My cat's life ended today

[Pilgrim]

Pets tug at your heart strings.  We had an ornery cat that snubbed everyone for the first 10+ years we had her; she only started coming around long enough to pet her in the last couple of years.  I liked her the least of anyone in the family, but when time came to put her down after a long decline, guess who got stuck helping the vet with the injection?  Wife and daughter hid in the next room and left it up to me.  I was surprised that I got misty for that perverse animal who seldom had a minute for me.  But if you care at all, you just have to have empathy for these small animals whose lives we control.  The least I owed her was kindness, a friendly hand and all the comfort I could offer her on that last trip.

[chromium]

Sorry for your loss, Harry.  I'm sure shes on a new adventure now somewhere in the cosmos.  Remember her fondly and know that you helped to make her time here enjoyable.

[hieronymous]

Thanks for all the kind comments everyone. I'm fine, though my wife is still having a rough time. She actually probably spent more time with Sadie than I did - they've been together almost every day since she moved here from Japan. But we don't want to get another cat right away - we'll have to get used to not having a furball around.

Here's a picture of the last time she sat on my lap Thursday morning:



My buddy Greg who plays drums on my music had texted me while I was sitting there with her, so I snapped a picture to send to him. I'm glad I did, she started going downhill that night.

I figure now she's clawing that big scratching post in the sky!

[rahock]

About six years ago I lost my kitty of about seventeen years and I decided I wasn't going to bring another cat into the house right away. The first day after her passing, I came down stairs first thing in the morning and there was no little pal to greet me and I broke down in tears. The second day , the same thing happened , only worse. The third day I brought home a new kitty and a month later we picked up another. Yeah, I'm a real tough guy
Rick

[Highlander]

Any loss is a loss and I offer my respects...

Our friends had to pts their old lady a couple a short whlie back - she was 19 - she had been blind for a while but still loved to lie in the sun and loved the companionship

We have no "direct" resident critters but have had many in the garden we have known... "they-come-and-they-go..." is how I put it... our present most regular is a vixen we helped nurse back from a bad case of mange... she now sits and waits by a bowl we keep in the garden... she has come into the house a few times but she lives where she lives... she's not the first we've looked after...

When it comes to the time to find a new companion do visit the shelters and find somone who needs help...

[rahock]

Yep, visit the shelters and rescue groups. My wife and I have become part of a rescue group. That's hpw I wound up with a Siamese momma and six beautiful kittens. They were about 2 hours from getting gassed. For all the money in the world I could not have let that happen to such beautiful, healthy animals.
Rick

[uwe]

She'll have the eternal hunting grounds with 10,000 virgin mice waiting for her.

[Chaser001]

It really is great she got to spend in her final years in such a happy home.  I'm sure she appreciated it. 

[gweimer]

Beautiful cat.  It's hard to put down a pet, but you know that you have to end their suffering.  We lost a cat after only 6 weeks to a rare heart disorder.  Since then, we have adopted 2 cats from our vet.  The newest, Sam Giancana, was only about 3 weeks old, and was nearly dead when he was found and brought to the vet.  We adopted him the minute we saw him.

[jumbodbassman]

Very sorry for your loss.  I still remember the day i put down my first pet after 16 years.  We waited about 4 months to deal with that loss before replacing her. That was 9 years ago last month....   Now we just added dog number 3.

[hieronymous]

Thank you again everyone - it's gotten a little bit easier for my wife and I've been able to grieve a little bit more. And thank you Rick for your story of only being able to hold out for a couple of days - I've already been searching for new cats! My wife isn't sure she's ready, but I'm thinking after Thanksgiving.

Kenny made a good point too - we will definitely go for shelter cats. I'm thinking I want two, preferably siblings, so that they can keep each other company if we go on vacation. And my wife wants 1) older, and 2) bigger. I found a couple of Maine Coon cats who are brothers, around 10 years old. We may go visit next week...

[Darrol]

Sorry for your loss. It is always hard losing a pet and I especially know after the past few months. Having grown up owning 2 dogs and then adding a cat to the mix, I have had to go through a few animals. Just this past summer, I had my two dogs both die. One was acting rather strange as he was sleeping instead of barking for my mom to get home which he did on a nightly basis. Got him up to go out before feeding him and he literally just fell over dead at 12 years of age. Granted he was a pure beagle that weighed in at 60+lbs. After that, the second dog that was 15 just went down hill. She had already become picky about eating but she pretty much stopped. Lasted another 2 months till Labor day weekend when her body started to fail. Planned to have her put to sleep the day after Labor day but she didn't make it till 1 a.m. From what I could tell, she started having seizures which was extremely hard to see her suffer through.


I still do have my 9 year old cat that actually looks a lot like Sadie. She can be a pain which is why she is named Mischief but it is nice to still have her around. She is getting better now that I am feeding her a bit better. Heard that dry cat food wasn't good for her so I have been trying to figure out how much is enough combining a pack of wet food with some dry food to keep her a correct weight. And she does seem to enjoy being the only pet now seeing as she can claim my mother's bed as her pace to sleep.

[Dave W]

Your pets are part of your immediate family, and when they go, the grief is often more intense than losing a human relative who's not part of your everyday life. As one of my sisters says, the sh*tty thing about dogs and cats is that they don't live as long as we do.

I have a senior dog, and every day with her is a blessing.

[nofi]

you nailed it ,dave. sometimes pets mean more than family you see all the time. i have a one and a half year old  rescue golden retreiver. he is currently racing around the house with a piece of sofa cussion in his mouth, god love 'em. inspite of late term puppy antics chester is the sweetest, most loving pet i have ever had. the golden people rescued him fro a puppy mill in indiana. he was starved and all his hair had fallen out as a result. he also had a crush wound on right front leg that required surgery. he was basically abandoned and left to die. you could not tell what a horrible beginning he had by the way he is now. fully recovered, all his hair is back thick and shiny. the leg is 100% and everyone he meets is his new best friend.
"he's just a love machine"... sorry for the ramblings.

[Denis]

Thank you again everyone - it's gotten a little bit easier for my wife and I've been able to grieve a little bit more. And thank you Rick for your story of only being able to hold out for a couple of days - I've already been searching for new cats! My wife isn't sure she's ready, but I'm thinking after Thanksgiving.

Kenny made a good point too - we will definitely go for shelter cats. I'm thinking I want two, preferably siblings, so that they can keep each other company if we go on vacation. And my wife wants 1) older, and 2) bigger. I found a couple of Maine Coon cats who are brothers, around 10 years old. We may go visit next week...

Glad things have gotten a little easier for you both. I agree about shelter cats. All four of mine were found on the road as kittens and they were all just so happy to have found a nice warm home with plenty of food (read that TOO much!).
One of mine was 20 pounds at his biggest. Big cats are awesome and Maine Coons are great! Check those two brothers out!