# My friend is sleeping now.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 9, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870 "2012-01-09T00:13:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/1 "2012-01-09T00:13:20Z")

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He was a big, dumb [guy](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v483/picunurse/kitties%20from%20all%20over/Maxxty1.jpg). He was clumsy and bossy. He was the [cutest](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v483/picunurse/kitties%20from%20all%20over/MaxxII1.jpg).  
He was my friend, [Max](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v483/picunurse/kitties%20from%20all%20over/newkitten.jpg).  
He slept with me every night since that first scary Christmas eve in 2003 when he curled up in my hair and kneaded the top of my head all night.  
He bossed the lady cats around even then. He weighed about 6 ounces then.

Today, I was here, on the computer with my back to the bed. Like everyday, he was lying on the foot of the bed, napping, waiting for me to move, so he could follow.  
I heard him jump down and paid no mind.  
A few minutes later I turned around, no more than 5 minutes. There he lay, dead on the floor next to the bed. Maybe what I heard was him falling, I’ll never know.

I called for my husband and started CPR. My husband checked his airway, it was clear. I listened with a stethoscope, no heart beat, he was gone.

He had had bladder crystals about a year ago, but with antibiotics and a food change, he seemed to fully recover.  
He threw up a hair ball this morning, but nothing else seemed to be wrong. He played with my shoelaces this morning while I was dressing.

My husband wants to know why, but I don’t. It won’t bring him back. We buried him back behind the shed, where it’s shady and all the birds hang out. I made a little, heart-shaped stepping stone last summer, so we made that his marker.

Maybe if I’d just turned around when I heard him jump down. Maybe lots of things, but in the end, it all means nothing. My friend is peaceful now.

I know there’s more I want to say, but, right now, I can’t see the keyboard so well.  
Thanks for listening.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/2 "2012-01-09T00:17:53Z")

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☹

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**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/3 "2012-01-09T00:20:02Z")

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**{{{picu}}}** RIP Max. You were a great kitty.

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**Author:** ![KinkiNipponTourist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9bcb4/32.png) [@KinkiNipponTourist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KinkiNipponTourist)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/4 "2012-01-09T00:25:31Z")

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I don’t think he fell. I think he was letting you know he was on his way.

RIP Max

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**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/5 "2012-01-09T00:38:19Z")

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I’m so sorry, **picu**.

☹

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**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/6 "2012-01-09T00:46:21Z")

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Thank you all.  
We’ve been talking and I now wonder if he didn’t have kidney failure. He’d gained a lot of weight over the last few months, since his last checkup. He just didn’t act sick, just fat and lazy.

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**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/7 "2012-01-09T00:56:57Z")

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He obviously wasn’t in distress, if he was playful and alert this morning. It wasn’t your fault – it was just his time. It sounds like he had everything a happy cat could want.

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**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/8 "2012-01-09T01:07:16Z")

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I’m so sorry for your loss.

Maybe he had a heart attack? My brother came home and found their youngish (5 yrs) cat dead on the floor with no signs of a struggle… My SIL worked for a vet so she brought him in and it turned out he had a heart attack.

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**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/9 "2012-01-09T01:12:13Z")

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I’m sorry for your loss. I’d say more than that, but those of who have been through this just get it. It hurts to lose them, but it’s worth it to share their lives.

But the end hurts regardless of circumstance.

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**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/10 "2012-01-09T01:13:06Z")

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I am sorry to hear of your loss. Sending supporting thoughts your way.

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**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/11 "2012-01-09T01:16:09Z")

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Sorry to hear that, picu. But he went happy, quiet, and with the human he loved. RIP, Max.

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**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/12 "2012-01-09T01:16:45Z")

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Oh I’m so sorry. Losing a beloved pet can be so hard. I had a tear in my eye when you talked about him sleeping with you. Sometimes my cats do, but my dog does it every night, and although he’s young I hate to look forward.

It sounds like Max had a wonderful life, and that he knew you loved him.

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**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/13 "2012-01-09T01:17:05Z")

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I’m terribly sorry for your loss. I have a Max as well (although I call him by his full name, Maximus). Your Max was adorable, and I hope he went peacefully knowing he was loved.

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**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/14 "2012-01-09T01:25:11Z")

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{{{{{ **picu** }}}}}}

R.I.P. Max

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**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/15 "2012-01-09T01:30:16Z")

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☹ I’m sorry you lost your kitty.

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**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/16 "2012-01-09T01:30:33Z")

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Not to make light of your loss, **Picunurse** , but I think that’s the best way a pet can go - more or less healthy right up to the end, and then a quick, painless, not lingering death. No tough decisions for anyone, no endless discomfort, no painful, heart-breaking vet visits. Hell, that’s how I hope _I_ go.

I’m sorry for your loss, though - when our cats go, they’re going to leave some pretty big holes here.

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**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/17 "2012-01-09T01:36:13Z")

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I don’t usually go in for kitty pictures, but he was indeed a cute little bugger! So sorry you lost your buddy. Be well.

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**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/18 "2012-01-09T01:39:27Z")

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He was loved, and he was near you at the end. Not a bad end to a kitty life.

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**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/19 "2012-01-09T02:10:21Z")

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I am so sorry for your loss.

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**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-is-sleeping-now/608870/20 "2012-01-09T02:11:50Z")

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I’m so sorry for your loss.

StG

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