I feel your pain deeply. I had to put my 18 yrs old cat down two yrs ago due to kidney failure. It was hands down the hardest things we had to go through in my life. He has been through two long marriages of mine and grew up with my kids. My youngest son, who was 15 at the time of our cat's passing, took it the hardest since the cat was with him since he was born. He was such a fierce hunter and gloat about it by leaving bones of rodent and birds on our door steps. This pisses my wife off so we had to make an adjustment for him to be an indoor cat. Needles to say he took care of our mice issue in our home. He was no doubt the best birthday gift I will ever received (given from my first g/f, ex-wife in 2004). I was never a cat person or animal in general until I got him. Totally changed my perspective on animal to a point where I became an advocate for animal rights and do my share of voluntary work at the shelter when I have the time. Two years later, and we still misses him like it was yesterday when we put him down. In honor of his memory, my wife, oldest son and I went to get matching tattoos (his paw prints). Sam, we will always love and think about you everyday.... Anyway condolence and prayer for you and your family. Please take solace in the fact that she was loved and that she thank you for giving her the best life possible! Here's a few pic of him with one of our dog.
Thank you for the story of your cat. It sounds like our cats had very different personalities but that is what makes cats so interesting how even two cats front the same litter can be very different.
First, I'm sorry about your cat. Second, dang that was an old cat imo. Three, you appear to have done your best. That's all you can do. Fourth, I have to break out my own worst pet cat story that haunts me to this day. My family had an old Siamese cat named "Bernie". It was up there in age but not as old as your cat. I loved this cat. We had a great relationship. He used to groom me. One day, I was coming home in my car like any other day...pulling up in the driveway. Bernie was lying there in the drive just before the garage. He got up and moved. I saw him move to the side. So, I proceeded to pull into the garage. At the same time, Bernie proceeded to come back. I ran over Bernie. Bernie went into convulsions and died in front of me. I balled my eyes out. Dad came home from NASA (JSC) as I was freaking out and we proceeded to bury Bernie behind the garage. And, to this day, I've basically never gotten over it and I tear up when I think about it. It was a very cruel day. I was seventeen years old. I just wish one or two things had gone differently that day. I grew up with that cat. I still miss him terribly. Years before the Bernie mishap, we had another female cat (sad to say I've forgotten her name at this point) and they were buds. The family was going on vacation but we only had one crate big enough for one cat and Bernie was in the crate. My Mom was carrying the female cat in her arms. We arrive at the pet boarding place and enter the front fenced in area. Two dogs come running at full speed right at us. Female cat scratches Mom, gets loose, and runs up the biggest f-ing tree I've ever seen in my entire life. And, she went up near the top. Fire Department came, extended the ladder to full, tried to get up there, the works...to no avail. Cat kept going higher....way the f up there! We had to leave to catch a flight out. Never saw the cat again. Don't know what happened to it. That was also traumatic as I was young. I feel you, dawg!
I'm very sorry. She was a beautiful cat - too pretty to be a good mouser. Every cat I've ever had that was a good hunter was grizzled and ugly AF. Same for people as cats -- it you're pretty enough you never have to work a day in your life. I have five cats north of 15yo. Dreading the kitty apocalypse coming in the next few years.
Man, I kept forgetting to respond to this thread. My condolences to you. About the only pet I've ever had were fish, and this is kind of why. Dogs, cats, etc. I'd become too attached to. I still may get one someday, though. Twenty years seems like a long time for a cat, so at least be happy for that.
Thanks for the story. I think one reason why lived so long was that she was an indoor cat so avoided things like cars. Yesterday when I was pulling out of my driveway two of my neighbors cats were having a face off in the alley. I got out of my car and chased them out of the alley. I the. Drove as slow as possible in case one or both decided to come back. Even though they weren’t my cats would still feel horrible if I were to have run them over.
I had a a cat in Singapore that was half the size of Lucy and scrawny but the best hunting cat I’ve seen. It would regular take down prey its size or larger. We briefly lived near a wild preserve in Singapore and that cat once hauled in an Ibis bigger than it into my mom’s bedroom. That cat though also got beat up by something and lost most of its tail in a fight with another animal. One of my ex GF had a beautiful Maine Coone that was a very good hunter. That cat would frequently catch and eat birds and mice. It one time brought a mouse to show me. Then held the mouse down on its back and calmly disemboweled it and ate its guts.
One thing I’ve noticed is how people both online and in person have shared their own stories of losing their pets.
Omg...I just thought of something in regards to my "family cat scared up the tallest f-ing tree ever" story that I never really contemplated before as far as what happened after. So, I asked Alex: "Alexa, can cats climb down trees as easily as they can climb up trees?" The response is like: "No...cat paws allow cats to dig into a tree's bark and this make thems good climbers. But, unlike squirrels, cats cannot climb down head first and are not built for climbing down." That means my cat either died in the tree (way the F up there) or it fell climbing down...but then there would have been a body. The shelter said they would keep an eye on it as the tree was right there. But, they let us down. The poor cat was so terrified and so high up. I'm traumatized all over again. I see the fire truck, the flashing lights, the ladder unable to go higher, all the people gathered around....all of it. Any ClutchFans shrinks in da house? And, then I went from that tragedy to a family vacation in D.C. and I'm standing there at the Vietnam memorial wall with my Mom balling her eyes out the whole time and I'm worried about my cat still in a tree. I'm a kid!
Cats can climb down trees. Not as easily as they climb up. I’ve seen cats come down trees. They back down. Cat defense and their ability to capture prey would be pretty limited if they couldn’t come down on their own from trees.
Okay so I'll hold on to the fantasy that it came down on its own and made it either on its own or with a new family. If you only saw the situation and tree, though. It's questionable.
I'm really sorry about the loss of your cat. That's a very long life for a feline. That's awesome. Cats are amazing. I have had both cats and dogs all of my life. I'm sure you guys had a great connection.
Got together with the people who knew my cat the best and sprinkled her ashes around my house today. It was sad and a few tears were shed including by me but it felt good. It’s supposed to rain tonight so I expect by the morning all of her ashes will be returned to the soil. This experience has been rough but it’s gone as well as can be hoped. For @Reeko I know what you’re going through with your puppy and hope you and those who loved your puppy get to celebrate her life too.
Dropping in to share this post that came across my FB feed. Putting my cat to sleep was very difficult. She was in my lap at the very end and will always remember feeling her body going still. She was scared and confused. Not being there for could’ve been much harder for her and I. “ The Serious Guy….. our Pets, it turns out, also have last wishes before they die, but only known by veterinarians who put old and sick animals to sleep. Twitter user Jesse Dietrich askd a vet what was the most difficult part of his job. The specialist answered without hesitation that it was the hardest for him to see how old or sick animals look for their owners with the eyes of their owners before going to sleep. The fact is that 90% of owners don't want to be in a room with a dying animal. People leave so that they don't see their pet leave. But they don't realze that it's in these last moments of life that their pet needs them most. Veterinarians ask the owners to be close to the animals until the very end. "It's inevitable that they die before you. Don't forget that you were the center of their life. Maybe they were just a part of you. But they are also your family. No matter how hard it is, don't leave them." Dont let them die in a room with a stranger in a place they dont like. It is very painful for veterinarians to see how pets cannot find their owner during the last minutes of their life. They dont understnd why the owner left them. After all, they needed their owner's consolation. Veterinarians do everything possible to ensure that animals are not so scared, but they are complete strangers to them. Don't be a coward because it's too painful for you. Think about the pet. Endure this pain for their sake. Be with them until the end. [Shared]-
