Little Cat (pictured above, chilling on my couch about two months ago), my beloved companion of 16 years, is going to meet his maker very soon. I was caught by surprise by his sudden medical crisis which began last week (just a few days before I left for my annual family trip to Auburn, Indiana and points west) when I realized that his increasingly odd behavior was attributable to his vision failing. He's so, well, feline that it took me days to realize that he couldn't see and that's why he was refusing to make his usual jumps etc. I brought him to the vet who explained that this was the symptom of underlying, more serious problems. As I drove around the Midwest I was constantly getting dire blood-test results by phone (which was every bit as much fun as it sounds) and I had to arrange for my neighbors and friends to get him into the hospital in my absence. I returned to New York Monday, knowing I would be retrieving the cat in a few days, and I just found out that newer test results confirm that his thyroid and kidney problems are not responding to treatment and that (therefore) this is pretty much the end of the road. He's "comfortable" (not in pain) and he's still energetic, eating, pooping etc. So I'm bringing him home for a few days ("to say goodbye," as the vet put it) and then it's just a matter of days or maybe weeks before he's got an appointment with a needle. I always knew this was coming, of course, but its still horrible as all cat and dog people understand. I had him since he was a kitten the size of a styrofoam cup and he's been a good friend through more than a third of my life and an absolute prince amongst cats.
18 comments:
Sorry to hear about that Jordan. Is it too early to think about getting another one?
My Rowan is 11 now and it makes me sad to think that she won't be around forever. I'll miss her laziness, her angry scowl and the way she purrs while she eats.
I'm so, so sorry Jordan. I know how it feels to watch a little companion losing the battle. Hugs to you.
Oh Jordan, I'm so sorry! What a sweet looking kitty. I also worry about the day we will have to day goodbye to Miso. We'll be thinking of you and Little Cat.
Xoxo
You gave him a great life and if at the end you can say that he was a good kitty then that is everything. Be sad until you can't be sad anymore. My Admiral Fluffy is 15 and I treasure the time I get to spend with him.
Thanks everybody. I just finally got him home from the vet's. It's the first time I've seen him in a week. The doc and I just want him to be able to relax and be happy and comfortable in the rooms he spent his life in, before the end. Who knows if he's got days, weeks, etc. "He will continue to decline."
Cal, thanks, man. You know I love your website (and I'm frequently hipping people to it). So glad you got the Admiral back.
soooo sorry jordan. hope little cat's final days/weeks remain comfortable. so glad you get to say goodbye; heartbreaking as it is, i find it preferable to the alternative.
I'm very sorry to hear about Little Cat. It sounds like you have take fantastic care of her - 16 years old? That's like 90 in human years. I hope her final days are pain-free and that she is surrounded by her favorite things. This sucks.
Him! He's a dude (with an ambiguous non-name like Holly Golightly's cat). But thanks.
JPX has always lived under the assumption that dogs are male and cats are female.
Yeah, well, men are from fucking earth and women are from fucking earth.
Oh, this is awful news. But I am impressed at how long he's been around under your care. I'm going to miss his lithe, grey little presence the next time I'm in your apartment.
So, so sorry.
It's true, dogs are male and cats are female, damnit! Sorry about the error. I hope she is resting comfortably.
Sorry, Jordan. Harold had kidney problems, too. It made me feel better that he was really ready to go at the end. And he didn't suffer on the way out.
I hate this fucking tightrope walk, in these few days when he's still alive, still here, over in the corner in the sun like he's been on countless sunny late-summer/early-autumn afternoons. But I was setting up his IV drip and I totally lost it and was sobbing and wailing for ten minutes and couldn't stop. I hate that it's up to me when he goes (even though I would always fight for it if it were taken away). The intimacy of the whole thing is devastating. The grim reaper's in my home and I don't like it one bit.
How heartbreaking. I am so so very sorry Jordan. Many hugs and much support and empathy during this rough time.
That's amazingly hard for you Jordan, I don't know that I would have the strength to do it myself. It was devastating enough having to take Pandora in so the vet could do the deed. I feel for you, I'm so sorry you have to go through this.
Thanks all. Today was a tough fucking day. I think it's going to have to be tomorrow.
You have given him a wonderful life. Thinking of you.
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