I wasn’t going to post about this because, well, I feel kinda guilty & stupid about it. But then I saw an ignorance-fighting opportunity.
See, I have this indoor/outdoor kitty. I’ve had strictly indoor cats before and for all their efforts of trying to get out I figure they’re not in fact happier (although much safer, but there is little connection between happy & safe). So this Spring we greened up the back yard, grew a garden & some tall weeds–lovely playground for a kitty.
Last night I notice she’s behaving sickly–moving slowly, but not prowling; lethargic, but not in the same way as a normal cat… Dropped her off at the vet this morning & have just been informed of severe kidney failure as the likely cause of her loss of spunk. Vet’s best suggestion based on the info he has is antifreeze. So based on the severity of her condition I had to buy her a blue velvet seat on the gravy train–I’ll be picking up my new catcicle on Tuesday (can’t get to the vet before then).
Now, I know better than to dump antifreeze into the gutter. And none of my cars is leaking the yummy poison. Perhaps I should go walkies about the 'hood tonight and see if I can locate a pretty green puddle in front of someone’s house…and leave them a stiff little Russian Blue present.
Sure, my fault for letting her out–so pit me for it, but you’d better wait a month or two. I’m too emotional right now to give a damn.
Based solely on the thread title, I was going to make some lame joke about “winterizing your cat” by having her pumped full of anti-freeze and bathing her in Armour-All, but I see now that would be in really bad taste.
I hope Kitty is okay. Give her some extra skritches for me.
I hope I’m misinterpreting, but I took IM’s OP to mean that the cat is dead. Put to sleep because of the severity of her condition. I don’t think she’s going to be okay at all.
Maybe I just don’t understand what a “blue velvet seat on the gravy train” means, nor how Inigo is going to leave someone a stiff cat as a “present” if he sees any antifreeze. I took those sentences to mean the cat is now in kitty heaven.
I’m sorry. I hate antifreeze cases. Most of them go exactly like you described: the owner brings the animal in for being a bit off, and we have to tell them that their pet is going to die and there’s not a damn thing we can do. It’s terrible for the animal, and it’s really frickin’ horrible for the owner. They’re generally not in any way prepared to hear what we have to tell them, and their shock and grief is just heartbreaking.
And Inigo, Morgan’s death might not have been the result of an accident or carelessness. There are some sick fucks who put out bowls of that shit to poison animals, and others who spike meatballs with it and throw them into yards with dogs. If you find that someone’s been doing this, nail their sick, twisted asses to the wall.
Ditto what CCL said.
Antifreeze toxicity is very frustrating because by the time you see signs it’s usually too late, the kidneys are completely gone. It’s worse for cats because it only takes a very small amount to be fatal and the animals will readily drink it because it’s sweet.
Whatta shame
Out of curiousity, was Morgan particularly smart?
I ask because back in the 60s my family had a Russian Blue that was friggin’ brilliant. (He was also literally blue in color.) I always wondered if there was something in their little cat DNA that made that breed really smart or if my family’s cat was just unusual.
I’ve claimed ownership (a tricky word, admittedly, when dealing with cats) to 7 cats (not counting the 8 or so kittens from litters that were eventually given away). Of these:
2 had better sense than most people I know:
“Maw Kitty” (gray & white callico-spay) lived to 18 years–she raised me. Mr. Cancer got her.
“Merlyn” (black & white “Tux” neut) currently 12 years old, acquired in marriage–positively the smartest animal I’ve ever met.
1 was super sweet, but a complete dope:
“Matchka” (orange tabby-neut) lived to be 8 years old. His death inspired the Straight Dope user name which was abandoned for reasons not relevant here. Bladder crystals & kidney damage took him out.
4 were just plain “cats,” but still very dear to me–pets, but not “family.”
“Arthur” (gray tabby-neut) was Morgan’s littermate, died in traffic at 16 months–a promising mouser/birder who had entered a phase of daily 1-2 critter offerings when he died.
“Morgan” (75% Russian Blue 25% neighbor:eek:-spay), 18 months old until today
“Tom” (orange tabby-Tom) I have no idea what happened to him
“Sambo” (black long haired Tom) the meanest goddamned cat I ever met. He killed, no–tortured (because he was an orphan who was never taught how to kill–it was simply the result of what he did to these creatures) moles in Seattle for 10 years before getting mauled by a dog (whom he probably bested in a previous fight) He may have been smart, but I believe he was simply meaner than anything else he met right up to the end. He might be the only cat I have loathed, but I also held him in awe.
There seems to be a seperate order of cat which is gifted beyond your average mouser/lapcat. I was at work today when I took the call from the vet. I calmly made the decision to euthanize, and went about my work for 6 more hours. When it comes time to do the same for Merlyn, I’m going home and getting drunk.
We’re miscommunicating. I’m sorry you had to go through it. Really. You and I apparently have very different perspectives on life, death & pets.
I’ve been clear about my feelings in this matter. And so have you. Let’s shake paws and try to remember not share humor with one another–I probably wouldn’t get your sense of it either.
I can understand the dark humor since everyone has their own ways of coping with tragedy. Regardless, I’m really sorry to hear that this happened. What a shame that it was so unexpected.
Yes, antifreeze poisoning is an ugly, ugly death, and it’s tragic. But some of us have to find the humor in the tragedy to keep our minds from overloading and shorting out. Lord knows if I couldn’t find some humor in all the death and pain and grief, I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed in the morning, and I sure as hell wouldn’t be able to go to work.
