I am sorry to hear your news. Sending supporting thoughts your way.
I am sorry to hear about your loss. That’s a wonderful picture of him.
I’m so sorry you lost your beloved kitty. 
{{{jsgoddess}}}
Ah, jsgoddess, I’m so sorry. I’m still crying over my Ladybug after…what…two weeks? And I’ve cried plenty at work. Fortunately, all my co-workers are animal lovers, too, so they understand and don’t laugh at me, or say “she was only a dog.” It’s getting better, though. I hope your pain eases soon, too.
My mom’s cat Simon died three days ago. He was a big baby too, so sweet, and the only cat I ever saw with the courage to get into my dog’s bed, with her still in it, and s-l-o-w-l-y spread himself out so that she ended up sleeping on the very edge while he was spread out in the middle. I’ll miss him. My condolences on the loss of your friend.
I’m so sorry. I have an ancient cat, and I worry about the day I’ll lose her. I’m thinking about you.
I would have done that very thing. Are there other kitties available to you for hugs, I hope?
Thank you for the care and love you gave to Orson, especially yesterday at the vet’s office, when it was hardest.
Yeah, we still have seven cats, down from a high of eleven (which was an impossible number of cats and never something I would recommend to anyone. Ack).
Ors was my TV-watching cat. He would drape himself across my lap given any opportunity at all, or if it was hot he would lie on the back of the sofa and put a single paw on my shoulder.
I wasn’t his favorite person, but I was the one he always wanted to touch on the sofa.
He was failing, getting skinnier, not eating, but he still wanted to be on my lap all the time. He still wanted to touch me, no matter how inconvenient it might be when I was trying to bang out a NaNoNovel or something. And then last night, he started screaming, started circling around the room, hiding, vomiting, shrieking.
We took him to the vet and they found a mass in his abdomen, and found that he had lost 2.5 pounds in the last two months. He didn’t want us to touch him until he was sedated, then he quieted and purred until he died.
Julie, you did a hard thing just right. I’m going to help you cry a little bit now, if you don’t mind.
When Sammie died at 15 months in May, I cried like a baby. Reading about your Orson made me well up here too.
Big hugs to you and the remaining kitties in your life.
I know it is hard - one of the hardest things we ever have to do - but thank you so much for making sure his end was peaceful.
Orson was a handsome boy. I know you will miss him; but I am glad you have others to soak up the tears.
You are in my thoughts.
I’m so sorry.
Thank you for posting the picture. I take it personally when another Doper’s cat passes. I’ve saved Orson in my screensaver folder - every now and then, amidst the pictures of family, friends, my own cats and whatever else - he’ll pop up on my screen for 5 seconds.
I hope you have the same peace he’s feeling right now.
I’m so sorry, jsgoddess.
Do you have my Trouble? And do you do dogs?
comfort You’re not stupid, you’re hurting. Is there something you can do, that will expend the energy you have pent up, the anger at everything? Cleaning out a closet, punching a punching bag, or tackling another job you’ve been putting off, to distract yourself with old familiar movements and put the energy through a postive outlet?
Poor jsgoddess!
So sorry for your loss, Hon. Just go ahead and cry. Orson was a beautiful kitty, obviously well loved.
I suppose the hardest part of taking a beloved pet to the vet during a terminal illness, and having to make the decision to say goodbye, with even the best information, is that your pet never really gets to say goodbye in a concrete way. So, we are left holding a big ol’ bag of conflicting weighty emotions: grief, responsibility for making a final decision (“What If…” coming into play), and, as you say, feeling that crying over a pet is somehow not as acceptable as any other death of a close personal friend.
It’s a big weight, to go through that all. Wail and cry, miss your cat with all heart, and grieve. I think that the love that humans have for pets is incredibly special, because it doesn’t have the immediately tangible supportive rewards as loving other people; it’s always a little beyond our grasp to truly comprehend the bond of animals and humans. But, we truly feel love in our hearts for them, look into their eyes, and make them an important part of our lives.
I can’t quite put this right… but, you loved Orson, and his sofa paw touch. What a good connection. Tearing up, because I just can’t get it right, the best words, but I hope for you that the memories of your beloved cat can hold him best in your heart.
I’m very sorry. He was really gorgeous. I’m sure he knew you loved him very much.
I’m so sorry, jssgoddess! One of the biggest injustices of the world is that cats aren’t immortal. My thoughts are with you and your beloved kitty.