Wow, H Wayne, another side of you - very thoughtful and moving. We've had two cats die in last couple of years - I am also fascinated in the transformation from beloved (more or less, anyway) pet, to gross dead thing. Thanks!

Oh, and I'm sorry about your cat.

Wow. I'm so sorry. We had a very similar thing happen with an old cat of ours last year. The listlessness. . . she could barely move--all of a sudden, in a day, when the day before she had been mobile. So of course we knew something was wrong. We put her on a pillow on the bed, put some food and water near her. Finally, we decided we'd better go to the vet. I mean, the cat wasn't howling or anything, but she was clearly not right. We hadn't even backed out of the driveway when she convulsed and died. But like you, we waited a few hours--just to be sure. And it *was* disappointing, in a way, that there wasn't a more evident sign of the passing. Shouldn't we have felt the moment? Known for sure in our hearts somehow? But we didn't. But she wasn't moving or breathing anymore, so we wrapped her in her favorite quilt and buried her.

I am welling up with tears. My kitty is sitting on my lap right now.

It would make me sad to lose either one of them.

Oh! What a beauty Boots is! We have a Maine Coon as well, aptly named Loki. He was a runt that nobody wanted, and I'm thankful every day that we took him in. He can be a real terror (although he doesn't mean to be), and I think anybody with less patience would have been cruel to him. Thinking of that, or of losing him or any or our other cats, is just heartbreaking.

I am so sorry about your cat. I had a cat die tonight and it has been very upsetting for me. He was only 2 1/2 years old. My husband and I went out and came home a few hours later and he was gone, totally stiff and no movement or anything. We still don't know how it happened there were no signs at all one minute he was fine and the next he was gone. I can't get the picture out of my mind of finding him on the floor that way.

I can understand the frustration at the lack of closure, but I think the alternative is much worse.

I had my cat put down the other night, and the experience was quite distressing. You can read about it here.

I have two cats whom I love very much. And one even loves me back! I'm batting .500! ;-)

I know it's been a while since the original post, but I am sorry for your loss.

Pets are more than just "animals." Hell, WE are "animals"!

Pets are members of the family. They are loved and cared for. When they pass, it is a time for mourning.

I've lost a few in my time. Once to the idiocy of a vet. Another due to a brown-recluse spider bite. A couple to old age. Once to feline leukemia.

It's always hard.

I am pretty sure one of my cats has cancer right now (the one that actually likes me and sleep on my bed with some prodding). I suspect we will lose her someday in the relatively near future. I can already feel the loss a bit. It is sure to be much more painful when it actually occurs.

All dogs go to heaven, it is said. What of cats? Surely these benevolent creatures deserve a place in heaven, on our laps, purring away and dreaming sweet dreams of mice and lizards, for all time...

Amen.

Hi

My cat, Mao Mao, died two days ago on 22 August 2005. She was 15 years of age. She was with me for 13 years. Today at 3pm she will be cremated and she will be gone forever.

I don't know the exact reason of death. I am too sad to talk to the vet now. She had a tumor operation six months ago. I found another bigger tumor two days before her death. In a panic, I quickly sent her to the vet the next day. She hated to visit the vet. She is a very timid cat. I told her to give me just two days, and she will be alright again. I left her in their care and hopefully it will be fine the next day after another operation. She never made it to the operation room at all. She collapse with tougue turned blue. Vet said that her lungs was filled with fluid, a sign of heart problem and they put her on oxygen tank. She knew our presence and tried very hard to purr when we visited her with the oxygen attachment. She passed away. I was hopeful that she will return to our home with me. I really regretted to send her to the vet, maybe, if she really had to go, she would have leave from her home and with us around.

Sorry Mao Mao, I miss you very much.

My cat Einstein is dying. This morning he threw up water. Water. My heart sank- "That can't be a good sign." I said to myself, trying to find the humor. He's been in slow decline for months, first his kidneys started to fail, I knew this because he started drinking huge amounts of water and peeing constantly. I started cleaning his catbox twice a day. "Maybe thats it, maybe he can last a while" I told myself, even though I knew it was a lie. Then he stopped eating canned food, he would just lick up all the gravy, he stopped that too. Last night and this morning I was scrambling around the kitchen opening tuna cans, shredding up pieces of turkey lunchmeat, numerous cans of cat food, I had paper plates scattered across the kitchen floor, in the hope that he would want something, anything, EAT DAMN IT! He wasn't havin'it. He just sat there, looking up at me, like I had all the answers. Its heartbreaking, I didn't think it would be. I joked about this last month, "I'm looking forward to no more cat hair" This cat has been the only constant in my life for 15 years. 3 breakups, 6 or 7 apartments, 3 jobs, he was always there, on my lap, purring, drooling, biting, hissing- besides my parents this cat is the only unconditional love I have ever known, how pathetic I feel. I didn't think I would take it this hard but this morning after he wouldn't eat, I called my Mom and cried my eyes out. So tomorrow I get to take him to the vet and end his life. I don't really believe in God, I don't believe animals have souls - Im not sure about us either, so I don't expect it to be pretty, I was a biology major so I don't expect to see a soul rising, I know the fluids and muscles take a while to settle. These are the ugly parts of life, the worst part of life, the nasty, bitter, ugly end, which will offer no solace- just more unanswered questions. I'm a secular humanist, I believe everything thats living deserves dignity and respect. I think I owe him. This is something I can do for him to offer him some comfort, some peace, so now I get to be his Dr. Kevorkian. I hope he knows how much I valued his love and his friendship. I will miss you Einie.

very sorry Colleen - my parent's cat is getting very old and lethargic. I fear he doesn't have much time left

One of my animals died today. I am not sure of when. A persian I named buddy. I had him since 2002. He was a animal shelter cat and looked like he had a botched neuter job.
When I witness death I always see the spirit leave. There is no stillness like the body that life has left. Life is the spirit. Life leaves the body and combines with the life that is on the earth. Electrical in nature perhaps.
The great mystery for humans and other animals. Humans know that they do not know.
There has been so much death recently with the natural disasters. Life is fluid as time. T i m e...............

I am SO SORRY about your loss. From my many years working for a vet, I can tell you that cats don't let go easily. They fight for every last breath. Lucky is the feline who dies at home, with those that love him/her. Domestic cats, who still are quite feral according to their lineage, don't show their illness until it's almost too late. Your pet was so lucky to have you to take care of him.

To: KYS
Thanks for the words of consolation.
Do you think all living things go to a better place when they die?

Jalex

Jalex, I'm certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that where ever we go, our pets go. Any creature capable of love, loyalty, forgiveness, etc. (and animals are far more capable of these than humans seem to be) surely has a soul, regardless of its capacity for intellectual reasoning. I have 5 kitties. They sleep with me, "play" for me when I want to be amused, lie on my book or papers so I can't work when I don't want to be amused but they do, demand my attention, give me attention, meet me at the door at night & follow me to the door in the morning begging me not to go, just like 2-yr-olds. They come when I call, and if I don't give sufficient & sufficiently equal shares of affection & attention, they show definitely that their feelings are hurt. I do not anthropomorphize. I do communicate with them, & they can make their wants known pretty well. Maybe they use The Force. Whatever, I cannot believe that they are any less qualified & worthy of some sort of afterlife than I or any other person, since they are people too. Just furrier, less capricious, and more loyal, non-judgemental, & affectionate.

My cat, Hoover, also died this morning. He was a 24 year old
yellow tabby and well pampered. He had been declining over the past couple of months. He was a real tough kitty and as hard as he fought, he couldn't overcome his age. His last meal was a can of
tuna -- that he consumed with the gusto of a hound dog. He didn't eat for 2 days after that and silently passed on. He was a special buddy that lived with me for half of my life and I'll miss him.

I'm very sorry for you, Ron. 24 years-! I hope my girls live that long & die as easily. Meanwhile, see if you can find it in your heart to save another kitty & give them a good life, too. You'll feel better with someone to come home to, & care for; and you're not replacing Hoover - that isn't possible. Nothing is as lonely as a catless house.

My cat Zevon is 16 years old and is dying. I think this is his last night. Has been fading for awhile now but has really gone downhill the last few days, won't eat and hardly drink. He's so skinny and frail it's just heartbreaking. He's showing no signs of real pain, which I am thankful for, so I will just let him die peacefully at home. We had him since he was a kitten abandoned at the garbage dump. Reading everyone's comments has helped, I'm sorry for all your losses. I have Zevon's pictures on my webpage if anyone would care to look.

Webpage

My cat died last night......reading this helped....thank you guys

My 16 year old cat Peachy died two nights ago, Wednesday, December 28. The vet found lumps throughout her liver about 7 months, but other than weight loss, she never really showed symptoms of sickness until about one week ago. She was vomiting frquently and then she vomited water in my bed on Christmas eve. She ate less, but on her last night, she ate some baby food, Gerber Veal without onions. She also drank a lot of water that night. She vomited it all up after about a half hour of holding it down. She got up and was able to walk to the litter box, but was very wobbly. She tried to poop but just sat in the box. I made a bed for her in a box with a lot of cushioning around the sides so she could sit up, she seemed to prefer this position. I pet her and stroked her and she seemed to respond. At about 12:30 AM she woke me with her crying. I found her stretched out beside the box. She was able to get out but simply collapsed. I stroked her, talked to her, and cleaned her up when she pooped and peed in the box. I told her how much I loved her and that she shouldn't be afraid of what was coming. At some point between 12:30 and 2:00 AM, she lost consciousness. Her eyes were open but she didn't respond. At about 2:00 AM she went into the final phase of death. She took some breaths. Her front legs stretched out. Her mouth opened. She finally relaxed and stopped breathing but I think her little heart kept beating. I know she was conscious and aware of me at 12:30, but she was definitely brain dead or in a coma long before her body finally quit.
It was horrible to watch this happen but I really could not let her die before she was really weak in the Vet's office. I just did not want her to suffer on the trip to the Vet's and then in the office. I know how she hated it.
It really happened fast. She was aware and fighting for life until close to the end.
I will miss her and cherish her forever.

My cat Storch passed away around 10:45pm on December 30th. She was a small, but tough little tortoise-shell cat that I adopted at the Santa Barbara animal shelter when I was 19. Now i'm 33, so she's been with me half my life. She had hyperthyroidism which she took pills for, but when it got to bad I took her in to get the radioactive iodine-131 treatment to zap the tumor. The vet screened for other diseases and found lung cancer and said even if he cured the hyperthyroid the cancer would still be there. With her ravenous appetite I continued feeding her a buffet of food,
but since her metabolism was so fast, the weight would not stay on. Her final month she cruised around the neighborhood visiting my parent's house and my boyfriend's because we all live on the same street. She made it through Christmas, but got increasingly finicky with food. The last few days my vet friend did acupuncture on her and gave her some herbal medicines. This was my final effort to save her life, but she just got skinnier and weaker and wouldn't even drink her favorite...MILK! I was tempted to put her to sleep , but she was not in pain and I believe she would have wanted to fight to the end which she did.
She was on my bed and I continued petting her and talking to her. Finally, I placed her in her fluffy, oval cat bed and couldn't she if she was breathing or not. She went to see "the big cat in the sky" New Year's Eve (day) my boyfriend and I buried her in his backyard by the house in her bed. I cut off a piece of my blonde hair and laid it next to her heart and I cut off a small piece of hair from her tail and kept it for myself so we could stay connected. My boyfriend held me as I lowered her 4 feet down. She still looked peaceful curled up in the bed like she was just sleeping, only with her yellow/green eyes opened. Then I laid a cat-size american flag over her honored body and said my goodbyes and told her I'd see her again in the future.
Storch will be remembered forever! She gave me strength, happiness, love, laughter, patience and joy. GOD BLESS STORCH!

My beloved cat, Sammie died on Dec 30. He was attacked by some dogs and I rushed him to the vet. He didn't have any serious wounds and the vet put him on oxygen and an IV. He was doing good the next day and came home...but he took a turn for the worst and died the next night. He must have had serious internal injuries. I'm heartbroken...and it was a tough 2005...My Mom battled cancer and Hurricane Rita devastated our area. We could not take all our pets with us when we evacuated, so we took our house pet Schnauzer. It was such a relief when I learned that our cats survived the storm....and now this happens. Sammie was only 6 years old. He was so precious...and such a gentleman. He would let the two female cats eat first before he ate and acted like a momma cat to a kitten. He was so laid back. Animal control found the owner of the dogs that attacked him but they have not responded.
Sammie was solid black with an extra toe on each foot.

It became obvious to me yesterday that my 20-year-old cat, Teagan, would probably not live through the night. In November she stopped bathing herself & had started to become matted. She was an old gal so we did not force the issue with her. Over the last month her weight dropped from 8 pounds down to 5. She has seemed fine enough, eating, purring, asking for attention, etc. But yesterday, I cam home to find she had no control over the lower portion of her body. I held her off & on, petted her & allowed her to rest in her favorite spot. She could not be interested in water, food or a litter box. I imagine her kidneys had already shut down at that point. This morning she could not move her upper body. She did not appear to be in pain so my husband and I decided to let her die at home peacefully. I took the day off from work so I could hold her as she died. Around noon her leg gave a couple twitches & she exhaled strongly, then nothing for a few second & she repeated the leg twitch 2 more times & the exhale & it was over. I have gained comfort from reading everyone's posts this morning. She is gone.

Hi there.

My cat Amadeus lost his battle with Hyperthyroidism, and I believe another
hidden disease, possibly cancer but I
never wanted to honestly know about
that. I treated him for the hyperthyroid
ism but he never regained his weight and
stayed thin and frail for over a year. He Died on 3/26/06 at 1 a.m. in in the morning when I
took him to an emergency vet to help
ease his pain and allow him to go into the next life. This past week Ami (his nick name Ah-mee) began
to cough and not just a hairball cough
from time to time. I know it was not right.
but after I kept the house nice and toasty he
was okay. So, I thought nothing of it. He
still was frisky and played with his sister
but come Thursday morning. He was acting very
slow, old, and could not lower his head to drink
water out of the faucet (which he LOVED running
water). Sometime maybe even Wednesday, he had stopped eating so much and had tried somehome treatments Thursday and Friday. By the evening of Saturday, March 25th, Ami had moaned several times and cried out once or twice and he had all but stopped walking. So I held him in my arms in a towel and held him close. I had been trying to rehydrate him with electrolytes from the diarrhea and vomiting. The diarrhea only got better once when he was first diganosed with the hyperthyroidism afterward it had become a daily thing and also, I was told the next thing I would have to do is geta colonoscopy done on him to determine if he had cancer or if it was IBS but I recently read that in older cats like him the IBS can later turn into a form of cancer. In the end he was precardia, rapid shallow breathing, with blood in his diarrhea. He was okay until Thursday morning...but my efforts to have him bounce back were nil. I had already made my decision...that I knew he was dieing and if he did not bounce back after the weekend that I would take him to the vet and put him to sleep. I hated thinking about that but I did not have to wait for the weekend. Amadeus started having serious problems by 9pm on Saturday evening and by 10:45 he was in very serious condition. After the last time he cried out, I grabbed him and called a friend.
His end was becoming painful for him and I was not going to lay back and allow it to last long. My friend came over and we drove Ami to the vet. You could tell he was a little scared but did not fight me. I held him in a towel like a baby in my arms. Before I could get out of the car at the hospital, My friend jumped out of the car and opened the door and took pictures of me and Ami for our last time together. Later in the exam room, my friend cut his hair for me for a keepsake. When we went inside the vet tech took ami back to see what the doctor thought. I was told there was no guarantee if they were to TRY to save him that it would be a long hard road for ami and he would need to be immediately put under an oxygen tent. His little body was giving out and there is just a time when enough is enough. Sometimes, I think I waited too long. I went through all the thoughts. Did I do enough for him...was I lazy sometimes in his meds, but really my cat lived a very long life and enjoyed his good years. he was very laid back and happy and nothing phased him. He was very unique. So, I wanted him to be happy and not in pain. I decided to send him home to God. For the first time though, I was with my cat when the final stage of his life happened. Euthenizing...they give the cat a mild sedative to help him relax and take him out of pain while you have your last words, strokes, etc...with him or her. Then when its time, you tell them and the vet comes in and he explains to you what will happen. The process of putting the cat to sleep is very quick and painless. It took me two hours to let him go after I made the decision but when it was time... The doctor came in and was very, very sweet. I layed my hand on Ami and prayed for him while the injection started in him that put him to sleep. His head slowly tilted to the side and then the doctor injectd him with a second drug I believe that stopped the heart. In a matter of 5 seconds or less, my cat was gone. When I finished the lord's prayer over him, the doctor said. Rhonda.. he's gone. You know I thought I could never do that and maybe some people cant but I told my cat that I would never, never leave him. That when it came to his last breath that I would be there with him. I will be honest with you. its been only couple days and I still wonder "What If?" I have a 2nd cat that is here with me....she is Ami's partner of 4 years. She misses him some but sorta likes the house to herself too. When my fiancee comes back state side in the summer, we plan to choose a new baby cat to give sweet pea a partner. I work at the animal shelter in town as a volunteer and help sick cats with URI all the time. But, it is so different when its your pet. Its hard but its getting better. And my cat was suffering, and more and more I feel that I made the right decision to help ease his pain. It's just hard when you get in a routine every morning and evening with your cats.... cuz, I caught myself doing that this morning and I teared up when Ami was not waiting for me when I came hom from work today..
I feel your pain to all the cat lovers out there on this blog that have lost their pets recent and in the past. It cuts very deep too when the pet has been with you a long time. For Ami it was 14 years and 7 months. I plan to make a scrap book of his pics and all the well wishes from friends and family. I am waiting now to get the call from the Emergency clinic to go pick up his ashes. I want to keep him with me than buried somewhere in a ground. I live in an Apartment and I always regretted not being able to have a place where I could go visit my last cat. I also regretted I could not be there with my last cat either. The doctor and this was a couple months before Ami was born told me at that time that she didn't think I would want to be there with my cat when they put her down. I had my cat buried in a pet cemetery somewhere ...where the graves were unmarked, etc. I really regret all those decisions about my first cat Sebastian. Now, I'm glad cremation is offered so I can have his ashes with me and I can place them with his toys in a heart shaped box because he was a very important part of my life. He has seen me through 3 boyfriends, multi-state relocations, a few jobs do to relocation. One thing I can say is if you have an older cat and he can tolerate another cat, go for a young cat. I am so happy that I had sweet pea here with him in the last 4 years of his life. He enjoyed her after he got over the initial meet and greet.

Enjoy every second...as far as soul... I believe my cat had a soul and with the way he passed. It was peaceful and I could see him go. The brain does not quite die as immediate as the heart. The brain starves for oxygen but at this time your pet is gone...and does not feel anything. He will gasp one or two times for air but he will not be in pain when this happens because he is clinically gone at this time. Also, the gurgling of the intestines that one poster talked about. All living things including us when we die will release their bowels at the time of death. This did happen a little to Ami. He released his bladder about 3 hours before we put him down and after he went
he did release his intestines. That did not gross me out and neither did the other reactions gross me out because I knew at that point Ami was called hom to God and I was petting a shell that once held his soul. GodSpeed to all our little kitties. I fully believe that they will be waiting on the otherside for us. I feel comfort in that.

We lost our Pongo this monday early morning, we got him to the vet but she just treated him for a UTI and some tapeworms, as the days passed on he was getting worse, we thought maybe it was the meds or something he ate, he slowly stopped eating and then all together he didn't and stopped drinking, he went moving to different places and hiding, finally he got really disorientated and laid down and wouldn't get up much, then he couldn't get up period, we called the vet and they weren't too worried about it and asked if i was giving him his meds, of course!!!!
He just became soo dehydrated and we tried our best to get water into him, but w/all attempts that sunday night i told pongo i would see him in the morning to get him to the vet, well that time never came, he passed away early morning while he was with my exbf..we held him and he didn't fight or even kept his eyes opened much..we layed him on the towel on the couch and kept an eye on him, then he put him down on the floor and I tried to pick him up he growled and howled and i gently put him back down and talked to him and petted him before i went home..he called me at 7am, saying pongo passed away, and I cried and screamed so much, I made a tribute and memorial for Pongo and we will have a memorial service for him...He was our babyboy..such a sweet cat.. being he was only 3 and a half years old he died young..and It hurts much..Prayers to everyone...

Wayne, wish I had an uplifting comment for you. Im sure with all the comments directed your way that new friendships are being established for you and just maybe this is how things should be. People are great or can be when the heart is touched. Take great pleasure with all your new found friends and give back when they're in your position. An to think this all came about from just one cat. What a world. P.S. Dont misjudge me Wayne, Im not a nice person. Take care.

I was searching for information to help me determine how long my beloved Milos had been gone. I woke up yesterday to discover she had passed away during the night. Unexpected.

At first I hesitated to read this page, that it would make me sadder, but I read it and it really helped. Thank you.

My Milos passed without warning -- absolutely no sign of anything wrong. She greeted me at the door the night before and we played, I brushed her and massaged her as I did each night, and we went to bed. Each morning she would sit on a chair next to the bed waiting for me to get up -- then get all excited when I did and she'd jump in the bed. My favorite time was when I woke up before the alarm and she'd be off prowling around and when she heard me move come flying into the room like, "Wait! I'm supposed to wake you up! Let's play!" There were mornings I'd wake up and she would be asleep on the chair - so cute, then she'd wake up and see that I was already up and get all excited... Yesterday I saw her lying in the chair, eyes closed, and within a moment my worst fear realized--she wasn't breathing. No sign of trauma; no sign of poison or any other unnatural cause. Just gone, and completely stiff. I just don't know what happened. All I know is she was 9 years old, and I hope she was very happy for all her days. I just hope she wasn't in pain. And oh how I hope she didn't cry out and I simply slept while she was calling for me -- it looks like she died while sleeping--very peaceful, but I just don't know. Your writings have helped me realize perhaps she simply died peacefully at home.

My cat died just a couple of hours ago. He was acting normal all day, he's an indoor cat, no signs of eating anything or getting anything he's not suppose to. We took very good care of him, he eats only cat food, water and some milk, no table food. Gets plenty of attention. He's up to date on shots. We were watching a move and he went to go eat a tummy full. He comes into the living room grooms himself, I scratch the couch to tease him to charge at my hand, and he did. About 15 minutes later he starts vomiting his food, then has a bowel movement and does both for 10 minutes, while I realize something doesn't seem right if he's not going potty in his litter. His tougue starts hanging out a little and eyes look glassy. This goes on for the 10 minutes, then I start looking for a clinic to take him to, another 10 minutes pass at the most. Then I check on him and he start vomiting blood and I'm starting to freak out but trying to think and get him to the car to go. I arrive 15 minutes later and then another 30-45 minutes pass and the vet doc says, he appears to be in bad condition and is dying. (He's had an I.V. tube all that time too). I looked in on him and he's vomiting blood again and getting excited but weak, believe me it was a little worse than I'm telling, he kept skirming too and the blood kept comming. I couldn't handle seeing him suffer, I then told them to please put him to sleep, he's suffering so much. They couldn't tell what was wrong other than something is going wrong on the inside. The doc said his lungs were filling with blood. Can someone please give me some insight. I am confused, upset, angry. Not sure if I made the right call or not. My husband and I didn't have more money to pay for a $2,000(if it got up to this amount) procedures such as x-ray and transfering him to another hospital and etc. I'm very upset that it all happened so fast it would make your head spin. We have a 14 month old and "Bobtail" our cat, help our baby learn to "meow" about 6 months ago. It was a male cat and he was like a brother to the baby and he was so good to the baby, even if once in a while the baby pulled his fur and the baby would wrestle wtih him a little and they both would paw at eachother. The baby would giggle at Bobtail and it was just so cute.

Thank in advance for any input,
Jackie

I'm so glad I found this site it has made this day easier to deal with. We lost our beloved cat Kelsey today. So much loss since the first of this year, first grandma and now my best friend. He was a cream-colored long haired male manx with attitude. For the last few months he has lost weight and so we thought it was his food. Then we tried different food, soft, small etc. Nothing seemed to work. Like some of the others on this website he was drinking massive amounts of water and we would constantly find him in the bath tub. He has always been a chunky boy (22lbs) but today when we took him to the vet he weighed only 10.9. The doc said that we could run a barrage of tests but it may only prolong his life for a few months. As the days have been going by we saw him deteriorate more and more to where today I just couldn't handle watching it any longer. We decided to euthanize him so he wouldn't suffer any longer. The hardest part was holding him in my arms on the way to the clinic and he always hated going to the vets. But he didn't struggle he just laid in my arms looking up in my eyes as of to say "Mommy, I'm so tired, please help me." It had to be one of the longest drives and hardest things I have ever had to do. I've never had a cat for this long. I have had him since 1993 when he was just a little hairball. We have shared many memories and a few relationships(some good some not)but he was the one good thing that stayed constant in my life. When I started a relationship with my friend and now my husband, Dan fell in love with my boy. He told me today the reason he became so close to him was that he "had attitude" and was the ultimate Alpha. I will truly miss my boy, my study partner, my best friend and one of the true joys in my life. Now I will have to comfort my little girl (calico-short hair)whom he took care of since she was a small kitten who'd been taken away from her mommy too young and he stepped right in and took over. He had massive paws and when she needed a bath he would just set one of those paws on her and clean her up just like a momma. I know she will wander the house calling for him and she will grieve too. So here is to my beautiful baby boy.....I will truly miss you and you will forever be in my heart.

I wanted to give condolences to all that have written about your pets and especially to the author who started this blog. I can really relate to "M" and "Jackie" who just like myself recently lost their pets. I wish I had answers to the questions of WHY things like this happen, why is it so painful like being kicked in the stomach or did I do the right thing or is there anything I should've done or could've of done differently. Then I realized that if my kitty could communicate to me right in this moment that he would comfort and somehow tell me in his unique cat way, that I didn't know that this was going to happen, I couldn't predict his future, I gave him a good and loving home, he loved me unconditionally, and God just has a plan. I'm not a "religious" person but I do believe that my kitty is in a good place with no pain or suffering and someday I will be with him again on the other side. So I hope these few words will give you comfort.

To Lani,

Thank you for the comfort and kind words. I was telling my 5 year old the same, that Bobtail has no more pain and trauma, that a higher power is taking care of of him now. I'm not real religious either, but must realize and believe something. Also thinking of the ways the cat made us laugh and helped our baby develop. Not only did Bobtail help the baby learn to make a meow sound but helped him crawl a little, something to chase after that looked so interesting to touch. It can be nerve racking to ask "why" and I've asked other vetrnarian's for some advice and finally just come to realization that I won't really know but like you said, we treated him with love and like a king. Those situations that happen unexpectedly and suddenly can be overwhelming. I've not dealt with trauma ever, I took it hard. It happened at 11:30pm Saturday night, I didn't get much sleep then and Sunday but finally got some sleep last night. I feel better now. Especially because we did barry him on Sunday. I had to keep Bobtail in the house until I could barry him the next morning after he passed away. I will get another cat in the next few months, so the my 5 yr old and the baby can have another little friend to play with but will still miss our bobtail. Thanks again!

I AM COMPLETELY DEVASTATED MY CAT MR MEOW PASSED ON SUNDAY MAY 7,06 MY BOY WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD AND ALWAYS AN INDOOR CAT I TOOK HIM TO THE VET FOR HIS YEARLY VISIT AND THEY TOLD ME HE HAD LOST ABOUT 2 1/2 POUNDS WHICH IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR A CAT TO DO. SO I HAD LOTS OF TESTS DONE ON HIM AND 2 THINGS CAME UP. THE 1ST WAS HE WAS VERY ANEMIC AND 2ND HE HAD INTERNAL BLEEDING. THE VET TOLD ME 3 THINGS COULD CAUSE THIS PARASITES, AN ULCER OR A TUMOR. SO WE WORKED ON THE SIMPLEST THING 1ST THE PARASITES HE SENT HIM MEDICINE FOR THE ANEMIA AND ANTI-PARASITE STUFF. HE SAID TRY THIS FOR 2 WEEKS AND BRING HIM BACK SO SEE HOW HE'S DOING. THE NEXT TWO WEEKS I FORCED MY KITTY TO TAKE THIS MEDICINE AND HE WAS DOING FINE EATING ABOUT 4-5 TIMES A DAY (NOT ALL THE REGULAR STUFF HE USED TO BUT FINE). THEN I NOTICED HE WAS BREATHING HEAVY I CALLED THE VET BUT HE ASSURED ME THE MEDICINE WASN'T DOING THAT. I WAITED UNTIL HIS NEXT VET VISIT AND BROUGHT HIM IN THE VET CHECKED HIS WEIGHT AND HE WENT UP 4OZ WHICH WAS A GOOD SIGN BUT HE TOLD ME THE BREATHING WASN'T GOOD SO WE DID X-RAYS. IT TURNED OUT ONE OF HIS LUNGS HAD COLLAPSED... THE VET TOLD ME WE SHOULD IMMEDIATELY PUT HIM THROUGH A SURGERY IN WHICH THEY WOULD REMOVE THE LIQUID IN HIS LUNG TO STUDY IT AND THEN WE COULD SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. THE NEXT DAY FRIDAY 5/5 I TOOK HIM IN NOT REALLY KNOWING WHAT TO DO I HAD DOUBTS I WAS SCARED OF LOSING HIM ALL I WANTED WAS TO SAVE HIM, I WANTED TO DO THE BEST THING FOR HIM AND I DREADED HIM SUFFOCATING TO DEATH SO I DROPPED HIM OF AND LEFT. THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD CALL ME WHEN THE SURGERY WAS OVER. ABOUT A 1/2 AN HOUR LATER I GET A CALL MY CAT HAD BLOOD IN HIS LUNG AND THE VET ASKED ME IF HE SHOULD REMOVE IT I TOLD HIM YES, THEN ANOTHER 1 HOUR LATER THEY ASKED ME TO COME IMMEDIATELY THAT HE WASN'T DOING WELL. WHEN I GOT THERE I ALMOST FAINTED MY BABY WAS LAYING ON A SURGERY TABLE WITH OXYGEN TUBES IN HIS MOUTH, IV'S IN HIS ARMS, THINGS IN HIS REAR, A MACHINE CHECKING HIS HEART. HE WAS DOING BAD. A FEW HOURS LATER HE BECAME STABLE THEY TOOK THE OXYGEN OUT AND HE WAS BREATHING ON HIS OWN BADLY BUT BREATING. AFTER ABOUT 2 DAYS OF STUGGLING HE DIED. THE VET SAYS THE BLEEDING WAS CAUSED BY A HIT, A KICK TO HIS STOMACH WHICH CAUSED HIM TO BLEED INTERNALLY AND INTO HIS LUNGS. AT THIS POINT I AM LOST I HAVE NEVER FELT THE PAIN I AM FEELING RIGHT NOW. NOTHING MAKES SENSE I CAN'T UNDERSTAND. I WISH I HAD SOME ANSWERS, IF ANY ONE CAN HELP ME PLEASE I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY FEED BACK.

My cat of 11 years died this weekend and I'm not sure why. I was looking on this site for similar stories, but can not find anything exactly alike. I am hoping someone can suggest what was wrong with her and make me feel better for not taking her to the vet a couple months ago. I am inconsolable even though my husband keeps telling me we did everthing we could and that she had a very happy life. I feel like I lost my baby.
She had showed very few symptoms recently. She had only gotten a little more fragile in the past year, gradually, and I thought it was just because she was getting older. In the past couple months I noticed that sometimes she would breath heavily, but she didn't seem to be in pain and she maintained all her normal activities. I read that if heavy breathing occurs while purring, it's normal. So I didn't take her to the vet. In the past month her appetite decreased alot, but she was still eating some every day and seemed happy and normal in all other ways. She didn't have any urinary problems like I would have expected if it was liver or kidney failure. Saturday after a nice day of napping, sitting on my lap, and the normal things, she suddenly was trying to vomit and couldn't get much out. She was foaming at the mouth. She was ok for 10 minutes and then just started to kind of drool like she couldn' t process the water she just drank. She was obviously in pain, breathing really hard and shallowly, and meowing frantically. We tried to rush her to the emergency clinic and she died on the way.
I know she didn't eat anything wierd or choke in those few minutes before she got sick. Does anyone know what this sounds like? i though maybe it was tumor or something, and I am torn up by guilt thinking they could have done something a couple months ago. I don't think i will ever forgive myself if this is true. I'm devastated. Any comments would really help me. thank you.

Hey i totally understand what you are feeling, my cat also recently passed away, just at the weekend. She was totally healthy at 10 years old, on the friday she was running about the garden and playing with me, i left to go see my boyfriend and gave her a kiss telling her i would see her on monday, my parents came home from work that nite and she was sleeping the way she loved to on warm evenings, she got up to get fed and my mum fed her, she went out side and never came back!
we found her lying dead in the garage, spread out on a blanket. My heart is broken and i keep going over in my head what could have killed her. She was fine one minute then dead the next, i think it was a heart attack or some sort of heart failure.
However we have got to be thankful that our cats didnt suffer for months on end and lived happy lives and were well loved. Your cat may have jus taken heart failure, and isnt it nice to think it didnt die alone in a strange place!i know you will miss her dearly and i know i will miss my cat forever and i will never stop loving her...

I own a 10 year old cat called Simba. He is absolutley adorable and i love him soo much ive had him since i was 6 years old. For 3 days hes not been enjoying his food and today we went and took him to the vet. She said that she thought she could feel a tumor under his throat by his jaw. Im feeling sick right now and we are taking him to the vets tomorrow morning, few days ago he was up and runnung now his struggling and timid. Please dont die Simba i love you so much.

Hi. It has helped reading everyone's comments. I don't feel so alone. My eighteen year old cat Jude died two days ago. She was my buddy. I feel like I let her down. She had been looking pretty bad the past six months and I brought her to the vet. They told me it was the thyroid and perscribed medication in a "treat" form. I asked for the liquid, because I knew my cat wouldn't eat the treat. But they made me attempt to use the treat first. I should have said no. That was a month ago and she wouldn't eat it even though I cut it up and put it in her food. I called two days ago and requested the other med. I was supposed to pick it up when I found her laying down on the basement floor. I think she had just died. My heart was broken. I've been through so much with that cat by my side. It makes me feel terrible that I didn't do something sooner. And now it's too late.

I'm glad that I found this page. I can totally sympathize with everyone on here who as lost an animal. Some people can't understand how much it hurts. The loss, the anger, the guilt that maybe there was something you could have done.

I had just gotten a Bengal in mid-March of this year. He was born January 31st, 2006. I named him Hiruko, and he quickly became my baby and the light of my life. I'm 30 years old and married. I don't have any kids, and I have never really wanted any. My own mother said that I went on and on about Hiruko just like most people do with their children. This little cat had ALOT of spunk. He would always jump in the shower with me, get in the sink when I was brushing my teeth, and he would constantly grab any roll of toilet paper he could find and shred it ALL OVER the place. He was very special to me.

I still can't really make any sense of what happened....
My husband and I were sitting in the floor by our coffee table on a July 11th, a Tuesday evening. Hiruko was sitting between us, because he just liked to always be near us. My coffee table is made from black metal and has a tiled top. Underneath, about 6 inches from the floor, it has a shelf made of several parallel bars that go across with about 2 inches between them.
Well, Hiruko got up and walked around to the other side, and for some reason, he just leaped towards us over the bottom of the coffee table. He landed in the middle, and he made a noise. He was laying on top of the bars, maybe in between them a little. I thought he broke his leg. I grabbed him off of there, and his back legs twitched a couple of times. I laid him down on the floor, and he wasn't breathing. He died right there. Just like that. In 5 seconds. I tried to give him mouth to mouth (snout, whatever), but even then I knew it wouldn't work.
It did NOT seem real. How could it be? My cat jumps over my coffee table (which he had done many times before), and dies? What the hell?

I still can't believe it happened. He never had a chance. He was only 5 months old. I guess he just landed wrong and broke his neck. His death was instantaneous. I cried so hard that night. Me and my husband. We went and buried him about a half hour after it happened. In his box, I put his stuffed bunny and his favorite ball and a roll of toilet paper I had found shredded just that day. When we got back home, my husband put all of his things away so I wouldn't see them. I just coudn't deal with it.

Even now, every time I take a shower, I think of him, and how he would squinch his eyes shut and "bite" at the water in the air. He would always get soaking wet. Every single thing reminds me of him, because there was nothing that wasn't shared with him. I think there has been 1 whole day I haven't cried at some point.

I wonder if maybe I twitched my toes under the table and he had jumped to pounce on them. I wonder if I hadn't have moved him if he would have died. I mean, I know he would have, but I feel all the guilt and remorse like I did something wrong. I know it was a freak accident, but still. I loved him so much. I still love him. I'm getting one of his siblings (from a different litter--same parents), because I want to have something that has parts of him in it. I feel guilty about that, as if he would think I was trying to replace him. I don't. I'm not looking for something to replace my love, I just need a place to place my love. I know his brother will not be him, and I never want to forget him. He was very special.

Just like everyone who has written about losing their pet. My heart goes out to you, it really does. I never really understood what loss was. I've never had a close family member or friend die. But I know it now. As do all of you. Thank you for writing your stories and for reading this one.

I am very devistated. My cat passed away on Sunday 8/20. Her name was Lola,very healthy, No signs of any problems. She was only 1 1/2 years old. She was my baby. I loved her very much and I feel that my heart has fallen all to peaces.
I had just came home and was starting to fix dinner and I heard this horrible gasping noise, I ran over to see what is was and it was my little girl, I touched her and she was very limber, she gasped one more time and then she was gone, It was fast! I am just so hurt and would love answers.
I called the vet they said she may have had cardiomyapothy a heart condition that would not have showed any sings. They couldn't be 100% sure without doing a autopsy. I just would love to know if this has happened to someone elses baby, because i just can't rest. I miss her so much and feel like a bi g part of me is missing.

I lost a 8 yr old pal named Sunnee last week. I am still so sad now. I miss all my little friends who should be here now.

For Lisa, I had the same thing happen to me with a little 1 year old kitty named Melody. She was beautiful. One time she jumped out the window, I yelled "Melody, No!" and she dropped. She recovered as I picked her up and didnt think anything of it. A few days later I heard a thump from the kitchen and there she was lying there. She took maybe 2 breaths with me by her side and she was gone. I had the vet do the autopsy so I would know why. It was cardiomyapothy. One side of her heart was not pumping blood.

I wish I could have kept Sunnee around a little longer. He was a wierd boy who ate spider webs. He had allergys and his lip was always puffy. Whenever I would take him to the vet, they would want to do biopsies and blood test. I would say ok, and that I sure wish we could find out whats wrong with him, cause I keep paying for test that say he was fine. I fed him Alley Cat brand wet food to see if he would like it and it made him so sick. I took him to the vet and he stabilized. He was eating baby food after that. Is that what killed him? I had another 12 yr old pal named Punky who was eating baby food towards the end. I look online for instructions on caring for a frail cat and I find nothing. It's too late for Sunnee. My other 3 cats aren't going anywhere. But what did I do? Once a cat goes septic, can it come back to health? It seems like the cats did better wasting away not eating enough. I am sorry Sunnee I fed you that crappy Alley cat food that you seemed to like.

I am haunted by his passing.

lisa, my six year old persian cat, Kenny, died yesterday. we woke up in the morning and found him dead. he was perfectly healthy. So i know how you feel- when everyone asks how i am doing, i tell them i feel like a teenager with a 'broken heart.' there's no other way to describe it.
i am actually having a necropsy (animal autopsy) done to find the cause, although my vet said the same as yours- the number one cause of sudden deaths in cats is a heart defect that goes undetected until death. So your vet is probably right. So there's nothing that you could have done. But the reason we are having the autopsy is bc my mom has a 7 yr. old persian cat (who had the same parents as my cat but was from a different litter) who died less than 3 wks. ago- the same way. So we are worried it's something else. For example, we were giving both cats these calming treats that are supposed to calm them when they travel or go to the vet. We have this strange feeling that they are the cause. Has anyone ever heard of this?

I googled 'cats' 'death' 'spirit' because this morning my cat Petey died.

It hurts, it hurts.

Petey was very shy. No surprise there -- he was a feral 2 month old when we found him and took him in before he became a meal for a coyote. When we took him to the vet for rabies shots and neutering his temperature shot up to 107F from the stress. The vet assistant who was doing intake that day stroked his thick orange coat. "He's not a short hair. He's not a long hair. He's a soft hair." That he was.

Though he always hid when visitors came, he was extravagantly affectionate with me. When I sat on the sofa he would knead my leg and do this loud, in and out purr. He loved to be carried on my shoulder -- only the left one -- and once he jumped from the back of a chair into my arms. He would 'walk' up onto my shoulder anytime he had the opportunity.

Very gradually he lost weight. Though he was only 8 years old, it became obvious he was not long for this world. He drank more and more water. His beautiful thick fur went lifeless and clumpy. Given Petey's fear of strangers, after the diagnosis, CRF, I avoided the medical merry-go-round.

Last night Petey staggered when he walked. He could not drink water. I took a dropper and let a few drops run over his tongue. Most of it ran out. His lips were gray purple, his eyelids puffy. I put some soft towels in a large pet carrier, put Petey inside and covered the outside with a few layers of sheets. It was dark and safe and soft, a place an animal would choose to die.

This morning when I checked on Petey, he was still
breathing. I took him out -- just had to hold him
-- and he took a great huge gasp and died in my arms.

I put him back in the carrier, his cave. There's no way I would bury him until he had gone stiff.

We took one last look at him, wrapped him in a pillowcase for a shroud, and buried him near the trees at the back of our yard.

It's rained all afternoon and our other three cats are strangely quiet.

Until dark today, I kept looking at Petey's grave, and the big Clethra plant I put there so that no animals could dig him out. I've been looking at websites that have to do with animals that have died, and their spirits. If you want to call your dead pet, speak his name three times, he will respond. You'll hear scratching at the door, or lapping water. I am not in any mood to hear that that stuff is nonsense. I said Petey, Petey, Petey. And darn if a few minutes later I didn't catch a whiff of Petey, the faint odor I had noticed in the last few days, when his fur was very close to my face.

And I've been thinking, talking to Petey in my mind, 'My dear cat, if you are going to be reincarnated down through time, how about spending a few more lives with me? '

Damn, I wish I hadn't read this. That poor thing. I hope he was not in any pain when he passed. It's still so upsetting despite being inevitable - the occurrence of death.

I feel a little better after reading everyone's personal stories. My cat died yesterday. She was 15 years old and had been with me since I was six - we had grown up together. She died of cancer at home and she fought for her life towards the very end. The most painful part was when she looked at me so helplessly and with such frightened eyes as if to say "why isn't anyone helping me? Doesn't anyone care that I'm suffering like this?". She started thrashing about and writhing in agony. She also began to gasp/hiccup as her body just lay there. As she was dying, I began to howl and howl - I was screaming and crying uncontrollably - she just looked so unreal. We took her immediately afterwards to the veterinary hospital for cremation. I of course didn't want to go, I wanter to be with her body for some time especially since I still had a little hope that she was still alive. But my father wanted to go as soon as possible because he didn't want a dead body lying around in the house. It's only after we walked back out of the hospital that I started to worry that she might still faintly be alive even though she had become stiff. I couldn't tell. I kept visualising her being cremated in the fire and feeling it because she was barely alive but not being able to do anything about it because she couldn't move. I think I'm still worrying about it. I should have asked the vet to check her thoroughly to see if her heart was still faintly beating. Instead the cremator just put her body immediately into a garbage bag and took her off.

This makes me cry. I had a cat that was like my best friend. I got her when it was thanksgiving. I was only four. I remember it well, it was my first memory. She use to bring me socks. She would "kill them." Bat her paw until it was "dead", scoop it in her mouth and put it by my side. One day I found eight socks on the side of my room. Last year, July 14, 2005, she got out my dad and never came home. She was 11 and had a happy life, but I won't ever forget her. I got a new cat, hoping she could replace, but it's not the same, you know? Every once in a while a cat like that comes a long.

I'm sorry. We are all here for you.
CallmeMaddy

I went on this website because my husband and I put our Pooh Bear "down" yesterday, August 30, 2006. She was 10 years old. I suppose it was about 6 months ago that I felt some lumps on her tummy and kinda ignored it until one broke through the skin, and it looked like this quarter sized red sore and it bled. That is when I took her into the doctor. Huge mistake. I should have done that earlier. The doctor suspected cancer and said that she needed to take out the lump..actually there were a few other lumps in her tummy. Anyway, the pathology came back....mammary cancer, very aggressive cancer, and the margins did not come back clear. So we did a second surgery so she could hopefully get rid of the cancer by removing the mammary glands on that side. That pathology did not come back clear either, but there was nothing we could at that point except for chemotherapy and we didn't want to put my cat through hell. I mean I saw my grandparents go through that and it killed them so fast. Anyway, just 2 months later, I felt lumps again, took her to the doctor, and the chest x-ray showed that it had spread to her lungs. I had noticed some odd behavior by Pooh Bear just a day before..her breathing. The vet said as soon as we noticed shortness of breath, we should put her down or she will suffer. Well, just a week later, the breathing became worse. Anyway, yesterday, we had to put her down, we decided to. I don't know if we even did the right decision...I feel like I killed my cat. Watching the vet do those injections and supposedly it is the humane thing to do...still I just don't know. Her eyes were twitching like she was having a seizure with the first shot and then the second shot and she was gone...it took like 30 seconds. I am in sooooo much pain right now. I suppose it is my selfishness wanting her here. Maybe we did the right thing? She was so loving, tender, innocent. I could go on and on. So I regret not taking her into the doctor sooner. Maybe if someone reads this and notices some lumps or something wrong, they can take their cat in to the doctor as soon as they notice. If I had done that, I would have my baby for longer. Miss you Pooh Bear!

I have been never look at any website for cat...
I'm doing this because my cat, Comel passed away yesterday... 1 September 2006. I really want to know how cat die? thats y im on the net...AFter 10 years with our family, she die outside of our house on the ground... I've been crying since 6.00 p.m when i got to know about the death. yep still crying untill now and couldnt sleep. Horrible!!

I love my cat... i love my cat so much and ignore her for the last 3 weeks because im too busy... i kind of regret.... very regret!
I dont notice any changes maybe Im too busy.... or i dont realize that shes sick. Oh God! I just want to why she die.... some neihbour said that they heard dogs and cat's voice iutside the house... but it doesnt seems dog bite her theres no sign..... Comel die on the ground as the same the way she sleep.. mayb its timie for her o have a peace rest.... I hope she have great life with us in this 10 years time....

I hope and wish whoever has pet.... love them and dont ignore them because we dont know when we will see them again...

To Comel, you bring a joy and happiness to me and my family.. we never have pet before and not for fuure.... Thank you Comel.

~wardah, Malaysia

To Wardah,

I am so sorry for your loss. I'm still crying too.

My cat, Bella died just before sunrise this morning. We got a new kitten a week ago and Bella didn't like it. Trying to avoid it she stayed outside most of the time. She wouldn't come when we called her. So we started drivng to school and there she was in the road. I didn't go to school today because it wa such a heartbreak. I have been crying for hours. This was the kind of cat that will never leave your heart. I was there to witness her birth (2-3 years ago). She loved us like no other cat did and we did the same. I still can't get the image of her on the road. She looked the same as normal road kill, and that is not what she deserved. I miss my kiity, and I wish she would come home soon.

I am not a native English-speaker. I read all web sites I could find about the death of a cat in my own language, I read that the time that would heal. But the fact is that my cat died because of my fault. I think I will always have to live with it in my life. He died three days ago. He was only 2 years old. In the spring of this year I lost my father. Then this summer was very hard for our cat. After my father died we didn't allow for our cat to go outdoors. But the cat really wanted to. I live in a big city. Once I sprayed clothes with a sprayer against clothes moth, on the window sill, with the window open, and quite forgot to wipe the window sill. A few days later the cat was sitting on that window sill and perhaps, his his paws on that place and he got sick afterwords. He lay motionless and we took him to the vet, and the vet gave him an injection against intoxication, and the injection helped. In a short while the cat vomited and then started to drink water and little by little ate his food and he became himself again. After a few days passed I boiled clothes, the cat was at home and sleeping. Perhaps, because of that he got sick again. And again the vets helped. Then the cat was sick for no reason, but soon again well. Though he started to spend much time sleeping on the balcony, as if he were a gelded he-cat. I should have thought that he was not healthy enough and take him to the vet or have him pass through urine tests. Instead, I washed him with anti-flea shampoo (I read the label attentively, the label said the degree of shampoo toxicity was slight). On the third day the cat was sick. The injection the vets made didn't help that time. On the next morning the cat couldn't stand on his feet. I hurried to the vet again, they made him three other injections, but in a few minutes after we brought him home he died. I simply cannot understand why I behaved like that. Why I had to apply that shampoo instead of taking him to the vet and check his health. I had thought a cat has a very strong health and we have a saying in our language "heal up as a cat". I hadn't thought that would be a last straw that would kill him. Even when we brought our cat home on his last day I really hoped he would recover. I thought our cat did pass through that, so he would recover again. The vets said the cat had sick kidneys and liver. But could they not have said that on our first visits to them? Or maybe he didn't have sick kidneys and liver at that time. The cat liked to sleep on the window sill, and in winters it is rather cold there. His kidneys were exposed to cold. We tried not to allow him to sleep there, but he would stubbornly go and lie there. He died on his favorite window sill. I miss our cat so much. Everyone said he was so clever. I feel really guilty that I caused his death. I can still feel how I touch him and stroke him and he moves his head closer to me for me to stroke him, how he sits in my lap, or I hold him like a baby. I have so vivid recollections of him. He was a favorite member of our family. He trusted us so much, and how I could have done such thing to him. I wish I could bring back the time just a week ago. I still cannot really believe. Just a few days ago he was alive. I cannot stop crying. I cry even more than when my father died. Just that the cat was so dear to us and I betrayed him.

I just lost my first cat, Bailey, today (actually Sept. 9th - I can't sleep) on my 11th Wedding Anniversary. He was a gift to me on my first Wedding Anniversary. He was 10 years old. He died outside unexpectantly in my next door neighbors yard. He looked like he was sleeping in one of his favorite positions with his cute little face laying on his extra-toed paws. He was a beautiful healthy black cat who loved the outdoors. What happened? I thought I would of had at least 4-6 more years.

My children were home at the time and each one was upset at different times of the day. Right away my youngest screamed for me to "wake him up now Mommy, I want Bailey back!" It felt like someone just stabbed me in the heart. My middle son started to cry hard just as it was bedtime and cried himself to sleep in my arms. My oldest can't fall asleep and is fighting from thinking about it because it makes him sad.

It hurts so much right now and hurts even more to see how much this is hurting my children. I am puzzled and shocked that Bailey is gone. He followed me everywhere I walked in the house. I use to trip over him. I am now constantly looking for him. I keep thinking he is just around the corner.

I find some comfort from a few of the previously mentioned stories that are similar to the story of Bailey's death. I thought 10 was too young to die and that it's my fault because I didn't do something to prevent it. It feels awful knowing that he died outside during the night while I slept peacefully. He was my first baby and I will miss him greatly!!!

I love you Bailey! I miss you so much. Never in a millions years would I of thought the death of a pet would hurt so much.

I woke up at 5:30 this morining to the dog barking (outside), so I got up and I didn't see Kenobi in any of his usual spots, so I started looking for him and found him on the living room floor DEAD!!! He was still slightly warm. This was so shocking and sudden it took a while to sink in that it wasn't a bad dream.

He had been acting kind of strange lately prefering his pillow to our laps and he peed on me!, but other than that he was acting normal. We thought his behavior was because we let the dog in the house and had started keeping the cats out of our bedroom so we thought that he was mad at us. Looking back, if his behavior had changed without these surrounding circumstances, we would have taken him to the vet, the timing was just bad I guess.
I can't stop thinking about the what ifs and whys, why didn't we take his behavior more seriously, what if I had woken up in time to get him to the emergency vet..... I miss him, and keep crying.
I don't think Chloe (our other cat) has noticed he is missing yet, but she has been extra affectionate.

My flatmate's cat died peacefully when i discovered this as early as six this morning. I've been living in this flat for two years, happily with a cat's family of five. They meant a lot to my flatmate, not as much as to me, though. However, the joy we shared with this cat, and also with my flatmate, meant more than just friends, or just a little creature that we only feed routinely every day. Not knowing the reason why Si Si passed away, we, as a Chinese saying goes, believe that she might have prevented a disastrous event from happening that should have possibly happened to us.

Coincidentally, I'm also going to leave and end this relationship with my flatmate. But i'm sure the good memory will share a place in my heart.

my cat cassie is dying she cant even walk because she is weak i need help please.

Take Cassie to the vet and have her put away - it's a hard thing to do, but it is humane not to ket animals suffer.

I had my cat out down a few years ago. It was an ornery, noisy, part Siamese femlae who was protective of the yard and refused entry to strange cats - sometimes even to strange people.

She had, arthritis, thyroid porblems and failing kidneys, and the week we put her down, I remember her putting to flight a strange cat - slapped it around and chased it through a hole in the fence. Loyal to the last, and I still miss her.

Haley-

My cat died last night. He had feline aids and leukemia and had lost more than half of his body weight. He was having a hard time getting up the last 2 days and had quit eating, and was peeing in his bed. I talked to a vet about putting him down yesterday afternoon but I was too afraid to let him go and decided to wait one more day. A few hours later he started having seizures that lasted for almost 2 hours and then he died. It was a horrible thing to see and I was unable to contact my vet (or any vet) for help. I found out after he died that he wouldn't have been conscious when the seizures were happening but it was an extremely traumatic thing to see.

I really wish I had let the vet put him down. Sometimes that is the best way for a kitty to go. I put another sick cat down a few months ago and it was very quick and looked painless - he died in about 10 seconds. If you don't have it in you to put your Cassie down, at least talk to your vet about how things might go if she dies at home. I wish someone had warned me. So sorry you are going through this.

To Emily and everyone who has lost their dear cat. I am so sorry. I also lost my cat/my best friend/my baby a few weeks ago. She had been with us (my husband and I) for so many years. She got cancer, and we tried to save her through surgery, but it came back so fast and spread to her lungs. She started having these episodes panting, coughing, couldn't breathe very well with even just climbing stairs (the vet told us to watch for that). The vet said we might have a month..we only had a week. My husband was so adamant to have her put down when we started noticing the symptoms getting so worse, and I wanted to hold on like so many of us do. I finally gave in.....we had the vet put her to sleep, and as much as it hurts me, I think it must have been okay for her. She collapsed against me when she "fell to sleep." I have been so devastated about all of this for all this time (I felt like I killed her), but then I read about your story Emily, and I feel like maybe I did the right thing. Thank you. And I'm so sorry about your kitty. I think all our cats must be in a better place now, not sick, not hurting...we will see them again one day.

My Bella died yesterday after a short battle with cancer. My heart is broken and I miss her so much.

My cat Milky Way died today. She has been sick the last couple of weeks and I knew this was coming. About a year ago, she kept having these "episodes". At first I thought they were seizures and only recently did the vet finally discover she had a heart condition. My precious kitty, the sweetest cat ever, spent 14 happy years with our family. She would pick up her toys and carry them around while "meowing". She also slept with me every night, curled up right next to my head, purring as loud as she could. She was a good kitty. She went to the vet a couple weeks ago for her yearly checkup and an asthma shot. The vet commented that her heart was still sounding "off" and reminded of the pills. Milky had recently stopped eating the canned food with the crushed up pill, she didn't like the taste and figured out why she was getting those special treats. After trying a couple different methods, I successfully fed her what was her last pill last night with a new brand of cat food. She had been breathing very heavy recently and I planned on taking her to the vet tomorrow because I scheduled to be off work. So, I came home from a long day at work. I stopped at a Sonic for some dinner and just had this awful thought that I wouldn't get to eat my food because of something tragic happening. Sure enough. For the past month or so, the first thing I do when I walk into the house or wake up in the morning or leave a room for more than 20 minutes, is check on Milky to see if she's ok. This time she wasn't. She was lying stiff and lifeless in my closet. Not sure how long she was there. I did tell her goodbye this morning, like I always do. I will miss her. She was a good cat.

I know I rambled a lot and probably didn't make any sense whatsoever, not even sure if anyone will read this, but it helped. Don't know how I will fall asleep tonight knowing I'll never have a cuddly purring kitty to snuggle like that again. Love you precious.

Our sweet & snuggly cat, Sadie, died unexpectedly this morning. She was pitch black with velvet fur, and round yellow eyes, and only 4.5 years old. She was eating breakfast at 6am, and then at 6:50am my husband & I heard her & our other cat hissing & yowling in the other room. (We assumed they were doing their usual "cat-fight & makeup" play.) I got into the room and found Sadie on the bed, panting heavily, but intact (i.e. no fur tufts missing, which would sometimes happen when they played). I pet her, and then went back to feeding our baby, and at 7am, I heard Sadie yowling again, this time in the hallway. She was on her side, panting heavily, and then peed all over the floor. My husband checked all of her paws for injuries, but she didn't flinch or cry out. Then, she quickly wobbled into our bedroom, and hid under the bed while we were cleaning the mess up. I ran to get her carrier, and by the time that I got back upstairs, she was further under the bed. As I was trying to remove the mattress & planks, telling her she would be ok, Sadie died right in front of me.

Our beautiful Sadie was fine an hour before, and then gone. Admittedly, she was overweight, but she never had any kind of problem before. It's so surreal; my husband and I are still in disbelief, and we've been crying on and off all day. After reading Lisa's & Debbie's comments, I think Sadie may have also had a heart defect. Can anyone tell us what may have happened? Every time I close my eyes, I see her, and I'm heartbroken.

My cat died Friday (10/6). He was an indoor/outdoor cat and very well taken care of. He threw up food the Wed before I went out of town. I thought it was weird but would be ok. Then I went out of town the next day and came back Monday night. I have no idea if he had been eating that weekend or still vomiting. I came back into town Monday night and my husband said he had been throwing up white foam and sounded like he was burping really loud Monday. I checked on him. He seemd a little sick but not really that bad. He was still walking. He meowed to me several times like he wanted something or wanted me to do something but I did not know what to do. Then Tues and Wed he was moping around, really weak but still walking and drinking lots of water (as usual). Then Thurs night he threw up a lot of water and I decided we should take him to the vet. We could not take him to the vet the next day (Friday). He was not on the porch Friday morning and my husband found him laying in the yard Friday afternoon. He was still alive but looked terrible. I had a feeling he may be dying. Then he called the vet and the vet was already gone for the day. They told us to take the cat to this place we did not trust and really felt like the vet did not care and only wanted money. We decided we would take cat to the vet the next morning when the vet we liked and trusted would be there. I just knew he could hold onto the next morning. Then we went to get dinner and run errands. When we got back the cat was dead. I feel so terrible. I cannot stop crying and thinking I did not do anything to help him. I feel like those cries were for me to try and help him live but I let him down. I miss him a ton and am so confused as to why he died. He was only 3 years old????? I got him right after I got married and he was all i had when we moved to a new place and my husband travelled all the time. He was really spoiled but I feel like I jsut let him die b.c I was too busy to take him to the vet. And I am mad at my husabnd too b/c I feel like he did not do some things he should have done, like look for the cat harder Friday morning or find another vet in the area Friday afternoon. By the time I got home on Friday all the local vets were closed and the only option was the vet we did not like. I am not blaming my husband, I definatley feel like it was my fault. But I am really sad and miss my cat. The main thing is that I am confused as to why he did and feel like I did not do anything to help him and he wanted to live.

My cat Gradus died this weekend. It was not a huge surprise, but it has been hard nonetheless. He was a great cat, one I picked up on my porch in a blizzard over 10 years ago, when I was much younger than I am today.

Gradus has been around for a lot. At least 10 girlfriends have loved or hated him. Dozens of mice have been captured and died in his claws. 10 apartments, one mountain cabin, and finally the house I bought last year, he called them all home. He lived his life in Montana, Colorado, Oregon, and most recently in Colorado once again.

I will miss him. I am grateful that he was a happy cat, that he used up all 9 of his lives, that I saw him climbing a tree just a week ago, and that he did not suffer for long when his ticket was finally up.

Thanks Emily for being there for him in those last hours when I was not home and could not be there.

My daisy may died..this sunday October 15th..2006.. She was born on April 15, 1994.. I was there.. She joined me through 4 relationships. one marriage.. one divorce.. moved out of state.. and up and down the state of California with me.. My one unconditional love I have... She died..at 12 and a half years.. and could have lived longer..had my vet. treated and tended to her better. I blame myself. A tumor went untreated, I could not find a vet to treat her tumor.. she could not breath this passed Saturday night. as I took her to her final rest at the horrible steel table.. and watched her eyes.. as her soul left. I cannot get the horrible image out of my mind. I watched my Daisy come into this world... and I watched her leave.. God Bless my best friend.. God bless my tuxedo pet.. of 5 pds.. Daisy May.. Cancer took her..

God bless all of you. I believe pets are closer and better friends than humans.

I am so sorry to hear about daisy. My cat died a couple of weeks ago and it is so hard. Pets really are the best friends. I know daisy knew you loved her. The horrible steel table of death---I understand.

Pepper, my cat died exactly one year ago. He was a Main Coon and I will never forget him. He arrived as a kitten when I was newly divorced, bringing up my two boy on my own. He was a Godsend. He cheered us up, made us laugh, befriended each one of us individually and we completely adored him. I have had other cats in my life but this one was like a person. I still feel the sense of loss, when he was run over, at the age of 7 and absolutely in his handsome prime.

Robyn,
I lost my cat to cancer too. I'm so sorry for your loss (and to everyone else out there who has lost their pet). It hurts so much. It's so painful. I lost my cat 2 months ago and I still can't get over it. I cried when I read your story and so many others on this website. It helps somehow I think, to know we are not alone in our pain. Everyone has their time to go I suppose. It seems so unfair though.

My cat was this huge cat...very plump. She was a ragdoll with a huge round face and big blue eyes and huge paws. She had a massive tail. What a beauty. What a sweetheart too. She never lost her kitten habits. She would crawl in my hair at night and knead her paws as if she was feeding on her mommy. She would also check herself out in the mirror constantly..it was so silly. Gosh I miss her. Sorry to go on and on.

Anyway, I hope that soon you can think about the good memories of your kitty and not think about her passing on. She was loved.

It has helped me to read all of your comments and to know that so many others love their cats in the way that I do. One of my cats, Big Daddy, passed away on 14 Oct 06 from FIV complications. I returned home from work to find that he had passed in his sleep. His face looked so beautiful like a newborn kitten. I am grateful that he went peacefully but my heart is broken just the same. Big Daddy was the sweetest street cat that I ever met. I was the first human to touch him and he trusted me completely after some time. Big Daddy had lived with me for only 10 months when I took him from the streets in Kuwait. Although the time was short, the love and lessons learned will last forever. Sweet dreams, Big Daddy. Rest in peace, I love you and miss you dearly.

We lost Scooter this morning. Very quick, and I don't think he suffered. There were no warnings -- he simply passed away during the night. The vet said that it was probably a stroke. I am very comforted from those who say that we will see our pets again on the other side. I hope you're right. I can't believe how much I miss him. I've had a number of cats over the years, but I think I'd have to label Scooter as the nicest. He was patient, forgiving, and 100 poounds of love in a 10 pound package. Geez, this hurts!

I lost my precious boy, my Bubba just yesterday 10/22/06 and I am devastated. It looked like he went in his sleep. I miss you, precious boy. I have been crying on and off and I was very glad to find this site. I am at work now with the mental capacity of a staple gun. Bubba was a very special cat...he was my best friend and I hope I get to see him again someday.

I lost my baby girl, Cleo, after almost 15 years of love and companionship. She died on Mon 10/23/06 in her favorite room of the house. I miss her so much and it feels like the tears will never stop. She had been losing weight for quite some time and she had been vomiting often. The vet wasn't sure what was wrong with her but he gave her a SQ shot for hydration. He said we could run a lot of tests to determine the problem but I didn't want to put her through all the stress. Now I feel like I should have. I'm feeling all kinds of guilt in thinking about things that I didn't do that maybe I should have.

She seemed ok that morning when I left around 10am but when I got home around 6pm, I found her laying there on her side, lifeless, eyes and mouth open. There were small drops of dark colored feces near her and a few stained swirls under her body as if she had been dragging around or something. I don't know what she went through as she was dying. But I wish I had been there so that maybe I could have done something to help. I feel like she needed me and I wasn't there and she died alone. I hope the pain lessens as the days pass. I hope she knows how much joy she brought me and how much I will always love her.

Before today I would have never appreciated the significance a thread of comments like this could have to me, so I want to add my own experience and say thank you to all of you.

My sidekick, Miss Kitty aka Kitten aka Buddhakitty aka Boobahs lol, passed away yesterday morning of kidney failure. Recently she had been acting strange exhibiting many of the behaviors described here by others. Finally I took her to the vet who said she was very sick and took a blood test, gave her fluids under the skin, and groomed her. She seemed much happier afterwards and I thought she might pull through. She had been hanging out and sleeping outside for the last few days, which was very unusual for her. In the middle of the night though she came in and jumped up on the bed. She started talking to me and trying to snuggle up next to my chest. As she was not a big talker and *always* preferred to snuggle up next to my legs I knew this was it and knew that she knew it too. So I stayed with her and pet her until I fell asleep. I awoke at about 7:45am and found that she had moved onto the floor next to the bed and was in her last throws of life, unconscious but eyes open and occasional gasps. The realization put me into shock and I threw up and passed out (this was a very unusual involuntary experience I had never had), waking up half an hour later to find her dead.

Before reading online posts I struggled a bit with thoughts of "if I had taken her in sooner" or "could I have saved her if I hadn't gone unconscious myself." But now I understand that there isn't much you can do for a kitty in the final stages of renal failure, and that she died in the way she wanted: groomed, comfortable (as much as she could be) in my company, in her own time. The one thing that I am so glad about is that when she came in to communicate that the end was imminent, I put everything else aside (I am always so busy and preoccupied) and just focused on her until the end.

Our pets depend on us, and when you can't do anything for them or don't know what to do, it makes you feel terrible. I feel better knowing this experience was not unusual and that I did not fail her in some way. I really needed that understanding for me to be ok, so thank you to you all and hopefully others find some comfort in my own story.

By the way, I buried her on my parent's land and in such a way that hopefully she will soon become an apple tree. When I dug the grave I found gravenstein (literally translates to gravestone!!!) apples littered about, which I found odd because there is no apple tree there that I am aware of, so I took it as a hint and seeded her grave with them. Bye Miss Kitty I loves you.

I lost my big boy Cosmo (aka. Mr. Whiskers, Mr. Bumbles, The Bumber, Good Boy) on Saturday, November 25th. I am devastated. He was such a good boy. He was only 5 years old. It happened very suddenly. I had a friend over and we were talking. All of the sudden, he started going into some type of convulsion. I picked him up and his whole body was shaking. He wasn't sick at all. In fact he was acting very cute as always. We were just talking about what a sweetie he was and how he sits near company. I knew by the way he was shaking that it wasn't good. I kept saying to him, "Don't die on me!" and in a few seconds his body was like a rag doll. He was such a beautiful cat. His limp body lay with his tongue out. I tried to give him mouth to mouth but he was already gone. Why did he have to leave so soon. I tried so hard to save him. Why couldn't I just save him. I thought for sure he would be around for at least another 5 years. It doesn't make sense.

My grief is so great. I don't know what to do. He was my special kitty. We had a tremendous bond. He would lick my face and give me "cat kisses" which he didn't do with anyone. I used to say I was his "cat momma".

Anyone who met him commented on how good he was. Even people who did not like cats.

When I first met my husband, he was allergic to cats. I told him that if we ever got our own house, he would have to put up with it. Almost 10 years later, Oct 2001, we bought our first house. By December 19th 2001, we brought home Cosmo. I waited so long to get him. I always loved cats. When I could finally get my own, I went to the Anti-Cruelty several times. It wasn't until I picked him up and he showed me his belly I knew it was love. My husband said he wouldn't let him sleep in the bed. That lasted all of 1 hour. My husband became immune to his allergies and he became a best friend to Cosmo also. Now, less than 5 years since we got him, he dies out of the blue.

My husband was out when it happened. I called him to come home immediately. He was there when he was still warm. He dug a hole in the backyard to bury him. I didn't want him to get buried so soon. I felt like it was too soon. I just wanted to hug him one more time.

He was a beautiful black and white tuxedo cat with perfect markings. His fur was like velvet and he smelled so good. I would pick him up every time I saw him and he didn't mind one bit.

I love you so much Cosmo, I wish you were here.

Jackie, truly sorry about Cosmo. Take care.

I just sent this letter off to my daughters. At present, my poor Sequel is lying on top of my washer, and I held him for the longest time, petting him, and watching for any sign that he was still with me. He is stiff and cold, but still I hope. I found Slash hiding under the sewing machine, hair on his back standing up straight, and I picked him up and petted him, and talked to him, telling him hoe much he means to me. I think Bill thinks I'm crazy, but he is very sympathetic. I do believe that cats have souls, I truly do. I believe this with my whole heart, because Slash knows when I am upset ot angry or hurting, and does his best to comfort me. Now it is my turn to comfort him, in his loss, which is as real to him as mine is to me. I am asking for help and guidance from both my family, and my Maker!

Hi, Girls,

Bill woke me this morning, very gently, with some bad news. Sometime overnight, the younger of our two cats, Sequel, curled up on the couch in the living room, and went to sleep, and slipped peacefully away.

This leaves us with a pretty bewildered Slashie, who is now about sixteen or seventeen years old. The two have been companions since Sequel was born, with Slash playing the part of surrogate 'uncle' to Sequel. I think it was the fact that Slash realized that the little one was pure black, like himself, that helped him form an instant bond with the newcomer.

Those of you who visited us are probably more familiar with Slash than Sequel. Sequel was the shy one, who normally ran and hid when people came into the house. He was of a far more nervous temperament than his companion. But he will be missed, especially by me, and of course, by Slashie as well.

Any suggestions on how to comfort a now-lonely cat will be helpful, aside from bringing a new one into the house. Right after the New Year, we plan on driving down to Florida for Abby's first birthday, and I think that will be a crucial time for Slash. We do have a friend who will be coming in to make sure he has food and water, but for the most part he will be all alone.

Love, Mom

I can sympathize with everyone's pain. I lost a cat last year to cancer. My 17 yr old cat is now slowly slipping away and not eating and I'm struggling now with deciding to "go all out" and see what's wrong or just peacefully let him go?

I had an experience last year that brought me a lot of peace. I'll share the story here, perhaps it will bring peace to someone else. I also volunteer at our local humane society and have contact with lots of animals there.

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2005 was a hard year for us. We lost two dogs and a cat (old age, heart failure, cancer). The house seemed lonely and empty. One day in December I had the day off work and I slept in and had this dream:

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I am in the bedroom putting away laundry. My poodle Spike is on the bed watching me. As I turn back away from the drawers towards the bed I see my little cockapoo LittleLady that passed away 3 years ago curled up on the pillows. (I know in my dream that she has already passed away) I walked over to her and pet her. I pick her up in my arms and carry her out to the living room where my husband is watching tv and dozing on the couch. I say "look honey, look who came to visit us". He pets her on the head also.

Time jumps forward a few seconds and I realize my lap is empty and my husband has dozed off. I wake him up and ask if he saw what I saw. He mumbles "LittleLady" and falls back asleep.

I go back into the bedroom and resume putting away laundry. This time when I turn back around every animal I have ever had in my lifetime is surrounding me in the bedroom. I also see some animals that I have crossed paths with from my work at the animal shelter.

Patty the calico cat is on a pillow (passed in 1998). Peanut (passed of cancer this year) is on the end of the bed. LadyG (heart failure, this year) is lying on the floor near the bed with her tail wagging. LadyWise (passed last January at age 17) is on the other side of the bed. My little chihuahua Harry from my childhood is on the end of the bed also, as are BigCat, BabyCat, Artie, BooBoo the poodle, Trixie the shepherd, and also a couple of dogs I don't recogize. I feel very happy, peaceful, and in wonder and awe.

And then I woke up......

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I found out today that my cat has a couple weeks more to live. I don't know what to do. I'm absolutely devastated. I got her when I was in kindergarden and now I'm graduating high school. She follows me wherever I go. She is the most loving, compassionate cat. I honestly don't know how I will live without her. :(

I just wanted to add my experiences to those of you all. I have been very sad the past 2 weeks as my wonderful companion/friend of 14 1/2 years passed away on March 27. He had been taken ill by eating some of the recently recalled food and there is no vet near where I live and I had to take care of him myself. I tried so hard to save him but I just couldn't and he died laying beside me on my bed. I know he has a spirit and he has gone to the other side but I really miss his physical being. I hope his spirit will visit me sometime. He was a wonderful, loving pet (cat). He came to live with me when my other cat died suddenly 14 1/2 years ago. I know she sent him to be with me and comfort me and I have loved him every day since. When he died, he cried out 3 times and I believe that is when his spirit left his poor body. I have another cat, 6 years old and I love him too. I hope he does not get sick and die fromt he food. I don't think he ate any of it.

Thanks for letting me get this off my chest. I am so very sad. I guess I just need time.

Love to you all and I am sorry for all your losses too. Animals are so very forgiving and loving.

I am so sad. My kitty Peanut is in bad shape. She has liver problems and has lost weight. After a vet stay of a few days she seems to be worse than she was when we first took her in. The vet wants to do every surgeru there is and seems to be just after my money, which I don't have. Estimates for surgery are $6,000 then when I ask for a breakdown the estimate drops to $2,000. What happened to vet's just wanting to help instead of nickel and diming owners? I always say if I win the lottery I am opening a vet practice for pet owners who can't afford the prices vet's charge. We have assistance for people why can't we do it for our animals? Mark my words, if I do ever come into money that assistance will happen for pet owners. This is only part of my frustration. I am crying as I am writing this because my baby is on a blanket fighting for her life on so many types of medicine. I am praying she takes a turn for the better and is back eating and walking like she was prior to taking her to the vet. A mass was found near the liver which could be a tunor or a infection, I am hoping for just the infection because it can be treated. What happened? Why is she worse off now than 2 days ago when I dropped her off? I thank you for having this board and allowing me to vent. I am devastated to the point I can't even function. She is only 7 and is the sweetest cat. Since the day I found her by a dumpster she has been my baby, please pray for her as I am doing for all your babies.

Reading everyone's comments about their kitties has really helped me get through the death of my cat Alberta Einstein. She died peacefully in her bed a few hours ago. She was 16 and her health had been failing lately. It is heartening to read of the love some many people have for their pets. I really feel bad for the pets and owners who are affected by the tainted pet food that has touched so many families. These "random" acts remind us that life is fleeting and sorrow must not be allowed to cover our love.

Hi, i am so glad I found this web page. One of my cats died a few days ago. I got her and her two sisters when they were 4 weeks old. They were very sickly at the time, I found them outside and took them in. At the age of two month, one of the sisters called Hearts died and I discovered that they all had leukemia. But I decided not to put them to sleep but to let them leave for as long as they would. This May they would be 2 years old but one of them suddenly died. I found Coral-Bell on this Saturday morning, dead, in a dried up puddle of yellow vomit. My heart almost broke when I saw her lying there dead, I will remember that image until the day I die. Now that I think back, I noticed a change in Coral-Bell's behavior two month ago. She suddenly started to be afraid of everything, including me. This was very unusual for an extremely friendly cat. There wasn't really anything else. I wanted to know the exact reason for her death, it could be any of numerous complications of leukemia. I took her to the vets office this weekend and asked the vet to do an autopsy. She is going to do it tomorrow.The last surviving sister Lilly is doing well so far, although I think her appetite decreased. I have a feeling that this little one is going to be lost soon too.

I really hope that animals go to Heaven. Otherwise, it would be such a waste of so many beautiful souls.

Hi. I am also so glad I found this web page. My cat died yesterday. I went on vacation for 9 days and left her in PetSmart PetHotel. She was recently had a vet check up and was in great health. I picked her up on Saturday at 6pm from the PetHotel. The thing that kills me is that before she was brought out the receptionist told me that the cat was doing great and was using her litter box. They must have had her confused with some other cat. They gave her to me limp and with her eyes sealed shut. I was in shock and gave her back to them so that they could do something about her eyes. They cleaned her eyes and gave her back to me. She was 7 pounds when I dropped her off and when I picked her up she was 4 pounds. I was hoping that she would bounce back after being home and that she was only a little dehydrated. She appeared very dehydrated but I was hoping that being home she would get better. When we got home, she drank tons of water and licked her food. She walked as if she was dehydrated but cuddled up to the beagle and fell asleep so I hoped that she would be fine for the night. The next day we had a nor'eastern and my vet was closed so I had hoped to ride out Sunday. She did seem comfortable sleeping although she didn't eat Sunday but she did drink water. First thing yesterday, I woke up and waited for the vet to open but it was too late. Overnight, she got really weak and died a few hours after I dropped her off in the vet. My thoughts are that she passed due depression and kidney failure. Someone else on this page confirmed my thoughts about her kidney failure. She was drinking a ton of water for weeks. She was almost 16 years. I only had her for a little over 2 years. She was originally my cousin's cat for a semester in college then she was left to my grandfather until he moved to a new place two years ago and couldn't keep the cat. Poor cat but she was finally happy and wanted in my home with my two dogs for the last two years of her life. She finally found a place to call home in my house.

We just buried Our Sweet Gentle Cat " Stretch " right Next to Her Sister " Morsel " who died just a month ago. They were Our Children & We are so Heart-Sick. " Morsel " suffered for some time & then Had no more strength to keep going. Her " Sister Stretch Looked Around EVERY corner each day & night But No More " Morsel ". We took Stretch to the Vet at 7a.m. & She had every test done But passed away at the Vet's office. We picked Her up & buried Her next to Her Beloved Sister " Morsel ". Did " Stretch " simply just Give up on Life because She missed " Morsel "?? Well The Vet could not find a thing so I will always wonder What happened & Why ?? Our Hearts are aching & the pain is Great. The memories are so strong & Have always Filled Our Days with so much Love & they will Last Forever. May They Rest In Peace. WE Love & Miss You Girls so Much. And it hurts so bad. In Our Hearts Foever & Ever.. Bye..

i'm afraid my sweet kitty Spot is slow