Animals we share our lives with

[Lakedog]

Nice. Got to get my dog a new nylabone for Christmas.

Btw, have you settled in a new location yet?

Nylabones work great for him (rather than rawhide) so he usually gets a new one for Christmas as well.

Coal and I are currently in a beachfront condo (Ponce Inlet, FL). We have been here for a couple of months - the weather has been great so far (83 and sunny today). Will likely spend the winter in FL but thinking about heading south in January to explore more of the state. Still seems a bit strange not having a place to call home but looking forward to moving around until I find a spot that feels like a good fit.

 

[Major Tom]

I know we have plenty of engineers here and at least a few of them must be cat lovers, so I present to you - An Engineers Guide To Cats.

 

[cj]

That's a good one, Major Tom!!

 

[Calico]

Delightful! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Katsmeow]

He figures the tree belongs to him:

 

[Major Tom]

There is a Part 1 to that Engineer's Guide To Cats that I haven't watched yet, but I did just discover that the duo have also recorded a Kitty Love Song -

 

[Major Tom]

He figures the tree belongs to him:

The picture's not showing here Katsmeow. Can anyone else see it?

 

[Katsmeow]

The picture's not showing here Katsmeow. Can anyone else see it?

I redid it:

 

[Major Tom]

I redid it:

Well OF COURSE it belongs to him! What a beautiful kitty - he looks like a King sitting on his throne!

 

[rbmrtn]

Here's a couple of mine.

This is Sam, he's about 12 years. His chewed ear is from a fight with something. Got him as an abandoned kitten


Molly is new, about 5 months old. She showed up a few months ago and decided to stay under my deck. Finally coaxed her to come out... then we went to the VET
.

 

[grasshopper]

Smokey and Ollie Mae.




Sent from my Nexus 7 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[kcowan]

RIP Flash

Our buddy Flash, who has been our companion since 1998 has crossed The Rainbow Bridge on Friday. We are not sure how he passed but our vet suspects a stroke or heart attack. What haunts us is the look of pain on his face because we were not there when he passed.

Flash Eulogy

 

[Buckeye]

Flash is a beautiful cat. I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[Nemo2]

Bummer.....I hate losing pets.

 

[simple girl]

I'm so sorry kcowan.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

These are the days we animal-lovers dread and have to get through. It is hard, I know. My sympathies to you and your wife.

 

[Nemo2]

Responding to Keith's post on another forum that we both frequent I was prompted to post a pic of the cat I (and my late wife) had for 20 years.....bawled when he died.

He's pictured here playing 'tennis' with a tinfoil ball in Saudi:

 

[Major Tom]

Our buddy Flash, who has been our companion since 1998 has crossed The Rainbow Bridge on Friday. We are not sure how he passed but our vet suspects a stroke or heart attack. What haunts us is the look of pain on his face because we were not there when he passed.

I'm really sorry to hear that kcowan. A few years ago, I found one of my young kitties dead one morning. She hadn't been feeling well the day before but I figured she'd be feeling better very soon. I felt horrible guilt over not having done anything to help her and felt particularly awful for not having been with her when she passed. I know how you must feel but luckily, the lives of our beloved animal companions are defined by the quality of their lives and not by the relatively brief time it takes for them to pass on.

Thanks for posting those lovely pictures of him.

Nemo 2 - that's a fantastic kitty tennis picture!

 

[Dancer373]

Happy pictures even though it's a sad time ~~~

 

[Calico]

Our buddy Flash, who has been our companion since 1998 has crossed The Rainbow Bridge on Friday. We are not sure how he passed but our vet suspects a stroke or heart attack. What haunts us is the look of pain on his face because we were not there when he passed.

Keith,

I am so sorry about Flash. The eulogies you and your wife wrote for Flash are amazing, and the photos of him and his brother Boots as kittens and as adults show very clearly that he was a treasured member of your family, and that Boots still is.

Many years ago I lost a cat very suddenly and it was a huge shock. I came home and was greeted at the front door by my sweet tabby cat. She gave me a little nuzzle; I walked to the kitchen to wash my hands; I walked back to the living room to play with her a bit, and she was gone. In the space of the thirty seconds it took me to wash my hands she had passed away. She was only 10, and in perfect health to that point. I almost lost my mind, wondering what I could have done to prevent this, and what I had missed. My vet told me that it was most likely one of two things: either a stroke or a heart attack. There was absolutely no warning, and there was absolutely nothing I could have done. Even hearing this, it took me a while to get over the guilt I felt.

What helped me in the end was that my vet told me over and over that my cat did not suffer for an instant, because it was over so fast. I imagine your vet has probably told you the same thing.

All we can do is love them while we are lucky enough to share their lives, and carry the memories of the happy times with us always.

My heart goes out to you and your wife as you mourn your beautiful Flash.

 

[kcowan]

Thanks everyone. We are getting through it.

Flash had 2 events. One caused him to fall and dislocate his hip. The second happened while he was climbing the stairs to get back home and he was dead 3 stairs from the top. We are dealing with the guilt of not finding him before the second event. Just a complication. He was not on the stairs when we discovered him missing so who knows what really happened.

 

[kcowan]

There was absolutely no warning, and there was absolutely nothing I could have done. Even hearing this, it took me a while to get over the guilt I felt.

Yes it was the sudden death combined with the guilt. Thanks for your post, Calico. It is helping.

 

[cj]

Keith - from one who has lost three cats in the past 4 years, my deepest sympathy. Please don't feel guilty; these things happen, and we can't always plan for them. We are going through multiple medical issues with our 16+ year old cat now (Murphy, my avatar). We give her whatever she wants and try to make her comfortable. Of all the cats we have ever had, she is the most vocal, the most demanding, and the most expensive (worth every penny). We dread the day she leaves a hole in our lives.

Hugs to you.

 

[Calico]

Yes it was the sudden death combined with the guilt. Thanks for your post, Calico. It is helping.

I have had to say goodbye to many cat companions over the decades. It never gets easier - the only way I get through it each time is one day at a time. Eventually, after enough time passes, I remember only the happy days.

 

[kcowan]

Ironically both DW and I were always dog people and had many of them put to sleep. These are the first cats in our lives and so we are still struggling to understand the sudden death phenomenon. Perfect one night and then gone forever. We were prepared for Boots to be the one because he has had some medical problems. Flash never showed any signs. Taking about it helps.