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Rip porch kitty! I will post pictures and an explanation of him in a day or two, we just got finished burying him. Getting poo poo faced tonight. edit: Sorry I dont want to gank the thread without a single picture: This was porch kitty (indoor cat and the name stuck) I cant stop crying bc I miss him and already buried him  nunsexmonkrock fucked around with this message at 07:33 on Jun 13, 2021 |
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Jun 13, 2021 02:39
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He was the most rear end in a top hat of a kitty, we spent $6k on him when he needed a PU surgery. But he was also nice and slept on my stomach every night he wasn't laying next to my husband.
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Jun 15, 2021 19:44
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nunsexmonkrock posted:He was the most rear end in a top hat of a kitty, we spent $6k on him when he needed a PU surgery. I'm really sorry. Please feel free to share more pictures and stories about him if you think it would help. This is a place to help cope and remember and support each other, so share whatever you feel comfortable with.
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Jun 15, 2021 21:15
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Here is another one of him - all of my other pictures have my husband in them and I am sure he would not like his picture on the internet. I spent a lot of time being the strong person for him but now I am breaking down. I hate this but have to deal with it.  Edit: story. When Porchy was younger if we petted him too much he would lunge at our leg to bite. One time it happened my husband ran into the bathroom and locked himself in it so I would be the one to get bitten on the leg. nunsexmonkrock fucked around with this message at 22:51 on Jun 15, 2021 |
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Jun 15, 2021 22:44
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  My good dog.  My poor Emmy.In 2009 we decided to get a new puppy, announced it to the ether, and a couple of weeks later somebody we'd never met before knocked on the front door with "I live across the road and have a new litter, wanna buy a puppy?" We picked one out, a cute sleepy little thing, then when we came back with the money the woman was like "oh yeah I have this other one I didn't show you" and it was awake and bitey and making terrible noises. So we took that one. We named her Emmy, because my friends dog was named Oscar. She came home the day my boyfriend died, and I was extremely angry and resentful about it. We weren't supposed to have her for another week, but the woman insisted. August 29th 2009. Her breath stank so badly that we ended up taking her to the vet and the vet was just like "lol, puppies stink, have some stomach powder for her I guess!" She was 4 weeks old, and went back to her mother whilst I was in Finland for the funeral, so that was probably good for her.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqs8qzj4VOY   A couple of weeks later we got another puppy from the same woman, Sophie. She was dying of a respitory illness and was tiny (Also 4 weeks old), but she pulled through and is still trucking. Emmy was my dog and Sophie was my mums.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjfjviCJcaM My mum taught them to howl like wolves, by howling at them, and they used to wake me up in the morning by singing with my alarm. They later taught Ghita to sing and still sometimes in the morning get so excited that they just spontaneously start up the choir. I went on holiday for a week at one point, and when I got back she refused to make eye contact with me or sleep on my bed for months afterwards. Apparently she sat on the windowsill and howled sadly the whole time I was away. It took a lot of trips to the beach to rebuild that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aOAIsejAag Around age 7 or so, she developed a brain problem. She lost the use of her back legs and forgot how to turn left or climb even small kerbs or steps. We couldn't afford an MRI, but steroids seemed to control it. She got the use of her legs back and rememberered how to turn, even if she heavily favoured one side and had to be walked against walls when on the lead. But, she could run in straight lines once she got her speed up, and recently loved running with my boyfriend or the bike. Sometimes she'd lose sight of us (generally because we were behind her) and just start running flat-out in one direction. Calling her would only make her run faster, because she could hear us, so surely she was going the right way! She would also attempt to go home with strangers, and couldn't tell the difference between me and my boyfriends voice, if you called her it was basically random which one of us she looked at. We got a puppy about 4 years ago, Ghita, who loved her from the very first moment she saw her. She would just stand and bark at her to play with her, ignoring the fact Emmy barked back much, much louder. She never hurt her once, though. They became partners in crime (the crimes being chicken murdering and poop eating :|) I feel most bad for Ghita, how do you explain that her best friend is never coming back https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePzgdoLxBzQ   A few weeks ago she had a fit after falling down the stairs. Then another a week or so ago. Then yesterday she'd had a good morning, we'd been cooking since 8am because we were making a buffet for my grandmas birthday, frequently shouting at her as she got in the way, got stuck in the cooking-corner and stood on our feet with her rain-wet paws, catching little scraps of pastry and whatever vegetable peelings were on hand. Around 12pm we were upstairs waiting to go, when she started fitting, and just never stopped. After an hour we said our goodbyes and got her to the vet, and they put her to sleep. And that was that. My poor old broken dog. She started around the time we were due to go, and I'm just so, so glad we didn't come back to that hours later. Poor old Emmy. Hopefully wherever you are now, there's all the cabbage and chicken poop you can eat. You are missed. 
Nettle Soup fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Jul 6, 2021 |
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Jul 3, 2021 19:50
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I've been meaning to post here for four months. I lost my Samson on march 1st. He was 14 and a month. While I completely catalogued all his pictures and videos, I can't seem to look at them for more than a few moments before breaking down. He is my best friend and I never thought I could love something so much. I promised myself I'd get prints made, a nice book or two, and watch all the videos I took of our walks, while at the park. I can't seem to go. I feel very guilty over this. Like I'm not honoring him enough. I will post here with his story when I can find the strength. I tell ya, my relationship ended a couple weeks ago, yet I havent shed nearly 1% of the tears I did for my boy. I was very lucky in that I got a job in early 2020 where I was able to bring him with me. We spent every day, all day, together. I'd bring him to the park for an hour to an hour and a half, almost every day. I cant describe what pure joy that was. His passing broke me a bit. But, at the same time, his passing has provoked such a profound feeling in me. Like, I am finally ready to find myself. To practice all the lessons he taught me. I might have been his keeper, but he was my teacher. I sleep with his collar every night and say goodnight to his ashes. I will never stop missing him. I am afraid I'll forget even one moment. Sleep tight sammy man. I love you.
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Jul 6, 2021 05:42
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You loved him and don't ever feel like you are.not honoring him enough, grieving can take a while. I still wake up in the middle of the night hearing our Porch Kitty howling in my ear because the food bowl was low, not empty just low. Then I realized oh, he's gone it's not him. Take all the time you need before putting it all together 
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Jul 7, 2021 14:53
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Appreciate the reply! I had an insanely realistic dream about him the other night that lasted forever. One of the only times in my life I can recall knowing I was in a dream and wishing to not wake up. Dont think I'll be getting another pet for a long time. Although my good friend said I could watch his lil guy while he is out of the country. That might be nice.
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Jul 8, 2021 05:50
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I think that would be great to watch your friends pet and give him loves. Even if your friends pet doesn't understand they are great to talk to about what is upsetting you to get it off of your chest.
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Jul 8, 2021 07:36
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Kazvall posted:Appreciate the reply! I had an insanely realistic dream about him the other night that lasted forever. One of the only times in my life I can recall knowing I was in a dream and wishing to not wake up. My 2 pups taken in 2020 still make appearances in my dreams. We still have a couple of their beds sitting as though waiting for them to come and nap, and the food cupboard still has their food and treats. I am with you bud, I don't think I will be getting new pets for a long time, if ever again. Memories are enough for me.
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Jul 11, 2021 02:26
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I've decided to put less pressure on myself. Take some time to figure out my life and lower my anxiety and then take time to really celebrate Samson. Feeling guilty while my whole life is in flux is being counterproductive. I have a tendency to want to do everything at once. Expect a nice write up when I am ready! I've been having some wild dreams lately. He is always there by my side to help me out. Even in death he is protecting me. Thanks buddy.
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Jul 14, 2021 02:01
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My poor beautiful tiny Sophie decided that the greatest thing she could do would be to join Emmy, by climbing onto the sofa during the night and eating a whole bar of dark chocolate. wtf. By the time we realised, there wasn't anything the vet could do, although they tried What an absolutely poo poo month. RIP Sophie, made it 12 years and then decided to join Emmy and give me guilt and trauma at the same time.  Seriously wtf. My poor tiny dog.
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Jul 17, 2021 00:19
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Nettle Soup posted:My poor beautiful tiny Sophie For what it's worth, this is not your fault. It is impossible to dog-proof the entire world, and we often never think of things that, in retrospect, may seem simple. Everyone has to grieve in their own way, but I know this one had to be particularly hard. I talked to a therapist after I lost my dog and it helped immensely, so if you're feeling more guilt or trauma than you can handle, that's always an option. Please take care of yourself.
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Jul 17, 2021 00:38
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So sorry Nettle We are all here for you if you need anything.
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Jul 18, 2021 04:25
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I'm ok, I have my partner here and another dog to hug, it's just the little things. Ghita isn't interested in toys at all, while Sophie was ball-obsessed. Ghita has no interest in human food at all, and I miss watching him peel vegetables directly into her and emmys mouths. She always barked in the morning or when we got home and it was absolutely ear-piercing. On a walk she was always 3 steps behind us no matter how fast or slow we were going. (She would run behind me when I was on the bike and absolutely loved it. She didn't have to, she could have stayed with my partner, she just wanted to!) Even the morning after she'd eaten all the chocolate, she woke us up because she'd pushed her ball under a cabinet and wanted us to get it out for her, barking and scratching and just fine. The first time my mum ever took her out on a walk, to the park across the road, she got spooked and ran all the way home on her own. I heard this scratching noise at the front door, looked down in confusion when there was nobody there, and saw this tiny puppy all on her own. 15 minutes later my mum comes home like "D: D: D: I LOST THE PUPPY!" My boyfriend tried to take her for a walk in the rain a couple of times, and she would wait until she was off the lead and he wasn't looking, and then just turn round and go straight back home. She always knew where she lived. I'm gonna go to the vet today and pay the bill and get her harness. We'll donate it along with Emmys to the local dog-shop, who're asking for harnesses for rescue dogs. It's just the little things I miss.
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Jul 18, 2021 13:32
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I made it to the park today and watched some of his videos. I got home and cried my little heart out. I felt I was ready, but I suppose this is part of the process. Is there any point where I'll be able to look at pics and vids and not break down? I know this grief is the price of love. So, I wouldn't trade it away. It shows me just how important he was to me. I'll have to summon some drat courage so I can try and deal with my grief. I hope he visits me tonight while I sleep. Good night, buddy!
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Jul 20, 2021 05:28
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This is Oscar: He passed away yesterday. He was sixteen years old, an utter jerk, and my little buddy who I genuinely can't believe is gone. His absence hurts in ways I didn't expect. I know he had a very good, long life. I know he didn't fully understand things the way a person would. But I genuinely believe that lack of understanding makes the loss of a pet harder. They're a pure presence unlike anything or anyone else. They trust you, they make a home in your life, and they linger in every part of every day in ways that you take for granted. They drape a warm blanket across the cold corners of reality. Sometimes they pee on that blanket. Try not to get mad. Show them all the love you can, and hope your presence means as much to them as theirs does to you. When we first brought Oscar home I held him in one hand and marveled at how round his wobbly head was. As a pup he tried to walk under the coffee table (as he had hundreds of times before) only to bonk into it, as he had grown slightly overnight. He looked at me with wide eyes like, "Why did you make the table shorter?" He always had to be near a person. Always. Oscar couldn't sleep at night unless he was in a human bed nestled up against a person. If you stood still or sat for more than a few seconds he would either lay down on your foot or possessively put a paw on you. One time he staked out in the corner of the room to watch my family. After a while his head slowly drooped as he fell asleep sitting upright, then his head whipped back up quickly. He glanced around quickly, shaking off the sleep and making sure no one had left. He only nodded off while sitting up like that once in his entire life, so the memory is crystal clear. Oscar was a greedy goblin. He grabbed things with his surprisingly strong paws + legs instead of biting them, and would push you away when you went to pick something up from the ground. As greedy as he was, his fascination with people always prevailed. Every time we showed him a toy he ignored it, focusing on us and wagging his tail because we were paying attention to him. Every attempted session of fetch turned into ear scratches and belly rubs. He only barked a handful of times in his entire life. Oscar's go-to mode of communication was grumbling and sighing. It was like we were the hired help, and he was always complaining about the service. There was a distinctive "Phew!" sound he made while following a person who was doing a chore or cooking, as if he had just completed a monumental task. I often find myself mimicking his "Phew!" without even thinking about it. He was also a surprisingly loud snorer. It's shocking how the absence of all these sounds feels like a gut punch. When Oscar drank water it was always in the same drink-drink-drink pattern. Drink-drink-drink. Pause. Drink-drink-drink. When he finished he always sought me out to rub his wet face on my calf. As Oscar got older he slowed down quite a bit. A "walk" meant standing around and sniffing the air for a full minute, plodding off sideways for three or four steps when I wanted him to walk straight, then standing still again to think. This was my view of our action-packed adventures:  Oscar became mostly blind in his old age. He was able to notice lights but couldn't track much else, and often ran into things. When I went upstairs then came back down, his head would always be peeking around the corner at the bottom of the stairs, his big eyes trying to track me. Again, he couldn't stand to be alone. I keep expecting to see him, that hopeful look on his face as he looks up for me. Corin Tucker's Stalker fucked around with this message at 19:29 on Aug 8, 2021 |
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Aug 8, 2021 12:21
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my mom just called to tell me that my dog Lucy has passed. I haven’t seen her since before the pandemic and I knew…I knew I wouldn’t see her again once everything closed but I hoped. I hoped I’d have one more time, but I knew. I got her when I started 9th grade, first year of high school as a puppy. I named her Lucy, after the Beatles song, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. I have pics of her on my phone, saved, but I can’t even look now. she was a Vienna sausage shaped Welsh terrier. she was incredibly smart and hated most men. she was one of my mother’s best friends, the third daughter. my mother is also taking care of her other best friend, who is dying of cancer. I’m over an ocean away and I want nothing more to be with my mom right now. Lucy was my first dog. My only childhood dog. Before becoming the cat lady I am now, there was Lucy. she was a “tough” dog, strong personality and particular, but she was my partner in naptimes, keeping quiet when I came home at 2am stoned off my rocker and being absolutely weird. I was once destroyed over a relationship ending in flames and she decapitated a cardinal in front of my sister. My grandpa and her chased her around for the head. Jaws of steel. It was loving hilarious ngl. she also ate like, half a box of cake batter with too much vegetable oil in it and had the greasiest shits. I was sixteen and had just smoked terrible weed with some girlfriends at the time in the basement shed. We nicknamed her Lucifer sometimes and my religious extended family also had a dog named Lucy and didn’t like it when we made that joke in front of them, so the name stuck. god that dog was there for me being a low key disaster child growing into a disaster woman and loved me throughout. Always let me get away with murder. just wanted a snack snuck out as payment sometimes. I always paid hush money, sometimes in Asiago cheese. I wish I was there. I am so angry I couldn’t be there safely at Christmas. I wanted one last stoned Taco Bell run sneak in and sun nap. One more time hearing my mom come in loving exhausted from work, working hard all her loving life, to just turn into the happiest person on earth seeing Lucy and us. I loving love you Lucy and you made me into a much better person and I wish you knew. I wish you knew all the weird dog magic you did to my mom, my sister and myself.
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Aug 11, 2021 20:56
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A semi-regular of the F1 thread and YOSPOS Catte thread, Farlow has passed away today. She had cancer which was discovered too late, and it had spread too much to be surgically removed. Chemo might have got it, but it wasn't a good shot so I didn't feel it was right to put her though that. She was still moving around just fine for the most part, just got tired really easily over the past week or so and her appetite disappeared. I did give her one last good meal that I knew she wouldn't resist, some ripped up carne asada quesadilla from the food truck down the road. 
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Sep 3, 2021 23:34
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To Butter: I picked you up earlier this year, I think the last weekend of April. Your past owners had decided to rehome you because their baby was taking up a lot of time, which I respect; they in turn got you from a rescue over 5 years ago. Those people actually had you when hoggies were illegal in AZ still, and I can't remember what happened to the sister you were found with. Either way, you were a pisser and fun. You preened my hair, and I have like 50 pics of you stretched out spitting all over yourself. And you slept in your pouch on me while I watched movies, and were generally a happy little fucker. No idea why you died today. This morning I cleaned your cage, debating on moving you to another, slightly larger one, and you snuffled around and disliked me moving you to scoop up bedding. Then went back to sleep. I found you this afternoon, stretched out, and not under your usual blanket, but that hasn't been totally weird in the past few days. At least you went quick. Urchin had developed that shaking disorder, and I had to put him down before the paralysis set in. You died in your sleep, it looks like. Oddly enough I didn't cry when I found your body but now it's getting hard to stop.
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Sep 19, 2021 00:29
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Bugsy (abt 2005 - 2021) - Beagle Pug mix When your dog is 16 and taking 7 pills a day you kind of expect the end to come soon, but the speed surprised us. One day he's a cranky old beagle mix still obsessed with food and the next he's near catatonic after what we think was a stroke. I'm not sure he even knew who we were that last day. When we carried him to the vet it was wrapped in a wool blanket with only his head poking out. That last car ride we tried to stick his snout out the window, but he didn't give us a response. In the end he went peacefully and didn't suffer. I've led enough souls to the rainbow bridge these last few years to that I'll admit I feel a degree of relief. No more medical appointments, carefully measured drug dosages, and the frequent accidents that come with infirmity and a dog that's mostly deaf and blind. Last month when he was no longer able to jump up on the couch we got him one of those ramps. He never really learned to use it, but last week I was able to lure him up for the one and only time with cheese. When he finally got to the top he looked so pleased with himself. He was a good boy.
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Sep 21, 2021 20:02
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At least he went mostly on his own terms  A good doggo.
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Sep 21, 2021 20:16
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pre memorial I just foud out my dog has TCC. (transitional cell carcinoma). he's only four and he wont live to be 5. this is bullshit. i cant bvelive this
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Sep 25, 2021 14:15
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My Pippin died last spring. On nice days, we often put him in a hanging cage outdoors to enjoy the fresh air and other birds singing nearby. I had been sick and my partner (We hadn’t been living together long and he’d never had birds) didn’t know to check for ozone action days or that it could be a problem for some birds. I’m so broken-hearted. He didn’t know and I do forgive him but I’m still so upset. I can’t get over losing him. I thought he would outlive me. It was in May, but I still find myself bawling at random times. And for some reason I’m having a harder time this week than I have since I lost him.
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Sep 30, 2021 10:13
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Doctor Dogballs posted:pre memorial I just foud out my dog has TCC. (transitional cell carcinoma). he's only four and he wont live to be 5. this is bullshit. i cant bvelive this I’m so sorry. We’ve lost a couple of dogs at around that age. Losing them so early just makes it so much harder, I think. Like with my bird too. The type he was, we expected to have him and he’d outlive us, so I’m just broken.
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Sep 30, 2021 10:16
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This was Bond: He made his own rules.  Thirteen years ago I brought him home as a mischievous little fuzzball of a kitten  And he was my buddy and best coworker ever since  Unfortunately he's had digestive issues for the last few years, and they've been slowly getting worse with nothing any veterinarians have offered being able to do more than delay the inevitable. A few months ago he had a really bad time that led to an overnight emergency vet stay and an extended veterinary boarding. He mostly recovered from that but lost his energy. He couldn't jump up on to counters anymore and would slowly climb couches and his cat tree to then just lay down and stare off in to the abyss, only getting up for food, litter box, and occasionally wanting to come over and get some love. I decided then that if he declined again I wasn't going to put him through any worse of a quality of life. That decline came this last weekend, he got a lot wobblier while walking around and didn't really eat anything solid for two days, so Monday I made the call no one wants to make and scheduled an in-home service so he wouldn't have to spend his last moments in a carrier where he knows he's going to the vet. Yesterday the vet came by and put him out of his misery. The in-home service was worth every penny, Bond was comfortable and surrounded by the people he lived with, and they did a wonderful job explaining the process so I knew what was going on at every moment. It also meant I didn't have to drive a half hour home from my normal vet office with an empty carrier next to me, which would have been horrible. This morning was the first time in basically the entire time I've lived on my own as an adult that I didn't have him at my feet while I was going through my morning routine. While I was doing my things I heard a noise that sounded like one of his mews and it broke me. Even though I knew this was coming and had time to prepare, it's always too soon.
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Oct 21, 2021 18:00
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This is Cassie, we brought her home from a dog and cat shelter and had her for four years before she went onto dog heaven last year. She had spent her life in the shelter so we gave Cassie loads of love before she passed on so was a very happy staffie.
Time to float – Pennywise
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Nov 1, 2021 20:42
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i lost my little Cam this morning. she was a tuxedo cat and was the sweetest most loving creature I've ever come across. about 6 weeks ago she started throwing up her food. we took her to the vet and found out she had PKD. vet didn't know how long she had. i didn't think it would be very long. i spent the last 6 weeks saying goodbye but it still hurts so goddamn much. she was only 8. i thought i had 10 years left.
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Nov 9, 2021 19:12
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I've been holding myself together today but I'm a loving wreck. I had to put my Cat of 12 years to sleep. He belonged to my Wife when we first started dating, she told me he was mean and he was mean. He regularly attacked my Wifes sister and me. When we moved in together I had a lot of reservations about him, but after living together for a bit he started to cool with me. Then I was unemployed for 2 months, we spent every day for 2 straight months together, that is when we became friends. Since then he has been my best friend. I love him so much. After my son was born my cat started losing weight. It was subtle at first but then it felt like I was petting bones. We have spent the last 2 years trying to pick his weight up and it just hasn't worked. He gradually has started to do less and less of the things he usually did. About 6 months ago he started eating non-stop, but still losing weight. He couldn't go more than 4 hours without eating, but he was still losing weight. Finally he started having accidents outside of his litter box and I knew it was time. When the vet came to my house today I wanted to tell him no, that I didn't want it anymore, but Mogget seemed to know and just curled up on me. He didn't hiss or bite the vet or the tech. After getting sedated I just held him until he fell asleep. Goddamn this was the hardest day of my loving life. It's a special kind of terrible feeling when the day before, your buddy is hanging out with you outside and he's watching you dig his grave, and he's just happy because he NEVER gets to go outside anymore. He got the last laugh though because he peed all over me, it was a fitting way to go out. I've held it together all loving day, my Wife was upset, but we have a son who doesn't know the gravity of the situation. Thank you SA for letting me get this off my chest  EDIT: This is really the first time I've had to kind of process my emotions over the last few days. I'm a loving wreck right now. EDIT: I woke up at 4am to feed Mogget. Mogget has been waking me up pretty regularly around 4am for months now. I got up, realized there was nothing for me to do and started crying. I never went back to sleep. SalTheBard fucked around with this message at 16:15 on Nov 21, 2021 |
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Nov 21, 2021 05:22
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I, uh, gently caress. I really like this subforum, you’re all super nice, and I just got my partner a forums account because she’s a professional dog sitter / Walker now and is amazing with animals and has some wild stories to tell and… and instead my first post here is about our cat dying. He was out, and someone came to our door asking if we had a silver car because one just got hit by a car? And we knew. Got him to the vet ASAP but we both knew that he was gone instantly.  This is The Snippet, he was simultaneously a butt who we apparently never fed enough and also the most amazing buddy. He belonged to the neighbours when I lived in London, he used to visit a lot and we fell in love with him, then he got sick and we took him in as they didn’t seem to care. He had weird paw tumour things but they responded well to steroids, and eventually he associated the rattle of a pill bottle with good time. He moved with us this summer to a beautiful place in Cornwall and loved being by the fire and also hunting semi-endangered wildlife, but not very well - he bought in the same slow worm (a type of UK native legless lizard) twice, both times unharmed but looking kind of grumpy. Um. Idiot. He never used to go near the road? Or maybe he did and this time he got unlucky. God bless the people who went door to door looking for his humans, and the lovely vet, and thank god he would have gone instantly, no suffering. We’re really hosed up at the moment, house already feels empty. Will you all give your buds some scritches for us? And if you see forums user Shmimbly Neblin posting horror stories about spoiled German Shorthaired Pointers in a few months be nice to them.  
occluded fucked around with this message at 14:59 on Nov 30, 2021 |
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Nov 29, 2021 23:28
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So completely gutted right now. We adopted 2 kittens, boys, from a local shelter about 3 months back. They were about 4 months old, brothers from a semi-feral mama kitty. It took a few weeks but they got comfortable. Aries grew quite a bit, but Leo was the runt and despite a healthy appetite he didn’t really get much bigger. You could still feel the vertebrae when you pet him. He never cried, he didn’t like to play, he never purred (on 2 separate occasions I think I got the whisper of a purr when he was particularly comfortable). But he was a sweetheart and we called him our perfect little gentleman, because he always looked like he should be wearing a bow tie. Last night should have been a normal one. The shelter gave them these liquid treats in a tube - I forget what they’re called, but my wife ordered them. The kittens loved them - Leo couldn’t figure out that if he was patient we’d squeeze it out for him, he would just bite straight through the tube and make a mess. And last night we gave him one at 6:30 - he ate it like he always did, the only time he was ever really high energy. Then at 8:00 he had diarrhea. After we cleaned it up we found him laying down strangely. It’s hard to explain, but he always sat a certain way and this time he was laying down splayed out awkwardly, looking ill. We took him into my office and locked the other cats out, and sat with him to keep an eye on him. At 9:00, he started to have seizures. And then he was gone. Neither the wife or I slept much last night. We still have no idea what happened. We’ve searched and didn’t find any chemicals he could have gotten into. We don’t have any toxic plants. I’ve had cats for as long as I can remember, but this is the first one I’ve been there with at the end. I just can’t shake the image of him laying in that blanket, eyes open, unmoving. His body cold, his chest silent. I lost both of my remaining grandparents over the past 18 months, people who practically raised me, and never shed a tear. I can’t stop breaking into random fits of sobbing over this baby. Thanks for reading, I just needed to share some of Leo’s short story.
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Jan 18, 2022 16:15
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That's really hard. I'm sorry. I wish there were some words to make it all better I'm wondering if it was FIP. Maybe somebody who knows cats well could say more.
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Jan 18, 2022 19:08
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Thanks. Yesterday was really hard, but I slept a bit better last night and I'm managing better today. I'm not sure if he was sick. We called the vet yesterday to take care of the body, and I guess they don't really do cat autopsies or anything? They were tested for FeLV and FIV before we adopted them. We hadn't taken them to the vet ourselves yet - we asked when we adopted them, and the vet said since their vaccinations were up-to-date we only needed to bring them in for their next physical, unless we had concerns.  For context, this is Leo and Aries from 2 or 3 weeks ago. They are the same age, from the same litter. I don't know if I should have been more concerned about how small he was and how he wasn't really growing, but we knew he was the runt and just assumed he'd hit a growth spurt eventually and probably end up being a small kitty.  Goodbye, little gent.
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Jan 19, 2022 16:30
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Honestly, if he was that small at 6-7 months old and not growing, I would bet he had some congenital health problems that caught up with him. A lot of kittens from feral litters can have fairly serious congenital issues, thanks to inbreeding and stress/malnutrition of feral moms, and a lot of them don't make it even with the best care. Looking at those pictures, it seems like Leo was comfortable and happy in the time he had. I'm very sorry for your loss, and thank you for taking good care of him while he was here.
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Jan 20, 2022 11:11
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Yeah, it's sad but cats have large litters because most of them are not expected to survive to adulthood and a lot of that is congenital. A kitten that's not putting on weight most likely won't make it, it's the most common sign something isn't quite right inside and there's likely nothing that could be done about it. He was loved and warm and full for his short life, you gave him everything he could want.
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Jan 23, 2022 20:49
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I got my cat Corona from the shelter 3 years ago, when she was 5 years old. She was so stressed out from moving she would reach back and bite me if I tried to pet her on the back. Sometimes she would hear the neighbor's dog yapping and get scared, but somehow her instinct was to try to bite me (???). If I let her bite down on my sleeve it would suddenly release all the stress and she would calm down. She was like that for almost a year, but I was patient with her and little by little she came to trust me and come to me for cuddles. She was a really sweet cat. 3 weeks ago I started a big move across the country and left her with my family while I went searching for an apartment. I had already arranged for someone to fly her out to me and I was so looking forward to seeing the look of recognition on her face when she saw me at the airport. Unfortunately her health took a turn for the worse and I made the difficult decision to put her down this morning. I wish I could've been there with her. I've went through this a few years ago, but this time it was really unexpected and she was way too young. I'm going to miss Corona, she was a good kitty. 
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Jan 31, 2022 01:46
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This was Sweetheart. I think I've posted about her here and there, but we got her from a local rescue when my partner and I moved for a new job. Our previous apartment complex did not allow for pets, but the place we'd moved did. She was listed on Petfinder, and had apparently been at the same foster home for over four years, because she did bad at adoption events, was bad around other cats, etc. The first time we visited her foster home, she immediately came out of hiding and jumped into my lap. She'd been on the streets for at least a year and had at least one litter of kittens before she'd been rescued. As such, she wasn't very well socialized, and her foster stated there were a lot of things that she'd never done, like play with toys, be treat motivated, etc.   Over time, though, she's warmed up to us, and was doing things like sleeping with us on the couch, playing with toys, being a treat motivated little hellion, and lusting for people food.  She always wanted outside, but had no interest whatsoever in harness training (trust me, we tried), but sometimes she'd deign to hop into a pet stroller and go on rides around the apartment complex.  She also loved to get on my desk and be the biggest block to playing vidja imaginable.  In the end, we found that she had incredibly aggressive cancer that had started in her mammaries and had at least spread to her lymph nodes before it was discovered, and it went from "oh, wow, we've discovered she has cancer due to a serendipitous weird accident at her groomer" to "she isn't eating, barely has any energy, and is obviously having trouble breathing, it's time to let her go".  Goodnight, sweet girl. I hope the three years we were able to give you were as happy for you as you made them for us.
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Jan 31, 2022 20:54
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Trotsky was an abandoned rescue who was a prolific dumpster-diver and friend of the raccoons. He always meant the best, even at first when he seemed an un-trainable demon of household destruction. He never meant to do wrong, that was only separation anxiety and it would pass. As soon as he understood that he had a new home where he belonged, Trotsky was nothing but the best dog. He lived as a goofy and forever excited dog. Trotsky made many friends and went on many adventures. Tragically Trotsky was knocked unconscious by a rogue wave and drowned at the age of 10.   I was always impressed with how he would go up to strangers at the beach and get them to scratch him on the rump (where he likes most.) He loved people. He loved dogs. No amount of attention that was too much for Trotsky. Trotsky was always gentle, never aggressive. Trotsky stood up to bullies with calm composure.   Trotsky was loved by all who knew him. He was a local celebrity. He was uncontrollably excited about everything, and wanted you to be excited too! Trotsky liked to run. He liked to chase cats until one day he caught one and learned a valuable lesson, that cats will scratch you. He liked to chase skunks, no lessons were ever learned about skunks. He was a friend of the raccoons, or perhaps he was raised by them?   Trotsky would follow me around like a shadow. He was so annoying at first. I couldn't take one step without a dog in my way, but in time I got used to him. Trotsky wanted to be a part of everything. Now that he is gone I feel his absence in every moment. Trotsky lived long enough to reach the age where he could no longer keep pace running with me. He lived his best years. I am lucky to have had Trotsky as my companion and best friend. Trotsky gave me unconditional love before I was capable of returning it. That was something he had to teach me. I am glad that I had enough time to learn. Being with family and friends meant everything to Trotsky, and I am glad he found in me a place where he would always belong. He will be missed.  
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Feb 6, 2022 05:08
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I'm sorry you lost your good buddy. May the light of his love always shine brightly in your heart.
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Feb 7, 2022 23:41
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I never post here in Pet Island but I saw this thread existed and thought this would be a helpful place to share this. My cat, Dweezil, came from a shelter in 2008, originally with the name "Einstein". He quickly showed that name was inappropriate by falling off of a swivel chair. I was way into Frank Zappa at the time so I named him after his oldest son. He was 8 months old when we adopted him and he immediately grew attached to us as a member of the family. He lived in two apartments and two homes as we moved across the cities, complaining to no end about the car ride but settling into each new home very quickly. He threw his weight around when we got a second cat, and then stood up in full force when we got a dog. He was the undisputed cock of the walk and never let anyone give him any poo poo. He would follow me throughout the house, he would come with me downstairs to my office when it was time to work (and try to rewrite my code, he was pretty bad at that), and would always let me know when it was his turn to sit in the office chair. He somehow had a psychic ability to know when I was sitting down to play a game because he'd come zooming in and jump on the keyboard, making sure I would only pay attention to him. He was terrible at farming, mining, space exploration, and tanking, but he was a really good cat. As he got older he'd started slowing down a bit and started dropping weight. Slowly at first, but it really accelerated the past few months. He had a good appetite and drank plenty of water and all of his blood work always came back clean: no thyroid issues, no kidney problems, no diabetes, nothing. For the past couple days he completely changed and spent most of the day hiding under the bed. He wouldn't come out for pets, he wouldn't stray far from the bedroom, and whenever he did he would just kind of wander around lost. He had a yearly scheduled for next week but I wasn't going to let this sit for too long. They took him in today on an emergency appointment and found out he had a tumor in his jaw, bone cancer. I always told him that as long as he let me know when he was hurting, I would do the right thing and take care of him. So we did. I had pets growing up but I was never allowed in the room when they were put to sleep so I had no idea what I was expecting going into this. He was very happy to see me and my wife, and three hours ago we sent him off. Wherever he lands on the great cosmic wheel I hope he does well. I'm so loving hollow right now that I'm even having a hard time typing all this out. I have pictures of him I'd like to share but I can't even bring myself to look at them right now. He was such a good boy. We got nearly 14 amazing years with him. I love you big man.
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Feb 23, 2022 23:22
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