Corny and trite? Probably.
Comforting? It is for me, and I hope it is for you.
Posted on 08/22/2010 11:56:35 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007
Ratue was already very thin due to her terminal illness; a disease in the blood, most likely from a parasite. She no longer had the energy to eat food, much less properly digest it, so the body had to survive the only way it could: by devouring her own fat and muscle tissue.
Organ failure began to set in around 5:50 in the afternoon on Sunday, August the 23rd, 2010. When I heard my stepmother wailing over Ratue's deteriorating condition, I bore witness to what would be the cat's final hour.
She was disoriented and confused. Whenever she tried to walk, she would stumble and wobble. Coordination decreased as she began to lose control over her motor functions. As we tended to her, Dad showed a calm and practiced hand; the hand of experience, of one who had owned pets before, of one who had seen a pet die (I can only assume; Dad had had pets as a child, but I do not know if he ever witnessed one pass away). As the time passed and her movements slowed, Ratue wailed and meowed increasingly loudly.
'Why?'
'Help.'
Pain.
According to my father, the failure of her body systems had reached a point to where she could no longer see. Ratue was a cat; an animal, who had no idea as to why everything was hurting, why her vision had gone dark, why breathing was so painful. It was...gut-wrenching to witness, in all honesty. My stepmother can certainly attest.
As the minutes ticked by, she stopped trying to move. Her movements slowed. Even as we gently tended to her, her meows decreased in frequency. Her breathing slowed, and her body began to still. After several spasms, we saw nothing more.
By 6:32, Ratue was dead.
Dad wrapped her body in a towel and carefully enclosed it into a trash bag. We dug a hole over two feet deep in the woods right at the border of the front yard. The soil near our home is rough, laden with rock and clay. After burying here, we compacted the soil with water, and marked her grave with a cross of bricks. I said a prayer, thanking the Lord for the gift that Ratue was, praying that my memories of her would be cherished and remembered for the good times they were, praying that she rest in peace.
Whilst digging her grave, I made a passing comment about how we could definitely use a pickax for dealing with this dirt (for it had made various projects about the house a definite chore in the past).
Dad, with the wisdom of experience, said, "Death shouldn't be easy."
It isn't. Ratue lived a good life; she had love and food and shelter. She loved us back (in her own way). Our remaining animals - a Golden Retriever and a Ragdoll cat - seemed to instinctively know that something was wrong. Ratue has been a part of our lives for nearly a decade; caring for a small animal, so much weaker than us, helped shape us into who we are. For that, I am grateful.
Ultimately, witnessing her death was painful. It was excruciating and soul-rending. As it should be; if I didn't react to her death, then I did not react to the loss of her life. Ergo, the life could not have meant much to me. That I react with such emotion to her passing means that her life did have meaning.
It is something we should remember.
Death isn't easy.
Looking for a new one to love fairly quickly always seems to help those I have known with cats that have lost one.
So sorry for your loss. I know how it feels. We just lost our Big Baby of over 20 years a couple months ago. He was a fabulous cat and companion. They truly are a part of the family. I always hope we will see them later on in the after life.
I’m so sorry, been there more often than I’d like. She was lucky to be so loved and I’m sure she had a wonderful life with her family.
We got her when she was a kitten, so she was around 10 years old.
[Like meteors we all burn out.
Leaving memories with the living.]
And we never forget them.
My screen name is the name of my earlier little dog.
Ultra Sonic, we all know the pain you feel. Words do little to ease it but I hope our thoughts give you some comfort.
Corny and trite? Probably.
Comforting? It is for me, and I hope it is for you.
Next time, euthanize a pet instead of letting it die in pain.
Ratue is with Starclan and guides the mortal cats through their walks in life.
My kids are avid readers of Warriors a series of popular books about the various clans of cats, the leaders, the healers, the magical ones.
I know your grief, for years I would lose one or two a year to neighbors loose running pit bulls.
The pit bulls are gone now...and so are the neighbors. And I have quite a collection of kitties now.
See post 52.
I’m sorry for the death of Ratue. I’m glad you had the opportunity to comfort her, and to provide her with a loving sendoff. Those actions will help you through the grieving process.
Her story is prompting me to recall our cats who have passed on. They are buried around our yard, their little graves marked with white wooden crosses. I think of them every day, my little sweet friends.
I’m sorry for the death of Ratue. I’m glad you had the opportunity to comfort her, and to provide her with a loving sendoff. Those actions will help you through the grieving process.
Her story is prompting me to recall our cats who have passed on. They are buried around our yard, their little graves marked with white wooden crosses. I think of them every day, my little sweet friends.
I’m sorry for the death of Ratue. I’m glad you had the opportunity to comfort her, and to provide her with a loving sendoff. Those actions will help you through the grieving process.
Her story is prompting me to recall our cats who have passed on. They are buried around our yard, their little graves marked with white wooden crosses. I think of them every day, my little sweet friends.
My sincere condolences. I believe we will see our dear pets again. Love to you. I still miss my Kitty Sunday.
So sorry to hear......I lost my friend in January and it still hurts.....They are such great companions.....
OMG you’re right!! I didn’t read the entire thing before I responded....but letting the cat suffer like that was horrific!!
Sadly,
GtG
I am so very sorry.
We lost our beautiful Turkish Angora kitten Star last fall to a car. It was heartbreaking. I felt responsible (still do) for letting her go outside with the older cats.
I hope you receive as much comfort from pet-loving FReepers as I did then. They really, really helped.
If you have a photo of Ratue in her happy days, please post it so we can see her. I am sorry you lost her.
I am so sorry you lost your pup.
When I was little, I had a friend who was always talking about her version of heaven (or what she learned from her church). I was very close with my sweet cat. I asked her if cats went to heaven. She said, “Oh, of course not!” So I responded, “Then I am NOT going!” It would not be heaven without our pets.
Read post 52.
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