Azalea "Purty Gurt" Thibodeau

Oct 2011- Feb 2026

Azalea was a beautiful cat who was found in Azalea Park in Summerville. She was pregnant and eating scraps of waste and occasional kitten food left by kind strangers. We, at our group Caretakers Cupboard, intervened and set a trap for her so that we could give her a much-needed better home. We found out later she was FIV positive ( feline aids,) but what most people don't realize is that cats with this diagnosis can still live a long healthy life, and that is exactly what she did, Azalea went on though deliver a batch of tiny beautiful kittens and all went up for adoption. Azalea stayed on with us in our cat sanctuary. She lived for 15 years. Azalea always loved to be outside even when cold I would have to trick her with tempting treats to come inside. I nick-named her Purt Gurt, and it stuck so every night I would be out calling, " come on Purty Gurt " and she would come out from hiding, she was kind of an elusive gal. I would have to place temptations on the ground and try to scoop her up quickly. This sounds like a quick thing but sometime it took many many tries in very cold winds and weather for me to be patient and quick enough to grab her because she treated this like a game. Great fun for her, not so much for me! On warm sunny days you could always find Azalea curled up under the bushes by the fence or under the hedges in the front yard, a perfect mixture of sun and shade and a warm place to lay to while away an afternoon. Many cats have called this sanctuary home, some have gone before Azalea to name a few, Ronni, Penny, Hannah, Chaos, Lucky , and Onyx and hopefully they will be waiting for her to welcome on the Rainbow Bridge, but missing her will be her cat friends she left behind, especially her companion Mookie who kept each other company outside. We humans will miss Azalea to, her charming personality, her sweet biscuit making while your holding her over your shoulder, so affectionate and loving was her demeanor. She will be remembered forever in our hearts. We LOVE YOU PURT....