newcrasher, I’m sorry to read about your cat. My thoughts are with you and Ozzie.
newcrasher, I’m so sorry. It sounds like Ozzie was a great cat, and I’m sure he knew how much he was loved and appreciated.
When I move out again, which I hope to do at the beginning of the year, one of the first things I plan on doing is adopting a cat. Though I didn’t lose my Cloud-cat to cancer or some other illness, I had to give him up at the beginning of the year when I moved in here. (Long story, involving a very sudden unexpected move and two darling doggies who unfortunately love to chase cats.) I love cats.
The only bad part about having pets is that they go before WE do.
When I am ready for a new pet, I think I am going with a tortoise…they live to be 150 years old!
Thanks for your encouraging words.
I just went through the same thing, newcrasher, the same exact thing. Her body shut down over a weekend. Wednesday, she was eating, sleeping, roaming the house, and, well, mostly sleeping at her normal rate. Saturday, she threw up. Sunday, she quit eating. Tuesday, we get the news- and the vet showed us where to feel the lumps. Wednesday we’re taking her in to be put down.
Cancer can rip through a 7 pound animal, I guess. I’m grateful that she suffered so little; hell, I’m grateful that we didn’t even have to make the choice of whether to get her treatment. She might have had a summer of shots and surgeries and pills shoved down her throat and the hated car trips to the even more hated vet office which is full of depised dogs and dreadful kittens–and no guarantee of living a day longer than she did. Instead, she had a final summer of easy living at her own comfortable home with her catnip box and her usual little rituals. But it was terrible to have so little time to say goodbye. Make the best of your time, MLS! But you already know that.
I see her out of the corner of my eye about twelve times a day.
Newcrasher I am sorry to hear about your kitty…and I’m sorry I didn’t find this thread sooner…we could have formed a kitty support group. F. Lea Bailey was recently diagnosed with mammary cancer…the tumor’s been removed, but it’s still possible that she has cancer…FWIW I decided against chemo for her as making a kitty sick like that just didn’t seem right to me…dogs would understand, but not kitties…or at least my kitty…
RIP Ozzie
Sorry to hear about it. My dog had cancer, and I had to shoot it. I know it sounds cruel, but it was one of the worst things I remember, and it was a great dog.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Newcrasher. :sad:
I’m so sorry for your loss, Newcrasher. :sad:
OH, NEWCRASHER! My heart goes out to you, man. We lost our big boy, Eros, to a lymphoma a year and a half ago. I cried when I read your post. You should have seen me the day we put him down! My wife an I cried like babies all day.
I don’t care if they have fur, they ARE family. Sometimes even more so. I dare say I was more devastated over his loss than I was over the loss of my mother this year. Maybe because her demise was expected, and his wasn’t.
But KNOW you did the right thing. And have NO GUILT. If animals could talk, maybe they could tell us, and we could help them sooner, but they can’t, and so, we can’t. YOU DID THE BEST THING FOR HIM.
For others who may be approaching The Big Decision:
When Eros was near the end, all we were able to do (all anyone is EVER able to do) is to make him as comfortable as possible. Several times, we had his lymphoma “asperated” which helped for a while. But one day, I’m serious, he just gave me this look of “Hey, I’m done with this. I’m tired. Let me go.” That’s when I knew it was time to give him the shot.
It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life. But the alternative was only to see him suffer needlessly.
Eventually you will just remember what a great family member he was, and smile.
Peace be with you all,
Rob V
OH, NEWCRASHER! My heart goes out to you, man. We lost our big boy, Eros, to a lymphoma a year and a half ago. I cried when I read your post. You should have seen me the day we put him down! My wife an I cried like babies all day.
I don’t care if they have fur, they ARE family. Sometimes even more so. I dare say I was more devastated over his loss than I was over the loss of my mother this year. Maybe because her demise was expected, and his wasn’t.
But KNOW you did the right thing. And have NO GUILT. If animals could talk, maybe they could tell us, and we could help them sooner, but they can’t, and so, we can’t. YOU DID THE BEST THING FOR HIM.
For others who may be approaching The Big Decision:
When Eros was near the end, all we were able to do (all anyone is EVER able to do) is to make him as comfortable as possible. Several times, we had his lymphoma “asperated” which helped for a while. But one day, I’m serious, he just gave me this look of “Hey, I’m done with this. I’m tired. Let me go.” That’s when I knew it was time to give him the shot.
It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life. But the alternative was only to see him suffer needlessly.
Eventually you will just remember what a great family member he was, and smile.
Peace be with you all,
Rob V
OH, NEWCRASHER! My heart goes out to you, man. We lost our big boy, Eros, to a lymphoma a year and a half ago. I cried when I read your post. You should have seen me the day we put him down! My wife an I cried like babies all day.
I don’t care if they have fur, they ARE family. Sometimes even more so. I dare say I was more devastated over his loss than I was over the loss of my mother this year. Maybe because her demise was expected, and his wasn’t.
But KNOW you did the right thing. And have NO GUILT. If animals could talk, maybe they could tell us, and we could help them sooner, but they can’t, and so, we can’t. YOU DID THE BEST THING FOR HIM.
For others who may be approaching The Big Decision:
When Eros was near the end, all we were able to do (all anyone is EVER able to do) is to make him as comfortable as possible. Several times, we had his lymphoma “asperated” which helped for a while. But one day, I’m serious, he just gave me this look of “Hey, I’m done with this. I’m tired. Let me go.” That’s when I knew it was time to give him the shot.
It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life. But the alternative was only to see him suffer needlessly. I just hope that when my time comes, someone is able to afford me the same kindness.
Eventually you will just remember what a great family member he was, and smile.
Peace be with you all,
Rob V
I’m so sorry for your loss, newcrasher. May peace be with you.
Not a day goes by when I don’t miss my cat Gollum. He was my very best friend, and I had to put him to sleep last year after a long battle against renal failure. I know that no words can really ease the pain, but you have my heartfelt sympathies newcrasher.
Pets steal our hearts, and it sounds like Ozzie is a wonderful cat. Make his days as happy and comfortable as you can; but do accept that when the time has come, he’ll make it very clear to you. We lost a beloved golden retriever to cancer nearly two years ago, and we knew the day she didn’t even bark at the mailman, let alone go downstairs to bark at him, that she was ready to go. She had the look in her eyes of somewhere beyond where we were.
It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but I take comfort in the fact that we let her keep her dignity right up until the end and didn’t prolong her suffering just to try to ease ours.
You have my deepest sympathies, and please pet Ozzie for me tonight!
Thanks for the chuckle. I guess you didn’t read the thread all the way through. Ozzie was put to sleep 2 days ago. I would love to pet him, but it would be just a bit creepy.
Smitty, our other cat, seems forelorn. Do you think cat’s have the capacity to miss their friends? Am I just projecting my feelings onto him?
I’m sorry to hear about your loss, newcrasher. It sounds like Ozzie was a great little guy.
We recently lost one of ours to heart failure. It’s not an easy time for you, I know. I’ll send some thoughts and prayers Ozzie’s way.
No, cats do miss their friends. I’ve noticed some changes in behaviour in our other cats–nothing bad, but some definite changes. One that only meowed for food now meows for no apparent reason, for example.
They do seem to know that their friend is gone, but they also seem to be coming to grips with the fact that he won’t be coming back. Time will do its job for all of us; and for you and Smitty, I’m sure.
I’m sorry, newcrasher, for coming across as an idiot. I swear I thought I’d read the whole thread; all I can say is that I was really, really tired and not feeling well yesterday with a nasty headache, and I guess my eyes just skipped over your last update thread. Please accept my apologies for sounding stupid and creepy and insensitive!!! And I hope you have many, many wonderful memories of Ozzie to help you through your grieving for him.
Absolutely they miss them. Gollum had a littermate, Arwen. She was always far less social than her brother, at least with humans. She used to hang around with him all the time, and ignored people mostly, and the other cats. When her brother died, she all of a sudden became way more friendly. She even became a lap cat for a few weeks, which is totally unlike her. Now, she hangs out with me like she did with her brother, even though she doesn’t curl up on my lap very often like she did right after he died. Smitty will adapt, but he feels the loss of Ozzie too.
I knew what your sentiments were, and they are appreciated. Don’t worry about it. These posts have really lifted my spirits. I really love the SDMB!
Smitty is clinging closer, and he was playing by himself this morning. I tried to play with him but he gave me the “lowly human” look… he slept right beside me. At one point in the night he was in the center of the bed with me and my wife crammed up in the remaining half!
We will all be fine, and we will always remember Ozzie!
Thanks again to all!