedding photo (which is where she is in this photo), the doorbell chime box, and my glass candle sconce (unlit of course!). George misses her terribly, too. He called out for her for several days & would search the cage for her. They were buddies & had even tried to mate (which is where the eggs came in). The last time she was sick, George took to preening her head (which he had never done before) & comforting her. Leo passed on while I was holding & petting her-- I think she hung on until I got home from work to say good-bye. We won't forget our little girl with the big personality-she's in our thoughts every day.





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