Posted on 07/29/2012 3:04:52 PM PDT by POWERSBOOTHEFAN
I’m so sorry for your loss. We’ve had to do the same many times and know what you’re going through. It’s one of the toughest things you’ll ever do, but you can’t watch them suffer until the illness takes them.
I have a 14-year-old female cat that I’ve been nursing through a UTI for the past week. It makes them very ill and is especially hard on the males.
The best advice I can offer is to allow yourself time to grieve your loss. It will become easier in time.
I've had shelter pets my whole life, and I've done a lot of good deeds for stray dogs and cats.
But when I lost a special cat I sought out a breeder. I had always wanted a "fancy cat" and that was the right time to go for it. I did research on temperament and general health, and I bought two ragdoll kittens, siblings. I was ready for a strictly indoor cat (they live longer and are healthier) and I wanted a quiet, affectionate personality.
When I arrived, I found two brothers who seemed to be a pair. They were expensive, and worth every nickle.
I've paid very close attention to their health. I groom them often and pay attention to their teeth.
Cats are very different from dogs. They do not smell food like dogs do, cannot digest vegetables (much shorter colon), and do not always drink water when they are thirsty. Few cats drink enough water, which leads to many urinary tract problems.
Once a day my cats get a spoonful of "Fancy Feast" and I fill that small dish with water. This makes them drink a lot of water, because it's really a gravy around the Fancy Feast that they love. The rest of the time, I feed a high-quality dry cat with lots of animal protein and some easily digestible grain like rice or barley--not corn or wheat.
Not that a shelter kitty isn't perfectly nice, but there's a place for pure breds, too.
Sorry for your loss. I’ve had many cats over the years... now down to my last two from a cat family that has been around my house for about 35 years (and when they pass, that will be the last of them, something I’m dreading, since I was a little kid when they first showed up).
I had to have my 17 yo female himalayan put to sleep over 3 yrs ago and it all but destroyed me. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that I did the right thing at the right time. It hurts and I know what you are going through. Give it time. That is all that will help at this point. Do all the crying you need to do, don’t hold it in. I cried for days.
I waited three years and now I have Miss Hannah. She has not replaced T.J.Maxx, she is a cat in her own right and she owns me. :)
But to answer your question. I don't know if you are "web capable" or not, but you can make your own web page if you are, and if you are not, there are some great online "pet memorial" web pages, where you just fill in the blanks and "they' make the web page for you. I went through all our albums and digital pics and collected all the best pictures, then laid out Muffy's whole story, trying to remember all the wonderful times with her. Just searching for the photos and writing the story kept me "occupied" and helped. Unfortunately, as we begin to heal, it is because we begin to forget. I'm not going to let any of those special moments get away from me. So I documented them and may add to them when I think of more. Probably no one will ever see the page, (and I'm not soliciting for hits, I'd rather keep it private). But if you need an example it is here:
http://www.return.mistymoorings.com/muffy%20memorial/index.php
Go on a hunt for all those pictures, then try writing out the story, it really does help (a little).
I agree; replace him right away. Our Jackson Catson was on the garage door when it was open. the door was closed and we didn’t realize he was up there. It was a sad scene and we felt so guilty for not realizing that. It took just 17 hours to go to Pet Smart on their week end offereings and find a very nice 10 week old kitten who had been neutered; we paid them a contribution to their foster care program. And Voila-we have a darling cat and still mourn Jackson but it’s so much easier to enjoy and be the home for a kitten who might have been put down had we not adopted him.
I agree; replace him right away. Our Jackson Catson was on the garage door when it was open. the door was closed and we didn’t realize he was up there. It was a sad scene and we felt so guilty for not realizing that. It took just 17 hours to go to Pet Smart on their week end offereings and find a very nice 10 week old kitten who had been neutered; we paid them a contribution to their foster care program. And Voila-we have a darling cat and still mourn Jackson but it’s so much easier to enjoy and be the home for a kitten who might have been put down had we not adopted him.
Mocha was my oldest cat...she had 3 legs and lived to be 25. Missie was a Tonk and she was 18 when she died of cancer in the neck.
Taco was my long haired orange tabby and he was 20 and one week when he went to the Rainbow Bridge of old age..
My kitties are all indoors due to the nature of the area and dangers to them where we live..coyotes, skunks and so on...They can live a long long time....
Mocha was my oldest cat...she had 3 legs and lived to be 25. Missie was a Tonk and she was 18 when she died of cancer in the neck.
Taco was my long haired orange tabby and he was 20 and one week when he went to the Rainbow Bridge of old age..
My kitties are all indoors due to the nature of the area and dangers to them where we live..coyotes, skunks and so on...They can live a long long time....
I am so sorry for the losses you have endured this past month..I lost my mom to Alz too and am losing my sweet hubby to the same damned disease..he is about stage 5 maybe 5+ on the Fisher Scale..
Arms Around...
We had a little Tabby that was a Manx we called Bunny because she hopped...
She would run straight up trees...
She was a wonder...
She had a litter of the tiniest kittens I had ever seen...
Every Pet owner will face this dilemma. There is a reason that we outlive our Pets. It is because we are entrusted with their lives, which makes us not only Pet Owners but Pet Caretakers.
We have to make the rational tough decisions, even though it means we have to endure the emotional impact of those decisions.
Only when you accept and understand that you made the only decision possible, which you did, you can then grieve for the loss of their companionship but celebrate the loving memories and joy they gave you.
When we had to put our Dog to sleep five years ago, we swore off getting another one. That decision worked for about a year or so, but we decided that having another Dog running around the place is something that made our lives a little richer, even though I spend a inordinate amount of time picking up fur balls and being the Dog's personal Door Man and Pooper Scooper.
She was a Shelter Dog, as our first one was, so we know we are giving her the life she would have never had without us volunteering to take care of her.
I would recommend filling the void you are experiencing with another Cat when you are ready to move forward. You don't stare at a blank wall where a beautiful picture once hung saying what if, you replace it with another picture, something familiar yet different.
Whenever we face an unpleasant experience, we can either dwell on it or move on and live the Life we were Blessed with. I'm sure there is another Kitten waiting for you.
Sympathies and best wishes for a brighter future.
Thanks for the information.
Sorry for your loss; I, too, lost my kitty (Stuffy) a little over a month ago. She was about 11, but I still hated to lose her. Was just sick for a few days. - We acquired another kitten, (Zipitty-do-dah “Zippy” for short) about a week later. Not sure it was a wise move; but she’s a firecracker, goes from zero to sixty mph in a second.
Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. :) -Dr. Seuss
I’m sorry for your loss...
I’m so sorry. Take your time and grieve, because you’re going to miss your baby; his loss left a hole in your heart. But take comfort in the fact that he was happy and loved, and had a good life, even though it was too short. Then, when you decide it’s time for a new kitten, go to the shelter and let one pick you out. ;)
I had to bury my son a few years back. Get another cat.
Oh, poor kitty.
It’s hard to get over these things. The pain eases but it’ll always be there. Just today I called one of the current crop of fur babies by my best friend’s name. It’s been 6 years since I had to put her down. For some reason, the screen is getting blurry.
We lost our kitty Savanah just after Memorial Day. It was stupidity on my fault. We are still not over it! Some just won’t understand but pets become part of the family especially during difficult times.
A few years ago when we moved we thought we could keep her but too late we found out pets were not allowed in our apartment complex. Never really gave it a thought because we knew others in the same complex who did have pets. When we sold our house it wasn’t really on our minds.
Eventually we smuggled her into our new home in the middle of the night then kept her “hidden” until we were comfortable.
In the meantime she took very well to the new home, was the happiest we’d ever seen her. She loved looking out the sliding glass doors and watching the birds. She took control waking me up when it was time to go to work and being the only one to greet me when I got home.
If we deviated from the norm she would get upset.
She would snuggle with us at night and sit in our laps during the day...sometimes to the point of irritation, lol!
She was so happy and so were we!
Then she got a urinary tract infection. I didn’t realize it because she was a totally indoor cat and she was always so happy and full of life.
She started to have problems going in her litterbox. A couple of days later I came home at 7AM and found her in distress by the patio doors.
Of course our car was having problems and I had planned on fixing that the same day.
Held off on Savanah because she seemed to perk up and was back to her normal happy self. I made an appointment with the vet for the following day even though it was coming up on Memorial Day and they said they might have problems.
They did and so did Savanah.
He told us that she had developed a severe infection as well as bladder stones. He would try to do a catheterization but we would have to have her over the weekend.
I foolishly thought that would be fine.
It wasn’t.
When we picked her up she was in bad shape, I won’t detail. The catheterization was succesdful but the infection was obviously out of control.
The vet recommended we take her to the emergency room at a hospital miles away and we did.
That ride was one of the precious moments we remember!
It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny with spring birds in the air. On the way I stroked her head and she looked at me with so much love and trust. Everything would be OK.
When I carried her into the hospital her eyes were wide in wonderment seein the deep blue sky, the birds and smelling the fertile, spring country air.
She gazed at Mrs p6 and I and nodded...we all knew the outcome. But she was happy.
They couldn’t save her.
It would have cost thousands of dollars on top of tne hundreds already spent (that did’t matter!) and the only guarantee was that she would never be the same. She would not be able to get around be herself, needed weekly visits for dialyisis and would need medication for pain.
We cried and I am crying now.
We said goodbye.
I couldn’t get in the car and had to walk the grounds looking at the last blue sky she saw.
That’s all...I can’t write the rest and there is aa lot more about her connection to a part of our lives that had passed. I’ve ranted too much already.
The only advice I have is to say to keep a warm spot in your heart. Remember the good times. The pain never goes but realize and treasure what you have now. Take your pets to a vet annually!
Sorry for the typos and rambling...there is a lit of dust in the room..
Miss you Savanah...7 years old...too young.
Poor kitty and you! The best medicine is to get a little kitten. There are sooooo many pets that need a good home! Prayers sent!
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