My beloved cat

[Purron]

I've written about my kitty with the liver disease. We've done everything but think he doesn't have much more time. I am beside myself with worry and grief. I wish Cute Fuzzy Bunny was still here. He always knew the right thing to say and gave me such great advice about my kitty.

 

[Khan]

Having been through this many times, I can only suggest you try to look at it from the cat's point of view.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

It's really hard. Do what you have to do when you have to. Time heals.

 

[Gumby]

I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty. We lost our old cat to liver disease; it was very difficult to bear. At the end, when he was hooked up to all the specialized machines and such, I wondered if it was the best thing to do for him. He may have suffered less if we didn't.

My only recommendation is to make him comfortable and let him know he is loved. Cry with a friend.

 

[SkisALot]

Take some comfort in knowing that he knows that you love him, and that he loved every minute of his life with you.

 

[NW-Bound]

My wife and I have always been cat persons. We had a beautiful white cat (Angora?) with blue eyes, and pink ears. What was even more lovely than her look was her temperament. She never failed to come at our beckon. She would know to wake us up in the morning if we slept in late. No, it was not so she could get fed, but she knew we were supposed to be up. I have had a few cats growing up, but she was the sweetest cat we have ever had, or probably ever will. And she would not hurt a fly, never knew how to hunt and catch anything live. She was never aloof and loved to be with people. And she loved to eat corn!

We lost her to kidney failure after 12 short years. In the end, she was so miserable that we had to take her to a vet to have her put to sleep. My son and I took her home to bury her in our backyard.

 

[bbbamI]

Believe me, I know how tough it is. Your kitty should come first...then later you can deal with your feelings. Be strong.

 

[Achiever51]

As filled I write this, my beloved 15 year old kitty is climbing all over me, trying to get my attention by pawing my face and head-bumping me, purring all the while. I know that at some point, I will be without her company...and I will be grief stricken. But, as I had to do with other precious pets over the years, I know that there is a time when letting go is the kindest act I can do for my pet. It is never easy, but remembering all the love and companionship my pets have given me unconditionally over their lifetime helps to ease the pain.

My heart goes out to you.

 

[calmloki]

Tough deal Purron - we've had many cats pass through our lives and feel best about the ones that we knew had a good life. That was primary - when the quality of their lives went away i've taken some of them in to be put to sleep - some died as their quality of life went away, the lucky ones, but for others it seemed the kindest thing to help them out of this life in the easiest way - for them, tough for me. Wish that i could have done the same thing for my Mom as she went through a protracted dying time. Make a good choce for your kitty and you will have made the best choice for yourself and will feel ok about it in the future.

 

[Rivrider]

I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty. It's always hard when they are ill. Just remember the good times you had together and know you gave him a good life.

 

[tangomonster]

I'm so sorry. I know that you will do right by your kitty and will cherish all the memories you have.

 

[CuppaJoe]

What everyone else said, Purron; the title of your thread says it all. I tried to post sooner but my cat was asking for attention. She's a healthy four-year-old who didn't seem to understand, just purred on.

I've always found it helpful, when the time comes, to say goodbye to my cats and tell them they are loved kitties.

 

[simple girl]

I'm so sorry you are going through this Purron. It is the price we pay for the years of love our kitties give us. We must say goodbye at some point. I've been through it many times with my kitties, so I understand. You have to be strong in the end to do what is best for your baby. My thoughts are with you.

 

[samclem]

Purron,
I'm very sorry to hear that things are not going well. You've done much to help keep your cat healthy and happy, and you'll always know that you've done your best. Good luck.

 

[Purron]

Thank you all so much for the kind words everyone. I have a great vet who has been a great deal of comfort to my cat and me. I thought last night was the end - he was breathing fast and shallow and hadn't eaten a bite all day. Today, he seems a bit better but I still don't think he will be with me much longer.

Khan, I've been thinking about what you said all day and it's so true. I should think of it from his point of view. He's been through a lot including some major surgery. At this point, I just want to help him be as comfortable as possible. Perhaps by some miracle, he will recover. If not, I will not let him suffer and I don't want to put him through more invasive treatments. This would be for me - not him.

 

[tightasadrum]

Purron,

You have my sympathy. Our pets have always been loved members of our family, and I've been through the end-of-life thing many times. And in retrospect, every time we tended to hang on to them too long. I think reflecting back we've not done the right thing soon enough because we wanted to defer our pain in the pending loss. The correct decision is not always the one we want. Pets can't tell us what they feel, but their eyes will tell us a lot. I still choke up thinking about the pets, our best friends, we have lost. My heart goes out to you in turning loose of your cherished kitty. I'm certain you've given him a wonderful life.

 

[Sue J]

Purron, I'm so sorry he's not doing well. I've followed your posts about him. So many of us have been through this kind of thing with our beloved pets. It's so hard, every time.

I hope the end, whenever it comes, is easy for him. And I hope that you are peaceful with his passing.

 

[Khan]

Thank you all so much for the kind words everyone. I have a great vet who has been a great deal of comfort to my cat and me. I thought last night was the end - he was breathing fast and shallow and hadn't eaten a bite all day. Today, he seems a bit better but I still don't think he will be with me much longer.

Khan, I've been thinking about what you said all day and it's so true. I should think of it from his point of view. He's been through a lot including some major surgery. At this point, I just want to help him be as comfortable as possible. Perhaps by some miracle, he will recover. If not, I will not let him suffer and I don't want to put him through more invasive treatments. This would be for me - not him.

I held onto one for what I think (looking back) was too long. Since then I have had them put down somewhat sooner than later (after consulting with the vet).

The cat (or dog or whatever) doesn't know what is going on; it only knows how it feels at the moment. It doesn't care about birthdays or holidays or looking forward to next summer. It doesn't know that the surgery or other procedure is for its own good.

At this point, your only concern should be his comfort.

 

[RedHawk]

The cat (or dog or whatever) doesn't know what is going on; it only knows how it feels at the moment. It doesn't care about birthdays or holidays or looking forward to next summer. It doesn't know that the surgery or other procedure is for its own good.

I've always wondered why people (including myself to some extent) are so sure of this. Why do we believe that humans are the only specieis with an awareness of death?

 

[Moemg]

So sorry to hear about your kitty .

 

[FIYes]

It is so hard to face the lost of a much loved pet. I think that I kept the last cat that I lost too long---I had to have him put to sleep, but I probably should have done so sooner. One thing that helped me and I hope helped him was the vet let me hold him when he injected with the drugs that euthanized him. I couldn't make my much loved cat young and healthy again---the only way I could relieve his suffering was by having him put to sleep. At least I can hope that he knew to the very end that he was loved. Probably at the end of life that is really all any of can hope for--to know that we love and are loved.

 

[Purron]

I've always wondered why people (including myself to some extent) are so sure of this. Why do we believe that humans are the only specieis with an awareness of death?

I've thought about this too. I don't think the animals I've shared my life with have an awareness of death in the same sense humans do. They do, however, have a strong will to live and a fear of potential harm. Going through the loss of a family pet does cause us to ponder our own mortality and wonder what kind of measures we would want to keep us alive.

In the situation I'm going through right now, I believe my cat doesn't want any more discomfort. He has been poked, proded, operated on, pilled and force fed to the point of looking at me like, hey, leave me alone already.

If I could find something that would cause some short term discomfort but would result in a good chance for recovery, I would do it in a heartbeat. I have shared my life with animals for many years and have faced this before. It's never easy. Even so, I could not imagine my life without them.

 

[citrine]

Purron....I am so sorry that you are going through this. I just had the one year anniversary of putting Romeo to sleep and I remember all of the kind words that everyone on this board had for me.
You need to do the best thing for your baby....he knows that he has had a great life....

 

[Purron]

Purron....I am so sorry that you are going through this. I just had the one year anniversary of putting Romeo to sleep and I remember all of the kind words that everyone on this board had for me.
You need to do the best thing for your baby....he knows that he has had a great life....

Thanks so much. He's actually a bit brighter today so I am too I take him to the vet Tuesday for blood work and, hopefully, his liver values will have improved. The last test results were awful and he looked so sick. Today, I cleaned him up with a washcloth, warm water and some mild soap. He hasn't been grooming which is so unusual for him. He's aways been the black cat with the amazing soft and shiny fur. I think it made him feel better and he enjoyed the experience.

I'm sure Romeo is on your mind a lot these days. He must have been a great kitty. I bet he was a real lover with a name like Romeo

 

[Own2Feet]

Very sorry to learn that another good feline soul is getting close to passing away.

You will hurt, but once your cat friend is gone, he won't hurt any more.

One of the best friends I ever had was a smart, bold Burmese cat, who made it obvious, every day, that he thought I was the greatest thing that ever happened to the world (yes, even when he wasn't hungry). We lost him at the too-young age of 8, to some mysterious blood disorder the vets could not identify. They kept "observing" him, administering one test after another. I won't go so far as to say they were using my cat friend to experiment on at my expense, yet when I went to visit him in the pet hospital, he was so ill and miserable he didn't even know who I was, and had lost control of his bladder. He was being kept on a water IV because he wouldn't eat or drink. That's when I said, "Thank St. Francis that my friend is not a human being, who must be kept alive at any cost--I have the power to let him go." And I did, though I have missed him from that day (1995) to this.