Life is fragile and precious, and everything can change in an instant. Earlier this week, the pet community was reminded of this when it suffered a devastating loss: Lorie Huston, DVM, passed away suddenly after becoming critically ill.
Lorie was one of the most accomplished women I have had the pleasure of knowing. A dedicated veterinarian, this certified veterinary journalist not only practiced full time, she also wrote for multiple publications, including her own Pet Health Care Gazette. Most recently, Lorie served as the president of the Cat Writers Association. Even though Lorie cared for and wrote about all animals, she had a soft spot for cats. She shared her life with six of them.
Lorie was an occasional guest contributor to The Conscious Cat, writing about topics ranging from litter box preferences to emergency preparedness for cats.
But I knew Lorie as more than just an accomplished veterinarian, writer and pet industry professional. Lorie was one of the kindest and most generous people I’ve ever met. She was always happy to provide advice, whether it was answering questions about social media, blogging and marketing, or helping out with quotes for articles I wrote. I was honored when Lorie provided a wonderful endorsement for my book Adventures in Veterinary Medicine.
I will treasure my memories of spending time with Lorie at various conferences. I will never forget her smile and her open and warm personality. But most of all, I will remember her kindness and generosity. Lorie was a shining star in the pet community.
Sudden loss like this leaves you reeling. It makes you re-evaluate everything. Our friend Dorian Wagner of Your Daily Cute posted this on Lorie’s Facebook page, and it captures perfectly what has been going through my mind as I’m trying to process this loss: “Whatever you want to do with your life, do it. Don’t wait till later. Whatever you want to say, say it. Take chances. Do things that don’t necessarily make sense. Get as much life as you can out of every single minute. Love, live, feel, play, rest, all of it.”
I didn’t know Lorie all that well, but to me, it seemed like that’s exactly how she lived her life. Rest easy, Lorie. You will never be forgotten.
