The Official HTF Cat Thread (3 Viewers)

[Stan]

On a drinking, but non-alcohol, related note, Domino, who has been refusing to drink water for over a year (we've been having to give him iv fluids every other day) suddenly began drinking water freely. What was the change? We filled his favorite water bowl with tap water. He had been refusing both bottled and filtered water all of this time, preferring to drink out of the toilet (we've kept the lid down for this entire time, as well, and still do).

I may have posted this before, but I had a cat who lived until he was 16 and never, ever drank a drop of water.

He only ate canned food, even though I got him at eight weeks, he never changed his habits. His sister loved dry food and would drink water as needed.

We had a little war where I tried to get him off canned food, but he went five days without anything, while his sister was happily living her life. I finally gave in, he won the battle and he lived the rest of his life on canned food, which has a lot of water, so he was fine not drinking water his entire life.

One of the coolest things he ever did, probably repeating myself here, but he was sitting on a bar stool watching me prepare dinner. A fly had gotten in and was buzzing around driving me crazy. The fly came at my cat at just the right angle and he literally just stuck up his paw like a baseball mitt, caught the fly and ate it. Totally amazing, wish I had caught it on video.

 

[Sam Posten]

The more you know! =phttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UVw7cgv36A

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Hey Guys!

I haven't really participated in this thread much. I do keep an eye on it as I am
subscribed.

The reason I am finally posting is that I had to put my cat to sleep a few days ago.

The cat's name was Pita. A female, orange and white. She was my baby.

About 6 years ago she developed a film over one of her eyes. Took her to the vet.
They said it could be all sorts of things including possibly cancer. They gave me eye
drops. The problem cleared up. She was fine.

A few months ago, now at the age of 11-12, the film re-appeared. It quickly got worse
to the point that one of her eyeballs looked like a cloudy marble. She also started losing
quite a bit of weight very quickly.

Took Pita to the vet a month ago. Spent $800 on tests and X-Ray. They found nothing.
The vet warned me in advance that the tests are usually inconclusive, but she felt that
the cat probably had cancer. There was no tumor found behind the eye.

Pita just stopped eating. I think she also had difficulty eating, so we even tried baby food.

This past week, when she began hiding (wanting to be by herself), I knew that the time had
come to put her down.

You know, I so much wanted to be strong through this process. Last thing I wanted was to
break down and cry in front of the veterinarian. However, when the doctor walked in the room
and agreed that the cat's health was in rapid decline and she had to be put down, my face was
filled with tears.

I didn't choose to stay in the room as they administered the injection. I felt very guilty about
that. However, I have been through this process before. I have watched a vet put down another
cat I used to own, and I just couldn't watch them kill my baby. As stupid as it sounds, it bothers
me that I wasn't there for her at the very end, but I was having a very difficult time keeping myself
composed through the entire process.

Easily, Pita and I could have had another 3 years or more together. She was the best cat I ever
owned (and I have had many). Extremely intelligent. Very devoted to me. She was with me all
the time either while I was sitting in my home theater, or sleeping in bed.

I know I am with a group here that understands the attachment that one has to their pet. I also
know all of you have been through this kind of grief at some point. I have read some of your posts.
It's very sad that our pets have such a short life span and that we have to deal with these losses
several times over during our own lives.

 

[Jay H]

So sorry to hear about that Ron, my eyes are already welling up with tears for Pita. My three cats that I own are the first cats I have ever owned, having grown up somewhat allergic and having a sister who is still very allergic. My cats are only about 6 years old so they're still relatively young but as a cat daddy, I already worry about "that time" knowing that I've really have gotten very attached to my cats. All we can really do, as pet owners is to really believe that we have truly made our pet's lives a whole lot better and provided a happy home for them. I almost feel like I have gotten more from my cats than vice versa. There are people out there who would give away (or worse) pets with conditions so I hope you rest thinking that you've done your best for Pita and that she had a good life with you and you with her.

Jay

 

[Mike Frezon]

Ron:

Have no guilt about the decisions you make at the end of your cat's life.

You gave that animal many, many years of loving care--food water, medical, personal attention, love. If, in the moment, you felt as if you couldn't handle the procedure, your uncertainty would have transferred to Pita. Instead, she was calm and assured and peaceful.

I always say that the reason these things hurt so much is because the bonds between animals and their owners are so strong.

Humans are sometimes uncomfortable expressing the grief and the amount of the hurt that they feel when a pet dies. But while people who have never had a pet might not understand, pet owners will. And, as it is with humans, some separations hurt more than others...and it all depends upon the strength of the connection. No guilt. It just is what it is.

Grieve. But grieve with the knowledge that you took good care of each other and gave each other what was needed and wanted. No regrets. Death is just an inevitable part of life.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Very sorry for your loss, Ron. To this day, and it's been half a year, I still think my cat is coming out of the back backroom and heading for his favorite spot in the living room. The mind plays tricks on us, I can't help but think, it's to keep our memories of them alive.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Sorry for your loss, Ron.

 

[David_B_K]

Sorry for your loss, Ron. I also would like to say that you did all you could do for Pita and that you should not feel bad about not being there for the injection. I've had times when I was there for it and times when I wasn't. In any case, I was a sobbing mess every time we had to put down a dog or cat (the last time we had to put down our dog, I called the vet to let them know we were bringing her in for the final time, and I could not even get out the words as I was sobbing so much. My wife had to take the phone from me and talk to them).

As Mike mentioned, you'll probably come across people who don't see what the big deal is that you lost a pet. That's their problem. Some people don't get how closely people bond with their pets. When our dog died in 2009, it was a couple of months after a friend of mine died. I didn't cry at my friend's funeral (came close), but wept uncontrollably when we put our dog down.

 

[Sam Posten]

Sorry to hear about Pita Ron. You can tell a lot about people by how they treat their pets, this is just one more example of what a good dude you are.

 

[Todd Erwin]

My condolences, Ron.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Ron, I too am sorry for the passing of Pita. This is a good place to talk about your feelings, since we all have strong and deep bonds with our pets. Rather than thinking less of a person who would cry over an animal, I respect them more. I'd rather feel the pain of their passing than never to have felt the joy of their presence.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Gents,

Really appreciate the responses here. You have made me feel better about the
way I handled putting my cat down.

I knew this would be a good thread to speak openly and honestly about how we,
as pet owners, deal with loss.

 

[DaveF]

Very sorry to hear that. It's sadly something every pet owner goes through.

 

[DaveF]

Dash naps per Cat Union rules, but doesn't enjoy it.

 

[DaveF]

View attachment 7772
View attachment 7773
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Sometimes, they're like (loving) brothers.
When they're not stealing my milk!

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Gents,

Really appreciate the responses here. You have made me feel better about the
way I handled putting my cat down.

I knew this would be a good thread to speak openly and honestly about how we,
as pet owners, deal with loss.

The first time I had to have a cat put down, in 1971, I cried at the vet's office. The last time I had to have a cat put down, three years ago, I cried at the vet's office. It never gets easy.

Now I have five cats, the oldest are twin sisters who were born in 2010. The other three were kittens who took shelter (with their mom) in my garage during Hurricane Irene in 2011. After the storm I let them stay in the garage and when they got to be a few months old I took them to the vet and got them shots and treated for fleas. Once they were free of fleas I let them in the house and they've been here since. I got the mom spayed and she now lives with a neighbor across the street.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

A couple of years I was looking at a photo of my kitten Pee-Wee in front of my computer monitor, when she hopped up and went to sleep in front of the monitor. I took out my camera and got this double photo of her.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Cat-ception!

 

[DaveF]

That's super cute!

 

[Stan]

Gents,

Really appreciate the responses here. You have made me feel better about the
way I handled putting my cat down.

I knew this would be a good thread to speak openly and honestly about how we,
as pet owners, deal with loss.

Ron, I know how tough it can be. The first cat I ever had needed to be put down after 16+ years of very healthy living. I had just moved to a new house and my vet was 30 miles away. Went to a new vet about 1/2 mile from home, well recommended, but the vet who ran it needed a partner. We ended up seeing her, but my cat was literally the first animal she had to put down as a patient, not a lab experiment. We were both incredibly emotional, something I'll never forget.

I've been going to the same office ever since.

-------------------------------------

BTW David, love the pictures of the two kitties together. Had a brother/sister pair of Siamese who did the same thing. Sadly the brother became ill at four years of age, nobody could figure out what was happening and he passed away. Still have his sister, she's probably 15+ years now, but still doing great.

Her entire personality changed after her brother died. They used to lay out in the sun, play in the yard, try and catch birds, etc. Ever since he passed away, she is strictly a house cat, maybe once or twice a year she may go outside in perfect weather, but I think cats have a long memory and she misses her brother.