I had posted on the Cat health thread about our all black little fella "Slim", he was losing weight and throwing up more and looking like he wasn't doing so well, so we took him to the Emergency vet Sunday night, and at first we had hopes that he might just have Hyperthyroidism based on the bloodwork but he also had Pancreatitis, but they said those were treatable and kept him overnight to start him on the new meds and give him fluids. But yesterday they called and said he wasn't responding well and wanted to do an ultrasound of his abdomen to see if anything was going on there, and of course Deb & I were both nervous wrecks all morning, at times thinking he'd be okay, but Deb thought all along that something was wrong, and she was right. She called me crying this afternoon and said the vet said "there was a lot going on" and presumed it was cancer, he didn't eat since Sunday, he wasn't good, said he has been suffering, said they could try to treat it with Prednisone but didn't know if that would hit it, but Deb asked "if he was your cat what would you do?", and she said "I would stop doing anything", basically saying she would put him down. So we went in tonight, spent a long time with him, holding him and hugging him, kissing him, crying our eyes out, but also telling him that we love him and were lucky that he came into our lives over 17 years ago, explained to him that we are doing this to help him, that he will not be in pain anymore and will see his sister Sabrina who died last year at this same vet of a heart attack when we took her in, and also see his brother Skipper who died very suddenly years ago at home here, and that we will see each other again someday and it will be forever, no one will be leaving then. I used to at times refer to him as "last minute Louie" because sometimes in the morning when I would be rushing around getting ready for work I would be giving some of them treats, put the treats away, start to leave the room only to see Louie I mean Slim come in half asleep, I used to say "I have to get ready for work, last minute Louie!", but I always went back and gave him some treats...and when we would play string toys he would chew on it, I used to say "we can't play if you're going to chew on it!", and I was always afraid I would rip his teeth out if I pulled on it! And many years ago he actually ate part of a string toy, we actually pulled about a 10" section out of his butt, he was lucky that didn't get stuck in there and need surgery! But we spent our time with him, said all we wanted to say, no regrets....
He still was somewhat spunky, was excited to see us, and I kept saying "are you sure he is really that sick?", thinking maybe if we took him home we could nurse him back to health, but when the vet came in she said how sick he was, and how many times people will see them with a surge of adrenaline and second guess themselves, but she assured me that he was very sick, had "a lot going on inside", she was the one that called Deb with the ultrasound results, so I believed her. And in the past whenever we had cats put down, if it really WAS their time to go, and they had little fight left in them, they would pass in seconds, and he did just that, closed his little eyes and within seconds he was gone, so I knew then that he was ready.
Deb said that he was to her like Sylvester is to me, so I know just how broken up she is about this, but we knew it was time and had to be done. She used to call him "Slimmy Slimmy cocoa pop" sort of like that song "Shimmy shimmy cocoa pop", and man did she love him, as did I, and he us. But he is fine now, just fine, no more pain or physical issues, he is eating and playing and happy and healthy and purring his head off, he had the BEST purr we've ever heard, and even that was lower tonight because he was weaker, but it was still there, and now it is loud and strong again....
I made a deal with him, I told him that when we meet again we will play string toys, and since I will be the one coming to him he can call me "last minute Louie"! And he can chew it all he wants to!!
"THANK YOU SLIM, YOU WERE A GOOD SON....WE LOVE YOU AND WE WILL MEET AGAIN AND THIS TIME IT WILL BE FOREVER!!!"
He still was somewhat spunky, was excited to see us, and I kept saying "are you sure he is really that sick?", thinking maybe if we took him home we could nurse him back to health, but when the vet came in she said how sick he was, and how many times people will see them with a surge of adrenaline and second guess themselves, but she assured me that he was very sick, had "a lot going on inside", she was the one that called Deb with the ultrasound results, so I believed her. And in the past whenever we had cats put down, if it really WAS their time to go, and they had little fight left in them, they would pass in seconds, and he did just that, closed his little eyes and within seconds he was gone, so I knew then that he was ready.
Deb said that he was to her like Sylvester is to me, so I know just how broken up she is about this, but we knew it was time and had to be done. She used to call him "Slimmy Slimmy cocoa pop" sort of like that song "Shimmy shimmy cocoa pop", and man did she love him, as did I, and he us. But he is fine now, just fine, no more pain or physical issues, he is eating and playing and happy and healthy and purring his head off, he had the BEST purr we've ever heard, and even that was lower tonight because he was weaker, but it was still there, and now it is loud and strong again....
I made a deal with him, I told him that when we meet again we will play string toys, and since I will be the one coming to him he can call me "last minute Louie"! And he can chew it all he wants to!!
"THANK YOU SLIM, YOU WERE A GOOD SON....WE LOVE YOU AND WE WILL MEET AGAIN AND THIS TIME IT WILL BE FOREVER!!!"