Last night, my cat passed away. His kidneys failed him so despite the treatment that the vet was giving him, he never recovered. First signs of deterioration was that when I got back from Vegas, I noticed he wasn't eating as much. That turned into him not showing any interest in the wet food at all. I knew something was wrong so I figured I'd wait a few days and see what happened.
Fast forward to Sat night around midnight, he tried to go up the steps except his hind legs were giving out because he was so weak. I rushed him to the emergency veterinary hospital and around 2:30am, was told that he might not even make it through the night and that I had a choice to make. I could pay for treatment which may or may not work or I could just cut him loose then and there. After making sure that he was not in pain and that the treatment wouldn't just extend his misery, I opted to pay for the treatment.
The following evening, the vet called me to give me an update. After approx 18 hrs of treatment, Gus is showing no signs of improvement. She asked if I wanted to continue the treatment or to let him go. I asked her what she thought. Again, I don't want to keep him alive for my reasons. I want to give him a fighting chance but not if that means he's just gonna be in pain. But basically, his body was shutting down so he's sleeping most of the time and not really in pain. As long as there's life, there's hope. So I told her to continue with the treatment and that if there are no signs of improvement by Monday night (48hrs since he first got to the hospital), I was ready to "pull the plug." She assured me that she would call me if there was any change.
I knew it was bad news when I heard my phone vibrate on the nightstand next to me at 3am. I answered and the doctor gave me the grave news. Gus just passed away. I went over to the hospital to see him for the last time, pay the remaining balance for the hospital bill, and sign some papers regarding his cremation procedures. Rest in peace, Gus. We love you.
24 comments:
I'm sorry for your loss. Our thoughts are with you.
Losing a member of your family isn't easy - hugs babes.
My condolences. It's always sad when a poker kitty moves on to higher limits.
Oddly enough, Ted Forrest Jr., the poker cat I got after franchise kitty Kuro died, turned one year old yesterday.
Sorry to hear it Alan. Gus looks very peaceful in that photo. I'm sure he's at peace now. It's never easy losing a pet - I know from experience - and so go easy on yourself.
Sorry to hear this Alan. I lost my cat Fluffy in the same manner. I know it's not easy.
We went through something similar with our little pooch, and we were lucky that the treatment worked. Sorry for your loss Alan, our pets are indeed a member of the family, and our thoughts are with you.
My deepest condolences my friend. My thoughts are with you!
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Very sorry to hear such news.
Sorry to hear about your loss. Our thoughts are with you.
So sorry Alan .....
My condolences on your loss.
Condolences amigo. Losing a pet is always hard because the only memories they leave behind are happy ones....
So sorry to hear about your loss, my thoughts are with you.
Sorry to hear about Gus.
*hugs
a crappy day just got worse, sorry to hear about gus. Makes those bad beats meaningless.
I'm very sorry about Gus. I have no doubt he lived a wonderful life as part of your household.
Poor kitty. Sorry to hear the bad news. Gus looks a little like my cat.
Sorry to hear about your loss.
So sorry to hear about this. As a co-owner of two cats myself, I can only imagine how hard this was. Sounds & looks like you treated him very well, and I'm sure he had a good run.
Ditto... sorry buddy.
Hey Alan, my thoughts go out to ya bud.
Sorry to read about your cat. He looked pretty young. My own 18 year old cat is struggling with kidney failure and lameness - I'm sure she won't see the year out. So I am kind of grieving already. Good luck to you.
""It's always sad when a poker kitty moves on to higher limits.""
Beautiful.
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