Goodbye to a wonderful cat

[dmccarty]

BoonDox,

Sorry to her about the cat. Its real tough loosing a cat/dog/pet.
They do become part of your soul.

We lost one of our Goldens two years ago this fall. And the other
one is in Chemo for a huge tumor. Not fun but the dog is doing
pretty well considering. She gets an ultrasound this week to see
if all the special food, chemo, and med are doing any good. The
prognosis is not good but we have done what we could do. My
little girl is going to be devested if this dogs leaves us this year.....

At least the wife is looking at other dogs so she is preparing herself...

Take Care,
Dan

 

[RichZ]

Pete, I'm really sorry about Miles. You know that I know how you and your wife, and the dogs feel. To me, losing an animal friend is the hardest thing there is, and I know you feel the same way.

I'm thinking of you, my good friend!

 

[bsauter]

Sorry about your loss. That is always tough. We have lost 4 cats in the past 4 years.

Amanda was 19 years old in 2000 and her kidneys finally gave out. The last day was obvious and I had her put to sleep. She grew up with me from high school to college to marriage to kids. Elmo was my wifes cat and he died in 1999 from twisted bowel. He had two resections done on his bowels over the years after eating things he shouldn't and he got sick again and he died after surgery.

Max adopted us one day last year. In January 2001 I rescued three cats from a house fire and took them home after the owner said she didn't want them. In March the word must have gotten out because Max showed up and stayed. He was great with the kids and followed us like a dog. The kids could do anything to him and he would take it. My fears about his going to the cornfield across the street came true when we found him dead last October after being hit.

MaMa Cat showed up and had kittens and I couldn't catch any of them. The kittens slowly disappeared and I could never catch MaMa Cat to take her and get her spayed. Christmas day last year she meowed at me when I went to the barn shop to feed the cats. She was looking at me from the tack room and crawled thru the kitty door. She had compound fractures with gangrene on both legs and was paralyzed in the rear. Either got hit by a car or stepped on by a horse. I gave her a last meal and petted her and then dug a grave and put her down with my service weapon. I couldn't call the vet and take him away from his family on Christmas and didn't want her to suffer longer. That was the first and last time I got to touch her.

We still have our three fire cats and they are wonderful. Healthy and fearful of the road. They never go that far thank goodness. They are named Smokey, Sparkey and Cinders.
Smokey was burned the worst but has made a full recovery and you can tell the appreciate the help they got.

Next to go will be my old shepard/samoyed mix who is 12 now. She has one artificial hip and the other is bad. Hopefully she can last a couple more years as she is great with the kids. We also have a Jack Russell Terrier that is 11 years and still a pistol!

They all have a way to worm into your heart and can be great friends. All we can do is be good firends to them while they are here with us.

 

[Inspector507]

<font color=blue>...........Gawd, it's hard to lose a pet...</font color=blue>

Not just a pet........but a family member.

All my pets have been rescued from a shelter or tossed out of a car window. I know it would be hard for me to part with my female cat who comes to get me on weekend days when she thinks it's nap time, or the male cat who wakes me in the middle of the night trying to crawl up on my pillow, or my newest pet Buddy who never leaves my side when we're awake.

Sorry for your loss.......

 

[unaka]

Pete,

I'm sorry for your loss.

Count me as another one who never liked cats, but I'll share how I had one grow on me.

Three years ago I was getting hay out of the barn and heard a little meow. I looked just as a little gray flash went by to the other side of the barn. This happened every day for about a week, and at my wife's suggestion (Do it or else...), I began to leave a little food in a small pile. A few days later she simply appeared, and then walked right up to me, purring. I reached out, petted her on the head, (she was still a kitten at this time) and continued with my chores. We kept this routine up for another week or so and then one day she followed me out of the barn and back to the house. To this day she goes wherever I go, and this includes long hikes into the woods, and up and down mountains. She sleeps with my German shepherd on the porch, and will walk right up to a cow and get nose to nose. She never grew over 7" tall, so we call her Mini.

Darnedest cat I've ever seen.

 

[Inspector507]

Just had to post a pic of my silly cat over in the Photo forum. I've lost 2 cats to leukemia and will never return from the vets office again empty handed. I live in the home I expect to be my last, so my beloved pets will rest here as long as I live.

 

[Carl_NH]

Pete & Tam,

Sorry for your loss, as we had a Miles too, and after reading your post was taken back to that day and the sadness that prevailed.

Then I thought about all the escapades and happy times Miles had with the local dogs, critters and purring lap time and realized they have a permanent place in our hearts and minds no matter where they are.

Carl

 

[MChalkley]

Pete - I extend my deepest sympathies, too. For the first 10 years my wife and I were married, though she wanted to get a dog and/or cat, I resisted because of remembering the pain of losing the dogs I had growing up. Finally, close to the date of our 10th anniversary, I brought a Pomeranian home to her as a surprise. I decided on a small dog, even though I thought I wanted a larger one (since that's what I'd always had) because it would be easier to travel with. I've never regretted it at all, even though Cinnamon is now 12 and slowing down almost day by day, it seems.

A few years ago, we added a Himalayan cat, Butterscotch (you can tell what we think about - and I can tell what you think about /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif) to the family. He's a tad bigger than the dog, and we weren't sure how they'd get along since the Pom is so agressive and territorial, but they play frequently together. Not as much as the cat would like, now that the dog is getting older and slower, but they get along well, and are so much company that we couldn't imagine being without either of them. But I remember only too well what it's like to lose one, and know we'll be facing it before too very long, at the best. I have no idea how my wife will deal with it, she's never been through it before, and these guys are like children to her.

All of which is to say that the only way to know just how much a cat (or a dog) can add to your life is to have one. And the only way to deal with the grief of losing one is to replace it in their memory - and show it the kindness and love the lost one earned for the species in general.

Molson obiously realizes he lost one of "his" family, too. It's always amazed me how much intelligence, sympathy, and even grief animals can show, even though they can't communicate it in words. Just because they can't talk certainly doesn't mean they can't feel. I'm not sure whether that makes your own pain easier or more difficult, but on the whole I think it makes it easier. As you've been reminded by the responses from the gang here, anything shared is a better experience, even grief.

 

[MDNY]

Pete,

I am sorry about the passing of Miles. From what you have written (and many others have shared) he surely made the right impact on your lives. When we rescued Smudge from the SPCA we wanted to get a pair so they would always have company. Unfortunately the second one we chose that day took a swipe and our newly adopted daughter so she came home alone. She spends all her time with us day or night and I look forward to seeing her as much as I do my wife.

When we move into our new home this fall we are going to make sure she is adjusted first then look for a new (baby) sibling for her. We don't mind adopting older cats, we just feel that a kitten will take (and Smudge as well) to each other.

My wife had seven cats and two dogs when we met. Her dogs have since passed in the last few years and cats are getting up there in age. It will be hard since the one mother is the oldest and the remaining will most likely go near each other. That will be a truly hard year when it comes.

God looks out for all creatures big and small. Miles is in a good place.

 

[wallysue]

Please accept my condolence on the loss of Miles.