http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Tue, 8 Jul 2008 11:05:53 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-731502 My heart goes out to all of you who have shared your hearts with a beloved cat. I have two adopted shelter cats, both 6 years old. A dear friend of mine just had to put down her beloved 15-year-old cat. How well do I understand the pain of loss (and sometimes guilt) that one feels when you lose your kitty, whether by illness, old age or by accident. I too have suffered the emotional loss of several cats and dogs over the years. Please, all of you, consider adopting another cat (or two!). There are so many wonderful kitties available in your local shelter – many are kittens, but please keep your hearts open to adopting an older cat, too. They are all in need of good homes and much love. And God bless all of you for your love and care. 731502@blogcritics.org Tue, 8 Jul 2008 11:05:53 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-729481 Hello, I found this site while googling about dealing with cat death. It helps a lot to read other peoples' responses and to know that other people feel about their cats the way I feel about ours. Our cat Stinky died yesterday morning at 2:55 am... she was 18 years old and we loved her deeply. She was a really intelligent cat, who loved to play with us even into her old age. She was an indoor/outdoor cat for much of her life, until she got too old. I think she recognized it herself.. she simply stopped going out. She was a fighter too though. When she was much younger, she got attacked by our neighbor's dog, which ripped a hole in her throat. She survived the attack and recovered amazingly well, even to the vet's surprise. He asked us "what the hell happened to your cat??" and we replied "well, if you think this looks bad, you should see the dog!" I think that tenacity is what helped her stay with us as long as she did. She simply refused to give up. That's how she was. We moved to 7 different places while she was with us and she always stayed close to us. When the Northridge earthquake happened, the apartment we were living in was a total mess and we were huddled in the hallway. She stayed with us the entire time. She was so good at adapting to new surroundings and situations, and never once left us. Over the past few days, we kind of knew her time was short. Her behavior was beginning to change -- she began reverting to kitten-like behavior, doing things she hadn't done in years. She died with my mom by her side after suffering a massive seizure in the early morning hours. I can only hope that she didn't suffer too much. I didn't get to be there to say goodbye the way my mom was, and it kills me. The last time I saw her, I knew something was different about her, but I did nothing. She didn't seem like the cat I had known for 18 years. I should have spent more time with her. How stupid am I? I am having a lot of trouble accepting that my beloved friend and companion of 18 years is really gone. I miss her! 729481@blogcritics.org Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:31:35 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-727864 What a day today. Shredder, my cat I named after the Ninja Turtles cartoon when I was 5 has passed on today. He was 20 years old long haired siamese. He lived a very good life and has fought through a lot in his life but, could not beat cancer at an old age. He was more than a cat to me. He was the best friend I have ever known. I have had a lot of friends in my life but, nothing comes close to my relationship with Shredder. I grew up with him sleeping by me every night growing up until I moved from home. I shared my deepest fears and secrets with him. I could come back from shooting someone and he would still love me unconditionally. We had a bond where we understood each other like I have never had before. This soul gave more love, care and passion in his little life than any human I have known. He was with me when I was a playful kid, through my highschool years. Finally he stuck with me and showed me loved when I became addicted to heroin. I have laughed and cried with him more times than I can count. Today I am coming up on 3 years sober and couldn't have loved him more. He stuck with me through it all. He played every role as a cat. He was anindoor/outdoor (whatever he wanted) cat who fought for his ally cat status outside and demanded his king of the house status inside. He was very affectionate, playful, smart absolutely adorable. Last night, my dad and I finally made the decision that it was time. He took a very sharp turn for the worse 3 days prior and was unable to control where or when he peed and rarely moved. We did not want to take him to the vet but, making him suffer for any longer was too much pain for all of us. We both sat with him, petting and talking to him as he took his last breaths at the vet's office. I am happy he is no longer suffering and am extremely greatful I had the chance to have such a great companion in my life. I only have happy memories, and I will see him again. Shredder, you gave so much more than you took in life. I love you dearly and already miss seeing your face. Me and Dad love you and will see you again. Take care little guy! 727864@blogcritics.org Sun, 22 Jun 2008 05:12:57 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-726258 hey guys, i have a cat her name is mischief and shes 11 and a half years old, she recently started to breath heavy with her mouth open and her tounge is out most of the time, she hasn't been drinking water or eating food, shes lost alot of weight and im wondering if anyone knows what could be wrong with her, she used to eat alot and drink alot of water and she just one day stopped, she hardly even goes to the washroom and hardly moves at all.. i really dont wanna lose my cat and all the vets will say is to put her down, but please im just asking if anyone knows what could possibly be wrong with her? thank you 726258@blogcritics.org Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:15:55 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-705934 My cat, Scandal, died today. Atleast I found her today... the weather had turned cold over night. The day before it was in the high 70's. I found her lying in the mulch near the front porch. I just pray that she laid down there during the warm weather and died peacefully in her sleep. I couldn't bare the thought of her being out there in the cold weather. She was 18 and had beein in failing health. She would normally stay in our garage up on a bench on her cat mat. I pray she didn't suffer. I have been crying all day...The day before she came to me screaming.. not really a meow but more of a scream. I knew then she was going to die soon... I just didn't know it would be later that night... My two small children and I sat on our sidewalk and petted her for about 30 minutes.. so atleast I feel like I got to spend som quality time with her right before she died. She seemed to have lost weight almost overnight....I knew it was the end.. I just hope her passing was peaceful.. I feel so bad and sad...She, too had been through so much with me... my little Scandal! I love you and will miss you forever! 705934@blogcritics.org Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:36:45 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-705188 My almost 5 month old kitten Bella got killed this morning on the road. I loved her so so so much she was my most favourite cat. Her head must have went under the wheel. She was the best cat ever... she will be dearly missed by every one of us. 705188@blogcritics.org Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:08:34 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-704310 My beautiful cream-colored persian Foxy just died this morning. I noticed him lose weight but no difference with his behavior. A couple of weeks ago he sprayed brownish urine. Last night, my mom called and asked me to come home tomorrow cause Foxy didn't look too well. My mom said Foxy let out a loud cry, my other 3 persians were surrounding him and he was hiding in the bathroom. I read cats know when they're dying and they hide to do it quietly to spare their owner the pain of watching them die. I made my mom let me hear him meow on the phone and I burst into tears when I heard his cry cause I felt his pain and I knew tomorrow would be too late. It was a holiday and past midnight so I called a couple of vets' emergency number but no luck. I kept trying on the way home and when I got home my heart broke to see Foxy lying lifeless with his mouth open with foam, eyes dillated, and barely breathing. I was screaming and crying. When I held him, he let out a small meow to acknowledge my presence, and that was his last meow. I kept trying to call the vet even if I knew Foxy wouldn't make it to the vet. He was still breathing, I kissed him on the head and held him, a few minutes later, he stopped breathing. My mom said he just waited for me. I held him for almost an hour and I couldn't let go. I blame myself for not taking him to the vet earlier. It's the most painful thing I've had to go through. 704310@blogcritics.org Fri, 21 Mar 2008 08:26:16 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-704053 Found this doing a search for cat death and depression and just had to write something, anything, for some kind of closure. Two years ago a stray was hanging around my neighborhood and I started to feed it... at first he would keep very distant while I put food out, but over time he didn't mind me getting closer until he started to let me pet him (pulled away many times at first). I made a box for the cat with one entrance/exit with some insulation and a cushy pad. He spent his first winter outside in that box. This was also when I first noticed that he was either deaf or hard of hearing; he only noticed me when he felt vibrations on the porch. By the second winter (2007-2008) he would come in and rush downstairs and hang around for about six hours, and on some of the colder nights I let him sleep in but I had him sleep outside on many cold nights without cleaning the box or seeing if it was wet inside from the cat's paws. A few days (morning of March 18, Tuesday) ago I woke up and my father said he had noticed the body of a dead animal in the backyard. I looked but the fur seemed darker and I thought it might be a raccoon or a cat dead from lack of food. When I went outside the first thing I noticed there was a collar on the neck, and it was the exact same flea collar I just had put on my mow (my cat's nickname) a few days ago. The legs were twisted like they had been broken and there was a little bit of blood on the ground and I realized in that moment that it was my mow. The feeling I had in that moment was probably one of the worst I've ever had.. a mix of shock and anguish. One of his eyes was still open. I was distressed and confused and wondered if it was disease but noticed my mow's tracks were accompanied by larger prints, those of a dog (you can tell from the nails). I dug a grave by the backyard garage and when I finally had to put gloves on and pick up my dead cat I finally broke down and freaked. I'm 21 and a male and I haven't cried for some time but cried and screamed a few times. It was even worse when I carried the body which felt bloated and put it in the grave. I poured the first shovel-full of dirt over the body but felt so awful for it that I reached down and started to take the dirt off. I resolved myself eventually though and finished burying my cat. I put a stake in the dirt and mud to mark the grave. I fed the cat twice a day (wet food in the late afternoon and dry food at night) but out of my laziness I often left up to 10 paper plates with food that had dried that my cat didn't eat. I would also open the flap to the box until the cat became comfortable with that. I think that what I really made was a situation where you have a cat that is mostly deaf in a dark box unable to see anything with the smell of food coming from the area in front of the box. The box has one large entrance/exit... perfect for a mean, blood-hungry dog to stick it's head in. The worst part is that my cat died a few days before the first day of spring.. and I can't help but wonder if the dog shook him like a rag-doll and left him bleeding there on the snow. I even regret how I buried him now, in a shit grave off to the side of a garage with nothing else in it. I am not a very religious person and I cannot stand the thought that his life is already over. I didn't know his age but he couldn't be more than 8. And now I have to wonder if his essence is gone forever, and now it's just a dead body laying in the earth. I don't mean to depress anyone reading this but I suppose this serves as my universal apology to my cat for not protecting him and making him sleep outside in temperatures of 32 degrees to 40 degrees at best. I miss him so much and if there is a better place for animals, then I hope he's happy there. I love you mow and I'm so sorry. 704053@blogcritics.org Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:28:36 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-701769 My cat Kandy was diagnosed with Fibro Sarcoma Cancer in november 2007 she was only 6 1/2 years old. I took her into the vets office for a scab on her chin and he said it was a skin infection. He put Kandy on a 2 week antibiotic. 1 week into giving her the medication i noticed a big lump on her shoulder. I was so scared i took her to the vet again and he said he needed to operate to see what it is. 1/2 hour into the operation he called me up and said it doesn't look good. He could only remove 90% of her tumor because the other 10% are wrapped around her muscles. He did a biopsy and sure enough it was cancer. Fibro means the cancer has vines that will spread all over her body he said. and it comes from being vaccinated. I didn't believe that because the last time i had her vaccinated was in 2002. Two month later the tumor grew even bigger. I tried to put her through another surgery and he said he couldn't because there wasn't enough skin on her body to close her back up. I had her on pain medication untill the time had come to put my precious Kandy to sleep. It was one of the hardest things i had to endure in my life. I put her down on 3/8/08 and i stayed with her untill she took her last breath. I took my Kandy and i gave her such a beautiful memorial and i burried her with a plaque made in her honor. I love her so-so much and i miss her everyday. I couldn't underdstand why i couldn't close her eyes when they froze wide open. I also couldn't understand why her tongue came out of her mouth. Does anyone have any answers for me?, because i keep having nightmares about opening up her coffin and checking her eyes to see if they closed or not and to see if her tongue was still out. I miss my baby, she will forever be in my heart. I feel with all of you who had to go through this, it is very hard to let go! 701769@blogcritics.org Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:27:23 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-701491 Just reading some of these comments are making me cry and feel comfort at the same time. My 14 year old cat passed away this morning. She has been declining for the past week. A year ago she was diagnosed w/diabetes and at the same time she had a dime sized sore on her rear end. The vet wasn't concerned w/it so we dealt w/the diabetes. By August the sore was now size of half dollar. We had surery and discovered she had adenocarcinoma. The vet believed he got it all but stated this type of cancer usually grows back. From August until just 2 months ago she was doing great. Then the cancer grew back and just in a short amount of time developed into about the size of a human fist. The prognosis this time was heartbreaking. The vet wouldn't operate this time because is was now a solid deep tissue tumor too close to the rectal and urinary tract. I told the vet that I would go w/quality of life and at any time she showed signs of pain or suffering I would put her down. She continued to do great until this past Saturday. She went into hypoglycemic shock and after rushing her to the vet she snapped out of it after just 2 minutes of treatment. But when she came home, she wasn't the same cat. She was barly eating, drinking here and there. I decided to put her down tomorrow. I think in her own way she knew and wanted to die at home. It was a long battle, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Too many times over the past month I have heard oh just put her down. It's sad because animals are like family, they love us and the only thing they want back is our love. For all the people that shared their stories I want to say thank you and wish you all the best. 701491@blogcritics.org Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:18:57 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-700482 For Christ's sake, if you really want them to live give them an original name. 700482@blogcritics.org Fri, 7 Mar 2008 14:00:38 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-700424 I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life last saturday (1st March). I had to decide to have my beloved gorgeous ginger stripey cat Zack put down. The vets tried everything to save him and we thought he would pull through as it started out that he only had a bladder blockage. It turned out after days of trying everything to stop him getting blocked up again and to save his kidneye that he had a ruptured urethra. The vet said we had no choice as with humans they can fix this but in cats its just not possible. I was devastated and made the hard decision to be with him when we let him go. He was already under anesthetic so he would'nt have felt pain or had to look at me (that would have been so hard). I felt I was cutting his life short (he was only 11). I loved him so much and I told him that and kissed him. You might think I am soppy but he was special to me and like my best friend to a degree. I just hope he understands why we had to do it and that it was out of love. If I could have saved him I would have. I kick myself everyday for losing him and feel so angry that someone has taken my little guy away. Sorry to go on I just need to get this out. I guess what set it off today was the vets bill coming through made it seem so clinical. I know I will get over this but I miss him so much. Jo 700424@blogcritics.org Fri, 7 Mar 2008 08:47:50 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-699667 Derrick My heart goes out to you and your loss of your best friend Sandy..we lost our little buddy Eclipse two weeks ago and he had only been sick a short time with liver cancer..he slept in my vette on my lap and also came when I called, he would follow me upstairs everynight at bedtime I like you am still having tears wondering if I could have saved him (even though we did everything humanly and medically possible) I too wonder if it will get better and somehow I know he is looking down at us all the time and his spirit is with me...I know Sandy is doing the same for you and meowing to tell you everything is okay. Each night I ask God to pet him for me and I know he is waiting for us. I also will never get another cat because he was our child as Sandy was yours. Remember God needed an ANGEL the moment our little ones left us Still the loss is tremendous May God Bless you and I know Sandy is smiling down at you as Eclipse is doing also and laying at the feet of God Death seems impossible to handle..it will get better for all of us is we keep remembering the GOOD THINGS AND THE LOVE WE GAVE AND ESPECIALLY THE LOVE THEY GAVE TO US. 699667@blogcritics.org Tue, 4 Mar 2008 13:49:48 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-699268 Hello. I just lost my cat today and iam having so much trouble dealing with his loss. He came into my life 9 years ago when my dad brought him home from the shelter for my sister. Sandy never fit the sterotype of a cat that i had in mind, he was the complete opposite. He would beckon when called, let me sister who was 6 at the time push him in a stroller, curl up at the feet of any stranger, he would sleep out in the yard and a riding lawn mower wouldnt budge him. I could go on for days about my special friend. The hard part was that i moved out of my parents house 3 years ago, so i maybe saw him once a month because of the distance. I had went with my fiance to go see my parents new house, pickedup my mom up and went to the new house and first started talking about how would sandy get acclimated. We then came home and i found him curled up in his bed that was a litter box turned penthouse. I went to pet him and called his name and i just knew. My best friend is gone and i cant deal with his death. I still cant believe it and would really like to hear from someone that could give me the hope of seeing him again oneday. He was so amazing that i will never be able to replace him and i will never get another cat. He was the only one for me. This is coming from someone who could care less about the species 9 years ago. Thanks for reading. I love you Sandy! 699268@blogcritics.org Sun, 2 Mar 2008 23:09:31 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-697896 Actually, MJL, a cat's life expectancy is about 15 years, so I don't think it's necessarily anything you missed or could have done. It's a rare cat that lives into its twenties. The oldest verified age for a cat was 37, but such ancient cats are extreme rarities. Cats can't tell you that they're sick and sometimes you only find out about their illness by accident. One of mine has thyroid and kidney disease and I only found out because I took him to the vet for some behavior problems. Apart from losing a little weight he still looks in the prime of health (he's 13). As unthinkable as it may seem right now, I hope you do get another cat. A house just isn't a home without one! My deepest sympathy for your loss. 697896@blogcritics.org Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:49:34 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-697884 Jenny, I am sorry I didn't read your comment before posting my own. Please don't give up. Cats are amazing creatures and they can endure a lot. I'm dorry your kitten didn't make it. I'm not sure any advice can help. When Tigger died I thought about everything, everything that I did in the last year or so that could have lead to this. For awhile, I smoked heavily, I stopped a month ago for our sake. If my smoking took even a second off of Tiggers life I feel bad. I was sure he would live to be over 20 at least. After hearing about how cats COULD live 30 years. I thought Tigger would live 20 easy. Also on Saturday, 2 days ago, the boiler broke and the house had no heat. It was 10°F Saturday night and 20°F last night, outside. It got down to about 50 here in the house. I was wrapped in blankets at night and clothes in the day I didn't think it was that bad. The repairman fixed the boiler at 7 am today and at 8 am I heard my cat howling under the bed. He was crying and gagging a bit. I looked at him for a few minutes trying to decide if I should pull him out or let him stay under there. Finally I decided that my body heat might help if the cold was the problem so I pulled him out from under the bed, he moaned a lot in the process. His body was so limp even then. Instead of getting up I put him on my chest and laid on my back for a second. Trying to decide what to do with him. Finally I got up and went to the couch and let him rest on my lap. My mother showed up after 15 minutes. She works with elderly people so I figured if ever there was a time she could give me some advice it would be at that moment. For awhile she had thought maybe the cat had injected poison, but I could tell by holding him in my arms that something worse was going on... worse. I don't know what it was. I don't know why hes dead right now all I know is he was 16 years old, I was a smoker for awhile and it was a cold night last night and cats have higher body temperatures than humans and need to be warmer. Thats why they love to sit in the sun and hate the water, it's all about the warmth. They get wet they get cold very fast, they don't like that. They aren't used to it. Sometimes I get so mad when I see people bathing cats in water... I'm sorry. In 1995 I did what I think was probably the worst thing I have ever done to Tigger. He loved to try whatever I was eating, all his life, right up until last night when I was eating a submarine sandwich, he was right next to me waiting for a bite. Well, in 1995, I was eating some mexican food with tobasco on it and I noticed when he caught a wiff of the tobasco that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. I was a teenager and stupid and decided to find out what would happen if I gave him some tobasco. So I put a drop on my finger and grabbed him and put my finger in his mouth. He flipped out and started foaming... just like he did before he just died. It made me feel bad to see him die like that just now. Back then, in 95, when I gave him the tobasco, he ran like crazy. and hid under the table and I watched while he moaned at me and foamed at the mouth. This morning it was horrible to watch him die. He thrashed about like a drunkard stumbling and twitching. I did not give him any tobasco sauce! If anyone reading this is wondering. I didn't even think of the similarity until now. I feel like I am to blame for his death. For the last year I have told my friends I thought it was amazing how he lived past 15. They couldn't believe me, I guess their cats didn't live that long. I got the sense that they thought cats lives 10-12 years. I was so proud of him for the last year, living this long. While I smoked each day and fead him pieces of fattening foods. I should have cleaned his litter box more often too. Sometimes I would let the shit build up in there for a couple weeks until the smell was a bother to me. So selfish of me. I loved him though. I know it got really cold in this house and I loved when he meowed besided my chair so I would turn to face him, moving my hands off the leyboard and my arm down. It was then he saw the chance to jump on my lap and enjoy my warmth. I would enjoy his company for 15-20 minutes then start surfing the net again or playing games and eventually I would want my space back and ask him to get off in various ways. Sometimes I even tricked him to get off my lap by acting like I was getting up to go to the bathroom or the kitchen. He knew when those times were and would just leap of respectfully. After I tricked him a few times I'd say "Psyche, gotcha" or somethin to em, to let him know I'd tricked em or I'd act like I'd changed my mind. So wierd the amount of respect I showed him based on his casual attitude about things. I can easily see why the Egyptians worshipped cats, not completely of course but in the time I have spent with various cats, especially Tigger, I have learned a lot about them. I do kinda of admire their attitudes. Yeah, it's going to be hard to take in another cat after Tigger. I'm almost 30 now and another kitten would last into my 40s, one after that maybe into my 60s, if they both live full lives. I'm trying to think of all the great times I had with Tigger, but all that means so little right now in comparison to the fact that he just died and something was wrong or he'd have lived into his 20s. I could have given him more life somehow. 697884@blogcritics.org Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:46:32 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-697877 I read this thread up to comment 20, which was short, like life can seem sometimes. My cat, Tigger, just passed away in my arms 2 hours ago. I liked the comment from the secular humanist. I too place my faith in nature and science and have no belief system beyond that which is proven. For those of you who have a difficult time dealing with loss without a reason or belief system, I offer you my own personal comfort, as I do to everyone. At the moment we have it kind of rough, and theres no ritual for a scientist or atheist when it comes to dealing with the loss of a loved one or pet. To me, Tigger was a part of the greatness of life. I feel kind of bad about leaving him with my mother for a year while I traveled. During that time she had him neutered which I feel horrible about. One of my thoughts about life and afterlife is that people want their to be an afterlife because they don't want this thing to end. When the truth is it doesn't end because we reproduce. THAT is the amazing thing about life. That we have gone from reproducing molecules to reproducing strands of molecules, to reproducing cells, to reproducing collections of cells to reproducing organisms. I stressed reproduction because it is our immortality. It is our life before our life and our life after our death. Tigger did not have the chance to reproduce before he passed away and I feel bad about that. Nothing would have made me happier than to look at his kittens right now and see that little spark of him staring back at me. That's the most beautiful thing in the world. The children of life today will be the life of tomorrow, forever. So for those of you that don't have some belief system that makes death ok. I hope my perspective on the world of nature, life and reproduction have given you something. As life I would like to remind you that you are life too. We are alive. When Tigger was alive he was the closest life form to me. Over the last 16 years I have spent more time with him than any other lifeform. I loved him. I don't know if any animals besides humans care about love, but I know they care about staying alive. I kept Tigger alive and what he gave me in return, it felt a lot like love. We are not seperate from the dead, we are composed of the dead. So either there is no death, or their is no life. We are the living Earth of the Universe. I hope this helps some of you. Some of you have helped me. You helped your cats live their lives, thank you for that. Because we are all the Earth I would like to tell you, I will miss you Tigger. If I did anything wrong, I'm sorry. None of the things you did that made me mad mean a thing compared to my love for you. 697877@blogcritics.org Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:45:59 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-696191 I stumbled upon this thread and I would love any personal experience/insite on this type of thing. We just got a kitten on the 13th from the shelter, she was spayed before we could bring her home. SHe died last night on the 17th. SHe was never really active even when we first looked at her. When she came home she was the same. SHe became more lethargic and last night She vomited yellow a couple times. From then it was Very apperent somethingwas wrong. Labored breathing, she wouldnt move or even sit up. I calle dthe vet he said to bring her in the am, well we didnt make it. I dont understand it!! It apperently could have been any number of ailments or infection. I had a cat that I bottle fed since she was 2 weeks old and had her till she stopped eating, drinkinbg, bathroom, etc and got very thin. We put her to sleep at 14 years old. This was in july and now in feb, having akitten not even a week and she died! I'm so devisted!!! I cared for her, held her and did everything I thought I could for her. I took a bath last night as she lay next to me by her bed. I didnt have my glasses on so I could only see her outline. I herd her little bell and what I thought was her moving/playing on the floor. Al the while she was laying there dying! Probbaly was having convultions or sezures. I got out of the bath picked her up to put her back in bed and she was limp and her mouth was open and so were her eyes. I lost it! I cant frigging bealieve it. Has anyone had this happen?? I dont know what to do. I was ready to get another kitty after having my baby for 14 years and this happens?!! Life is so cruel... why 696191@blogcritics.org Mon, 18 Feb 2008 10:30:03 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-696182 Our little boy Eclipse passed at 6 am this morning in our bedroom (his favorite place) with my husband and I holding and petting him..the last cry and the look in his eyes will always haunt me..I felt I was letting him down even though God had answered our prayers and allowed him to die with us there and not in pain. Is it not amazing what impact little pets have on us..we know he is in Heaven and God will pet him each night for us..At this time we are determined not to have another cat because we do not want to feel as we are replacing him...I am not a religious person but we know God is now taking care of him. We buried him in our backyard under a tree he would always run up and the area where he hid his kill. Thank you all for listening and may God be with you and your little ones 696182@blogcritics.org Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:01:40 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-696029 Our little buddy Eclipse is dying, he has liver cancer which we just learned about. My husband found in in our front yard maple tree ten years ago and he was only bid enough to stay in my husband hand. He has been our baby (little guy) ever since. We have had several other cats but this one has had a huge impact on both of us. We seem to cry more and only pray that he will pass in his sleep. He is not eating, losing weight and want to be alone.. We are praying that God allows him to pass at home. My prayers and heartfelt condolences goes to everyone who lost or is losing a pet.. They are our children and they love unconditionally. May God Be with our baby Eclipse when he passes. 696029@blogcritics.org Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:24:50 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-695740 I lost my cat Pumpkin yesterday. She was 17 years old and very frail. She was a wonderful companion to me for a very long time. I hoped to have her at home when she died. She had kidney failure with excessive thirst for 2 yrs. She was sick for a couple days. I thought it was a stomach ache. But when she woke up in the morning she didn't move much and began crying out in pain. She had a very messy and painful death which she fought to the very end. It only lasted less than 15 minutes but it seemed forever. She threw up blood looking like coffee grounds and collapsed and tried a couple times to get up but couldn't. Even with that hard death it felt better than when I brought a cat in to the vet. to put to sleep. I didn't have to make that choice for her. A few nights before she was overly affectionate to me and it just seems now like she was saying thanks, she loved me and would see me again. She will be in my heart forever. 695740@blogcritics.org Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:36:51 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-694890 We just lost our cat, Shadow, today. She would be 20 in May. She hadn't been eating the past few days and she looked very thin. She was having trouble walking and her eyes looked very glassy. We were on our way to the Vets when she died in my son's arms. She was with us when our children were growing up, during all the special milestones. We are close to being empty nesters now, and losing Shadow is closing the door on a very special time of our lives. 694890@blogcritics.org Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:15:02 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-689645 Going to keep this so short. But I'm 26 in a week's time. I lost my gorgeous little cat yesterday. She was 24 years old. I am sure my first memory is getting her from a Cat protection charity. I miss her so much. She's watched me grow from a child to a fully grown man. She's seen me from primary school and now I'm a qualified solicitor. I'm going to miss her forever. I know the pain will go. I'll never forget her. But I worry I'll forget all the little things, like her meow or her soft fur. Proper sucks. 689645@blogcritics.org Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:37:47 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-688647 There's a lot of love on this blog. We lost our 2.5 yo torty, Popsicle, yesterday. She was very independent, true to her breed. She was primarily an outdoor cat, but we tried to keep her indoors at night. She just adopted us about 1.5 years ago, pregnant. We helped her raise her kittens, and ended up keeping one, a female named Gary! Poppy was only 5 pounds, and small. In the last week her behaviour had changed. She was staying indoors a lot more, and we thought it was because of the cold. A few days ago she was insatiably hungry. Then she really didn't eat, and started losing clumps of hair. She was fine 2 days ago, became very lethargic that evening, and died during the night. I cried all day at work. I feel so guilty. She died alone, and with her eyes open. I simply have no idea what happened to her. She was a beautiful, friendly, loving animal, and we will miss her forever. 688647@blogcritics.org Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:32:16 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/22/030117.php#comment-687824 Some really nice, heart-felt stories here - I think it's important to air your thoughts and read how others have been in similar situations with their cats... Our family cat (Boots) had escaped death a few times in the last two years but a few days ago her time was up. She died suddenly, but it was expected, as at 19yrs old (an estimate, as she was an orphan), she wasn't getting any younger. She had survived a suspected stroke a few years ago and apparently suffered temporary blindness as a result (or the vet wasn't that great) but we thought she wouldn't survive that...as she was literally a zombie for about 3/4 days and had stopped eating. Somehow, she pulled through into a complete recovery. Then, a year ago she suffered kidney failure, lost weight/stopped eating/drinking and we rushed her to the vets. Prepared for the worst, the vet suggested a drip and some relatively new kidney medication. Astoundingly, she again pulled through and returned to full health, albeit with new medicine to take and a special diet. It seems kidney failure isn't enough to stop cats these days! However, just before Christmas the same happened again. Prepared to put her down, we gave the drip one final try (as it had worked well before and the vet suggested it) and she survived 4 days at the vets before coming back. Steroids were used to control her runny bowel movements and to encourage appetite and she put on LOTS of weight before and just after Christmas. In fact, she returned to great form for Christmas and for that, I'm thankful indeed! However, there was a suspected stomach tumour and she was aneamic.. So last week, well, she was fine - so fine we opted to avoid another stressful vet trip - and instead left her to it. The only warning was her not eating properly the day before she died, however she DID eat the morning she left us, oddly. However, we found her an hour after she had been fed. She had been very sick and a suspected tumour/ulcer in her stomach may have ruptured, causing lots of blood loss from both ends. We found her just breathing, but eyes wide open but not responsive and her body had already started to become rigid. We carefully stroked her, then slowly put her into her basket to take to the vet - however I think at that point, she made a few last sounds/gasps and that was it. It was horrible, but i'm glad she died at home rather then having to be put down. She will be hugely missed and I just wish i'd spent more time with her during those last few days... :/ 687824@blogcritics.org Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:19:13 EST