Lost 2 of my 3 favorite cats yesterday. Long story.
 

Cats and dogs are always there for you without question no matter what your mood.

1st was our 16 yr old on heart meds for 3 yrs.
He quit eating 2-3 weeks ago, and then couldn't keep meds or water down past few days.
Was hoping make it till Saturday(only day off past 3 weeks) to take him in cause have to many call offs for personal health and emergency home repairs.
It was hard cause he went into distress after vet was closed, and took all night to next morning an hour before vet opened.

Then our 2 yr old garage cat(a rescue ferel, and gon'a be next house cat) been gone for 2-3 days showed up barely walking and rear half soaked in urine. I mean bad.
Turnd out to be a broken hip(upper to lower), swollen abdomen with possible internal bleeding(was anemic, but vet wasn't sure if related).
Then she noticed a heart murmur, also not sure if related.
After x ray said he was pretty messed up, and the most gentle cat she's seen in years.
Surgery for fracture was an option, but not sure of rest of internals till opening up.
Plus the fact he may never gain control of bowels and/or urinary track.

After thinking of last 3 years of heart meds twice a day, plus loosing another great cat years ago to a hip fracture(lasted 2 weeks), asked the vet in her professional opinion what's the best route if money was no object.
She said its a 50/50 deal at best. Plus the bowels and urinary "may not" work again. Then there's the heart murmur...
So I went with her rec.

Now all I think about is all he ever wanted to be was lap cat(an instant purr ball), and never got the chance.
And "what if" I had brought him home till Saturday just to see how he does.

At least still have Dude, my 3 yr old garage/house cat. Wants to be with me almost all the time. Even rides in the truck on short trips.
Thanks in advance.
Be back Monday.
Mike.

Hang in there, Mike. You did the best you could, while you could. That's all any of us can do. Been a cat guy all my life, and currently have 2 brothers that just turned ten that were born feral on the roof of my workplace. Best cats ever. 3 other strays have adopted my ladyfriend, and she graciously let them into her home. One is 15 now, one 13, and the other just a kitten. Abandoned and homeless, now wonderful and loving pets. They are only here for a short time compared to most of us, so we have to enjoy them and appreciate the time we did have with them. Take care.

Sorry for your loss. We had to have 2 of our 3 cats put down about 1 year ago within one month of each other; it tore me up big time. We get so attached to these little critters and they become part of the family. Hope your last one lives a long life!

Look at it this way...
 

Out of the kindness of your heart, you cared for your pals, gave them a warm place to sleep, food, affection, and medical care. Many animals are not lucky enough to have such a home. Yours were.

And then when the time came, you sent them gently into the memory hole, another kindness. I always say, because it's true, the day you bring them home you know they're going to break your heart one day.

Congratulations on being the kind of person who diligently takes care of your animal charges. It shows strength of character and compassion.

And the best cure for a lost cat is another cat. A lucky one is waiting somewhere right now for you to pick it out.

Condolences. :(

Sounds like he got hit bay a car. Sorry for your losses. Tough to lose a old friends. Wife and I have been through several cats in 20 years of marriage. Disease, run over, old age, gone missing, etc. One favorite cat would plan stealth ninja attacks on the dog in a playful way, and loved Mexican food. Don't worry you'll be adopted soon by another cat.

it's tough I've had to put three down over last 4 years.I really miss them.Clyde was always with me when I was in the house.Best cat I ever had,cant be replaced

Sorry to hear this Mike, you did your best.

Sorry for your loss Mike. The Rainbow bridge is a wonderful place, they are there playing like kittens.

Pets don't belong outside at large. They suffer painful and traumatic deaths.

Sorry for your losses.

Mike,
I am sorry for your loss. We have 3 cats, all indoor. With all the hazards outdoors that are out of your control, the best life for a cat is to keep it indoors. Ours wouldn't have lasted a year with the coyotes and traffic around here.

I trained my cat from when she was a kitten that she can only go out side if she has her leash on and hooked to the clothes line that runs about 70 feet from the house to the garage, she won't go out if I don't hook her up or carry her out side.

You did well with them cats, I can tell you are an AAA+++ pet person and when you love animals like that they know it. like someone else said, you gave them a happy life and in the end that is it, really. My suggestion is focus on your one cat and make him your buddy and maybe somewhere down the road will be this kitten or stray that is just so cool......

and man I am jealous.... my dream is get my Jack (ten year old, 16 pound juvenile delinquent mutt cat) to learn to cruise in the bird with me. I think he has the personality to maybe pull it off.

I would think twice about tethering a cat so that it can't get up a tree. The sad part is that you can't control other people's pets, and even if your animal never goes off your property they can still suffer violent attacks and/or death, because people hate cats for the same reason trolls hate the truth in the Clubhouse.

Our aging cat never left her property. She was allowed to go out to sit on the front porch or sidewalk when we got home, but she wouldn't leave the property. She got attacked by the neighbor's dog on our front porch as we were inside long enough to almost change clothes when the attack occurred. The cat was able to run to a tree in the front yard to keep from being killed but it punctured her diaphram, broke several ribs caused some internal injury and cost about $1000. It all happened on my girl's birthday and then the real estate agent/dog owner tried to stiff us for the vet bill.

So Sorry Mike, Our pets become part us. After we had to put one of our dogs down my wife said "no more, I can't take the hurt of losing them anymore". A couple of months later I showed her a picture of a puppy that was 6 hours away. The next weekend we drove and got him.

Again, I am so sorry........

Sorry for your loss. :(

.....This is true, cars and Coyotes in this area.

Plus, if people don't take their "pet" cats to the vet for care like heart worm, rotten teeth and other virus"s....they die a lot sooner..... like half or greater of their "average" lifespan.

Sorry for your loss. I learned a long time ago not to let my cats outside anymore.

I've had cats for 54 yrs, so don't need a lecture.

The 16yr old along with his brother where indoor since birth. He died 2yrs ago from same heart condition.
Vet said usually have 6 months at most.

The outdoor along with his brother where completely feral.
Took 6-12 mo's just to gain his trust to remove burrs and ticks. Last 3-4 weeks he would purr himself to sleep on my lap.
His brother still wont let me near him.

Anyhow, was get'n him used to the indoor cat. Just didnt have the money to get neutered and shots yet.
Just wonder if he would of healed up enough to regain control of his bowels and urinary to live a decent life.
Had the most beautiful trusting eyes I can remember.

Thanks again.
Mike

My condolences Mike..

I like dogs but when I put my dog down a few years back I said
I wouldn't get another dog until I'm retired. Had him 13 years and
could barely remember not having him around. But.. Having to run back home
to let him out was a PITA and it was unfair to leave him all day.

I have 3 cats now and enjoy them a lot. Each has their own personality and
they can do just well without me for a few days if need be. had 1 male cat
after I put my dog down and went to get another male kitten for him to pal with..
and while I was sitting on the floor looking at one of the male kittens the female
runt of the litter climbed on my lap and laid down.. I said I guess I'm taking
her too... she chose me the exact same way my dog did when he was a puppy.

There are tons of cats and dogs out there that can use a good home though..
wont take long to find a new friend (or two in my case )

good luck..

John

Sorry to hear of you losing 2 cats Mike. The loss of a pet that gives it's unconditional love is the hardest thing of all to have to deal with. I too feel your pain.

We almost lost our 15 year old hand-me-down cat we've had for a good 10 years. She's a house cat but does go outside in our fenced in backyard. Solid fence so she can't get out and nothing but squirrels and birds can get in.

She stopped eating 2 weeks ago. We think she ate something that made her really sick but no idea what it was. I couldn't take it any longer and got out a can of tuna for her. Low and behold she started eating again and drinking a bit of milk. She's lost a good amount of weight but for now she's holding steady. She's always sat on my lap whenever I'd sit on the couch and just cuddle up and take a nap, and purr like a freight train. Hopefully she'll get better and do that again.

After losing our 2 dogs last year, losing this cat would be really hard. All we'd have left is the crazy paranoid cat that hides most of the time.

Follow up.
My wife told me no more cats or dogs. The loss is to hard on her.
I said we'll see, our grand daughter really needs a pet to care for.

Last Friday I woke up to my son rummaging round the kitchen. He gets home from work about 1:30 am.
Out from under the table comes a barely 6 week old(guessing by size and abilities) kitten he found along the road.
Long story short, it's friendly, very playful, and sleeps with my son whenever he is.
Even caught my wife playing and holding it twice last 2 days lol.

Just caught your story and sorry for your loss. They do become part of the family and we see them as humans in certain ways. We just suddenly lost our 9 year Lab that was in the prime of his life. Very hard to overcome. But, like your family, we happened to find a new guy and have had him for two weeks.

They never last long enough but we are fortunate to have them as long as we do.

It seems strange in the scheme of things that cats & dogs have such short life spans when compared to some birds that can live 75 plus years or longer. Its tough when you lose a pet......we been through it several times over the years even have a small cemetery for our pets by ours sons property.

We have one in door cat we got as a kitten off the road years ago. Then another one showed up at our house and has proven to be very friendly. She had kittens and we had her fixed few years back our neighbor died who had 3 cats that he basically just gave them garbage to eat.

Those 3 were not friendly but I started to feed them and gradually got them to live on our property. I didn't know it at first but the smallest one of the three is 100% deaf.
She became smart enough to use the cat door so she would cuddle up in my pole bldg. which is heated in the winter along with my other two cats.

We called her the deaf one and every day she would greet me when I came home. This past valentines day she could hardly walk and could not hold her head up. I took her that nite to the local vet hospital. She has a throid (sp) condition that requires 2 pills a day and cost me over $1500 for her 3 day stay.

I keep her in my home office at nite and she is very calm. The Vet thinks she is about 16 years old or older.

Like many readers that have posted basically we are caring for Gods creatures the short time they are here. Each one is totally different yet each one brings us joy no matter what mood we are in.

A loss of a pet is one thing that can make grown men cry....

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Ain't that the truth. 3 pets put down in 3 years it a bit too much to take.

So now we've got to put down our 15 year old female cat. She can't eat, has lost 60% of her weight, and by the looks tonight she's now blind. She was given to us back in 2002 by the wife's daughter. Best cat I've ever had. Always sat with me at night on the couch and followed me around like a dog would. All she does now is hide in the shower or under the beds. It's gonna be sad around here after but I can't let her suffer any more. She was my best four legged feline friend.

Only one cat left... the 12 year old brown and tan female nut case. She too much of a schizoid to croak on us. She knows something is wrong with her big sister and is freeking out.

She's gone. Just had her put down this morning. Sad day for us here at home. God please take care of her for us.

My condolences :(

Was ok until up till Orange get'n the shots. had one hand under his head, the other rub'n from head back. He was purr'n.
Then the assistant(she looked right out of high school) startd cry'n when I said "i'm so sorry Orangey".
Still tear up think'n bout it.

Sorry just couldn't read your post till today. I -we lost our cat Jazmine and was still sad. Sorry for your loss and glad for your discovery. WE keep ours inside and we entertain them everyday. Yes it is hard on you.I like to feel its the creators will ,so we will find another to help along the way of life. Read different poems to help the sadness.

Sorry to hear that RW and Bob.

It's been a sad morning here too. Well, Bertha is in God's hands now, in cat heaven.