Tonight I decide to take a bath. My female cat, Uhura was lying in the tub. I have noticed her being listless, and lying in the tub the last few days. I put it down to the start of the first really hot weather of the summer. I turned on the water, and she just watched it fill, which is odd because she usually jumps right out. It came around her feet, and she drank a little before trying to jump out and falling back in. She then jumped out, but only took 2 steps before lying back down. She didn’t even lick herself dry. I called the vet, who said I better bring her in. The exam took about a minute. “She has a large tumor in her belly, tennis or even softball sized.” Options: Battery of tests, x-rays, biopsys, IVs, surgury. Prognosis: poor at best. Or…euthanasia. They gave me time to think it over. Uhura lying on the exam table is not the cat who playfully fought me for HER spot in the bed, and hell with me. It’s no choice, really. I chose the needle. They gave me a few minutes alone with her. I held her close, felt her purr. She put her paw on my nose. I’m crying now, and it’s not going to get any easier. I tell them I’m ready. Yes, I’d like to be here. They lay her on her side. I pet and cup her head. I can feel her purring. The spike goes in and…she stops purring. Stethescope confirms it. She’s gone. Tomorrow I’ll bury her out back under the trees.
God I miss her. Romp the fields of feline heaven in peace and joy, my friend.
As I said to Anniz, a good pet is like a member of the family. You’ve just lost a child.
Don’t rush through the grieving process. Let it exist in you. Rushing through it and “getting better” is one of the biggest mistakes anyone can make when one close to them dies. Take the time to let the wound heal properly and it will be an asset to you instead of a hindrance to your life.
{{{{DAVE}}}}} Hunny, I know what you are going through.
I am so sorry you have to go through with this considering other events in your life dealing with your beloved four-legged friends.
My wish for you is that you know you made the right decision. You were strong when I couldn’t be, it took me 2 days to decide it, all the while my Sam was suffering in horrible agony. < gads now you got me crying hun >
Anyhow, my dear, I will be up for a couple more hours if you want to call me and let loose some of your pain.
In spirit of this website http://www.petloss.com/ I will light a candle in honor of your dear cat on Monday night. My best to you sweetie…I am so sorry.
Funny how a little furry animal can come to mean so much to us. I’m very sorry for you loss and I commend you for having enough love to know when to let go.
Oh man. I know how hard this can be. My heart goes out to you. I remember when my sister had her kitty Squeaky put to sleep. We just cried and cried and cried. It just takes it outta you. Don’t rush the grieving process. My most heartfelt sympathies. What a great kitty she must have been.
I mentioned this on Anniz’s thread, and I’ll mention it here. When I lost my beloved kitty Virgil, I immediately went out and adopted a “doomed” kitty at the pound. Saved him from almost certain death. His name is Tangie. He takes some of the sting away from losing Virgil.
Getting a new pet right away isn’t the answer to every grieving pet owner, and I’m not suggesting that. But it sure as hell helped me. And every day I get to see Tangie’s grateful little face looking up at me. (And he is grateful - he seems to know what was about to happen to him.) Adopting Tangie really helped. It may not be the answer for you, but I thought I’d mention it.
I’m so, so sorry.
It’s so hard to lose a pet.
They truley are a family member.
It’s just a little over a week
since I lost my dear and sweet dog, Zack.
It’s still so hard
and I miss him so much.
A big hug from me.
Thanks, y’all. it’s up and down. I’ve returned the call to Liz, and e-mail to Beth, And I apreciate all your kind words. If you wanna see her, her picture is here, on a pretty pathetic excuse for a webpage I threw together in like 10 minutes when someone wanted to see pictures of my pets one time. She’s the black cat on the left in the picture. Sulu, the other cat, has been loving me all night. Raven is the black lab mentioned in this thread. And Bear is the Shep/Rottie/Beagal mix everyone loves. I’m going to try and sleep now.
You chose to not be selfish. A wise decision. If a cat has a tumor that big, chances are it’s way, way too late already. Cats are tough, and don’t usually let their owners know they’re in pain.
12 years… that’s about average for a cat, isn’t it? I used to have a cat - it still lives with my parents (I didn’t take it with me when I moved to college, for obvious reasons). It turned 15 last month, and is apparently in good health. Playful, too. The moment they lose their joy for life, something’s usually wrong.
Comfort yourself with the thought that she’s no longer in pain, Dave.
My condolences, Dave. My wife and I got 2 kittens early on. Trouble lived about 15 years, and Nosy made it about 16 years. Their health declined slowly, so at least we saw the inevitable coming, and had time to get ready. I was the one that took them for their last visit to the vet when the time came. It was a lot tougher than I thought.
Damn, it’s tougher to type this than I thought!
Take some time, grieve your loss, and cherish Uhura.
Dave, I’m really sorry about Uhura. Twelve years is a good long life for a cat and know that she died with you comforting her, and you helped end her pain.
I met Uhura and Sulu last year when I came up to your place. She was a great, friendly little cat. I’m so, so sorry for your loss. You know we recently went through the same kind of thing, so if you need to talk, e-mail me or call me.
So very sad. I have three cats of my own, Weirddave, and can’t bear to think about what you’re going through. My eyes misted over reading the OP.
Don’t let anyone denigrate your grief by telling you she was “just a cat.” She was part of you, and you’re less without her. I really feel for you, buddy.
I said this to somebody else on the boards, and I’ll say it again- when one of my cats died suddenly, my husband said to me, “You never get over it, you just get used to it.” I think that is so true. You did the right thing- I used to work for a vet, and one thing that was hard for me was seeing people who had elderly/very sick animals that they just couldn’t let go, and the client would insist that we try one more treatment or something. I would always tell people, when they had decided on euthanasia, “Think of it as the last kindness you have done for your pet.” I’m glad the vet let you stay with her- I think it’s a very important part of the grieving process, and it used to annoy me when people would tell me that their vet “wouldn’t let them be there” when their pet was put to sleep.
I commend you for your courage- I think that making that decision to pet your pet to sleep must be one of the absolute hardest things to do. I hope that all of my cats go peacefully in their sleep. Take as much time as you need to grieve and remember- she WAS a memeber of your family, not “just” a pet. it’s been three years since I lost Nimue, and I still have dreams sometimes that she has come back to life.
My deepest sympathy goes out to you. I’m going to go hug my cats right now.
