I think my cat is dying

jflower

Fri, Sep 15 2023, 1:38 am

amother Lightgreen wrote:

OP, my heart breaks for you. We lost our cat on Monday and it's been rough. We took him in and he instantly bonded with us. My kids loved him so hard and he was all into cuddles and being held. Never met such a sweet cat in my life. He was a rare soul. Comforting, loving, gentle. He stopped eating last week and we took him to the vet, got him back on track but it only lasted a day before he stopped eating again. By Monday morning, he was clearly unwell and we got an appointment for the vet for that afternoon. I had to go do scans in the morning (cancer) and when I came home, he collapsed. We rushed him to the vet and it was clearly time to let him go. Hardest thing I've done in a long time. I just held him, whispering thank you for being part of our family, for loving us, for showing us companionship... and before I knew it, my sweet boy was gone. No more pain, except mine. This week has been a real struggle. Bh, my scans came back with miraculous news-cancer free! But it feels a lot like my poor boy took a shot meant for me and I'm just trying to process my grief and sadness. With time, it will get better but I just miss my little buddy. 😢

So glad your scans came back clear. Best news ever. Wishing you continued health!

Rappel

Fri, Sep 15 2023, 2:50 am

amother Ginger wrote:

I'm sorry. Can I ask what her name is? She sounds like a very special cat and a special part of the family. Our cat is a big snob, she only cuddles sometimes, on her own terms, so I cant relate. But I know we'll also be sad once she's gone.

Her name was Cat-Cat, actually.

When we first brought her home from the shelter, DH named her Jinjebre, which means Ginger in Spanish. But it was too fancy a name for such a plain Jane - she was a simple orange tabby, with a blocky rectangular body.

Nothing elegant about her personal appearance, so she was at the shelter for 4 years before we took her.

We came in looking for an adult cat with a friendly disposition, and we got more than we bargained for!

Her personality was queenly and elegant, and she always had the social graces to interact with each person on their level. She disdained other cats, despised dogs, and adored children. She had a fair bit of commentary on my household management too, but mostly she was just a quiet companion.

I didn't even keep a litter box - she went outside when she needed, and would knock the door (it had a little give in its frame) when she wanted to come back in. She kept herself impeccably clean and would often wash herself outside; cat-allergic people often commented on how comfortable they were in our home.

She was very curious about goats, and those were the only times she came back home stinky. Smile

I would put her in the bathroom until she washed herself down and was ready to rejoin us.

-----
We buried her this morning, next to the etrog tree that we received in honor of our purchasing our house. House trees and house cats belong together. The kids helped with the burial, and then stacked rocks on top. They decided to leave her collar there for the next week, and then we'll take it in, and arrange a flower bed over that corner of the garden so it's nice and protected.

BadTichelDay

Fri, Sep 15 2023, 4:07 am

Sorry to read it. Crying

Wishing you a good and blessed year.

Seems your cat was the exact opposite of ours, you were lucky to have had such a wonderful cat.
My kids rescued a street kitten a year ago which was being mistreated by some rowdy other children. It's grown up into the most misanthropic and grouchy tom cat one can imagine Rolling Eyes

He isn't cuddleable, will attack us and scratch whenever the mood strikes him. He even threatened to scratch my hand while I was giving him food yesterday.
Though, when our youngest ds was ill, he did groom his hair in a few tender moments. He's also killed a scorpion that was in our salon, so he's earned his keep. Doesn't stop him grouching, though. Every meeeow of his is full of terrible accusation and complaint. Even our dog, a Belgian shepherd, is afraid of him, though she's about 10 times as big.

Rappel

Fri, Sep 15 2023, 4:51 am

BadTichelDay wrote:

Sorry to read it. Crying

He sounds like a character! At least he'll keep the snakes and scorpions away. Maybe he'll mellow as he gets older.

That was the initial reason that we got an adult cat from the shelter - I knew that I wanted to pick a cat whom had already formed a gentle character. We were just looking for a friendly, calm cat; the fact that she had a fabulous personality was a bonus.

amother

Tangerine

Fri, Sep 15 2023, 9:48 am

I’m so sorry.Ask your vet. When they hide and don’t eat, that’s when to be even more concerned. I’ve had cats and now a dog. Pets are the best. Only pet people truly understand the connection between pet and humans. I always remind myself that it’s better if the pet passes away before me because they won’t understand why we didn’t return. My dog is so attached to me that if something would r”l happen to me should would cry ( really) and wait by the door hoping I would return.I don’t know if that helps.

PinkFridge

Fri, Sep 15 2023, 11:58 am

amother Tangerine wrote:

Dave Barry says that his dogs greet him as jubilantly as if they never expected him to return) home again.
(Sorry, OP, a lot of what I "know" about dogs and cats, dogs vs. cats, etc. comes from Dave Barry*. Does that explain a lot?)

*And maybe Garfield too.