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.
Kitty ping.
I am so sorry. We lost our kitty on Easter. It is very sad to lose a beloved pet.
I lost my own cat to cancer six years ago. My deepest sympathies.
Most are sorely missed. You wrote a fitting but sad tribute. Nobody can ever convince me they are simply dumb animals but are instead all God’s creatures. Seeing them suffer tears my heart out.
I’m sorry for your loss.
Oh my, so sorry to hear of your little friend’s passing. I have a much loved old boy, Crooked Tail, who is sinking fast. We love them, and they know it. We comfort them and they appreciate it. Ratue has a soul of life. The body may have stopped working, but that little soul shines brightly still, perhaps even brighter now that the body is no longer holding that little soul back. You will ‘see’ Ratue again, in some where/when of God’s creation. So sorry for your loss, now.
I feel your pain. I lost my older cat a couple of years ago and I still get a twinge of remorse when I think about it occasionally. She was a wonderful cat and I wish she was still with me. Luckily I have another wonderful cat that I love. Yes, love. You get to feel that way with your little critters. So, keep your fond memories of your beloved cat close.
Sorry for your loss. I’ve lost many myself, always sad.
It is always hard losing a pet. Cherish the memories and your friend will remain with you.
May God bless all who will miss her with peace and comfort.
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I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my dog a little over three weeks ago, and I know it isn’t easy. I’m still having a very difficult time. Reflect on the good times, and be thankful that she was able to share part of your earthly journey with you. I take solace in the fact that I believe God’s animals that are gone from earth are with him in paradise, so I believe we’ll see our pets again.
I’m so sorry to hear this. I had a cat pass away unexpectedly from cardiomyopathy - I came home and knew something was wrong because he wasn’t at the door to greet me, and his “brother” was disheveled and acting looney.
I never will forget the shock of finding him in the bedroom. He was lying on the bed and had passed away peacefully during a nap.
That little guy was the greatest cat I’ve ever known, and even though I knew he had a weak heart, you can never, ever truly prepare for the loss.
I still cry every once in a while, even six years later with two great cats in their own right. I rest easy, though, knowing that he was adopted from a rescue shelter and had a great life for those three short years.
May the LORD be with you in your time of loss.
Why did let an animal suffer those last few hours when its passing could have been painless? Sounds like cruelty when there is no hope of recovery or improvement.
Very sorry about your beloved pet. I know how heart wrenching it is.
Ecclesiastes 3:19 (King James Version)
19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
Deep sympathies for your loss. I am sure that God will cherish Ratue-san’s kitty soul.
Sorry for your loss. I know how it feels. We had our 19+ year old feline friend put down a couple of month ago. She just got too old with too many ailments and was effectively starving herself to death. We couldn’t bear to watch her suffer anymore. It was awful and upsetting.
I offer my condolences.
We lost our 19 year old Kat Kitty last year, it is a pain only a pet lover can know.
Our gray female died in a winter not too long ago, in my arms, with one final cry; and I buried her in our grape arbor, with the sky always peeking through.
She was 22.
Our gray female companion to her died as winter came a couple of seasons ago, a final protest in my arms, and we buried her under a very big pine, in a little copse of trees.
After fifteen years of being our friend.
Rocketing through space, with our friends. Like meteors we all burn out.
Leaving memories with the living.
I’m so sorry about your kitty. :^(
I have had pets, cats and dogs mostly, that have passed, and it is never easy and always heart wrenching. I can empathize with your loss. I hope you find comfort in memories of her and knowing that she is no longer hurting.
My Baby Cat jumped up on the chair, next to me, as I read this. Baby Cat is a Tortoise-Shell Kitty.
She was like a little bird that fell out of the nest, when she showed up on my doorstep.
I tried to give her away, to a friend, early on. But she didn’t take to my friend.
She would cower under the bed until I showed up.
It will now be : “Death Until We Part”.
God bless Ratue and you and comfort you both as I know He will.
God bless you and your family UltraSonic. Deeply.
My wife and I lost our cats in 2008 and 2009. It’s NEVER easy. But there is joy in the new little couple of littermates we just got.
My condolences on the loss of your beloved kitty. It is very sad when your pet dies.
“Caring for a small animal, so much weaker than us, helped shape us into who we are.” That’s very sweet. I know the sorrow stings, but, as you write, it’s a sign of the love and the value.
Sorry for your loss.
We morn with those who morn, remembering similar losses.
Peace.
My daughter had a cat who had the same illness. Nothing they tried to do helped. When my daughter returned home one day to find the cat stumbling and apparently blind, we took her to the vet to be euthanized. All very traumatic. Cats are wonderful creatures and companions. My condolences to your family.
Eventually you won’t think about Ratue’s last minutes as much as you will remember the joy he brought to your life.
My cat, Santana, died while I was on vacation. My son had to deal with the rush to the ER and we had to make the heart wrenching decision to euthanize him, because of heart problems that were grave.
I still cry, mostly because I wasn’t there for him when he needed me. I was everything to him. You were there to comfort your pet in the end so be thankful for that.
I am sorry to hear about your kitty....pets bring such comfort in our lives......
You have my deepest sympathy. As my tagline reads, I lost my boy in March after more than 12 years. Nearly 7 of those years caring for his diabetes and feline CRF(chronic renal failure). At the end he knew I was there, just like your Ratue knew you were there. I wish I knew what to say to make it better, but I don’t. Just know you have FRiends here that understand.
sorry for your loss. It is never easy to lose a beloved pet.
Blessings, etabeta
Condolences.
I am sorry about the loss of your fur baby. The pain is powerful as any pet owner will attest. You did your best to give a loving home & the return was devotion “kitty style”.
I hope the wonderful memories will give you peace in time ahead. Right now I am sure you are raw with pain & sorrow.
Your post brought tears to my eyes and memories of my dear, dear Dino ... my black and white Cocker Spaniel who was hit by a car last November and died. Yes, it is painful, but in that pain we know we have a heart and we know that we loved them, as they loved us. It’s obvious that you loved Ratue, as I am sure Ratue loved you. My heart goes out to you.
I still cannot get myself to walk by the spot where my Dino monster was hit, nor by the spot where I laid him down to cover him up, hoping he would wake up. I often wonder what his last thoughts were. Did he look for me? Did he wonder why I was not there? Did he endure a lot of pain? These thoughts still haunt me — my only solace is in knowing that I loved him and he loved me. I now have a 10 month old Cocker pup, and my pain is eased when I see him and play with him. I find myself being over-protective of him, but he doesn’t seem to mind the extra attention! I have another chocolate Cocker on the way. My Cuatro needs a play mate!
I believe that pets bring out the best in us ... love with no expectations, kindness to another living being who depends on us ... even if it’s not human, and respect for the sanctity of life. I don’t care what anyone says or if I am ridiculed for it. My faith in a loving God tells me that Dino is up there, no longer in pain, waiting for me. Don’t worry little boy ... I will be there!! You might even find Ratue up there and play with her until I get there!
Thank you for sharing this with us!
Bless you. I know how it hurts.
I’m sorry. I’m a first time cat owner-I always wanted a cat growing up, even though I was (and am) a Dog Person, but my mother was afraid of cats. We got our first cat in May 2010, a pretty amber eyed black tortoiseshell-tabby . I know I’ll be as heartbroken when she dies as I was when all my previous (and future) dogs die. My condolences on your loss, from my cat , my dachshund, and my chihuahua.
So sorry for your loss.
Just know that your kitty doesn't hurt any more and that you will see your beloved pet again.
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