Regarding A Little Guy

This morning our friend and companion of 20 years, our cat, Rom died. We had him put to sleep. He was having kidney failure, dehydration, and refusal to eat due to an infected tooth and other sores developing in his mouth. He ate a little bit last Tuesday evening after the vet came to the house and gave him a treatment, but slipped right back into the same problems. He continued with his same routines of eagerly greeting us in the mornings and when we'd come home from anywhere, although mostly it was only while sitting up in his bed. He even managed a few times to make it up the stairs to sit on my lap at the computer. He was in a lot of pain.

We found a vet that runs a mobile cat veterinarian service. When she was here this morning, she advised that she could give him another treatment to alleviate his dehydration, and it might perk him up enough to eat another meal. She advised though that the help would be short lived, and we'd likely be requesting euthanasia for him due to his constant pain. We selected to have him put to sleep. An anesthesia was administered as we pet him, and he gradually fell asleep. She then administered the drug to stop his vital functions. He went doing what he had come to love best, cuddling up and being loved.

We'll miss him very much, but at twenty years old we know he received more than most cats ever do, and we received more from him than most cats have time to give.

sorry for youre lost.but you did the right thing.and gave him a long great life.but its is still vey sad

I'm so sorry to hear about your cat. That's so sad! I truly love my dog, and I don't know if I would be able to handle her death, when the time comes, as well as you handled your cat's. It sounds like your cat had a wonderful, loving life...so that's great.

Putting an animal to sleep is one of the hardest things to do IMO. I remember a few years ago, we had to put our golden retriever, Brandy, to sleep. It was one of the most emotional events of my life. I remember that mom and dad wouldn't let me come in, so I had to say goodbye to her in the parking lot.

We got another dog a while later, another golden retriever, named Bailey. Although Bailey is a great dog, I will always remember Brandy, as she was the dog I had ever since I was born.

Empath, I am sorry to hear about your cat. I am glad to hear though that your cat had a great life.

Empath... my heart goes out to you. I've been in your shoes more times than I've ever wanted to be. And with 9 of the little beasts still hanging around, looks like I've got 9 more times to go. I know your loss... and I'm so very sorry. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

It has always seemed sad that the creatures we can get so close to have such short lives. Empath, I'm so sorry for your loss, but 20 years of mutual love is a wonderful gift.

Brightnorm

Empath I'm truly sorry for your loss, my cats are some of my best friends. I have already had to cope with the early death of one of my cat's due to advanced diabetes that became untreatable at age 11. And my family dog of 6 years passed away rather quickly of undiagnosed cancer two years ago and it was very tough on my whole family, I still think my dad hasn't fully recovered from that one. So you are quite right to celebrate the time you had together.

We picked up another stray cat about two years ago on my birthday, that nobody claimed and he is the coolest, very loopy, fun loving personality and extremely smart.

TSG

Empath,

My sincerest condolences. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Its always hard to say good bye to a buddy. I've had to do it in the past, myself. Even furry ones that are not technically pets are missed. Case in point, there was an old female squirrel that live in one of my trees, that I had been feeding since last summer. She had extensive cataracts on both eyes and couldn't forage effectively (she was also nursing at the time). As the months went by, she grew rather dependent on me and would even come to me if I called her name. Last month, a neighbor came to my door and told me that "Momma Pew" was killed by a car. I was just sick to my heart. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Now, I'm just glad I made her life a little happier......and so should you be. Judging your character from your many posts, Rom must have been one happy kitty. Peace.

Dan

Got tears in my eyes... I went through similar situations many times. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

My condolences. We have three ourselves. This house simply wouldn't be the same without any one of them. But remember not the day of your loss, but the twenty years you were blessed.

Well written Empath. Do you plan on saving another cats life?

I am sincerely sorry and saddened. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif When we lost our Houdini, a beautiful black shorthair, I cried for days. We have two cats and Lucy, our black Lab. Having a long history of depression, I don't know where I'd be without them. Lucy prevented me from having at least 2 hospital stays.

God bless,

Rich /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif

So sorry, Empath. Been there too, and will be again, soon.

making the call to have a pet put to sleep is one of the toughest things to do in life..

the most horrible part is knowing that there are only two choices.. 1). let your furry family member suffer a bit b4 they die of natural causes or 2). have them put to sleep, and avoid their suffering..

i have an exceptionally hard time making that decision, 'cause i always believe that the cat would rather suffer and be amongst its owners instead of going out like that..

but seeing your cat suffer puts so much guilt and depression on your shoulders..

i've been down that road twice.. and saw a good friend of mine suffer after having her cat put to sleep..

all i can say is that your kitty isn't suffering any longer.. and that's what you need to focus on..

Edit:
also, Bart's picture made me incredibly sad.. but it's a nicely done image.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I can only imagine how you must feel. You both have been blessed with 20 years of love. I've only had my cat for about a year and know I would be devistated if anything were to happen to him.
Jack

I feel for you, Empath.

My condolences on your loss. Hope the grief passes more quickly than the memories.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif

The thoughtfullness of CPF, with everyone trying find ways to comfort, is always truly impressive. Words don't always seem sufficient as tools for proper expression, but they seem to be doing very well right now. I'm sure it's because there is more than simply words being passed. B@rt's selection of images, as always, is right on target.

Saaby, we're setup with some of the finest cat paraphernalia a home could have. We've got litter boxes, a cat condo, a thermostatically controlled heated cat bed, cat toys and cat dishes. It seems only right to make proper use of all that. You'd better believe we'll find a cat to rescue from our local shelter. In turn, there's no doubt a little life there waiting to help fill the hole left here.