July was a terrible month two years in a row. This is in memory of Battery and Mag, who left for the bridge 5 and 4 years ago.
July 1, 2003, our beloved Battery was put to sleep. He was 10 years old, and had a tumor in his nose, making breathing hard. He stopped eating and lost a lot of weight. The vets originally did not know what was wrong with him - they figured allergies, gave a few cortizone shots, and sent him on the way. A specialist vet and $2,500 later, we were told he had the malignant tumor and we could do radiation for another $5,000. That would have been fine, until they told us he would probably only live another 8-10 months, and the quality of life would not be good. We did what we thought was best for our darling cat, born in 1993 under a pickup truck bed at my dad's business. He slept in my bed nearly every night, and always positioned himself to where I couldn't get myself onto the bed completely. He used to catch moles for his brother Mag. He was my tubby Bitty-Woo, and the devastation that followed the end of his life was terrible. Me, my mom, and brother held his paws, pet him, and told him how much we loved him as they put him down. He is happily chasing moles over the bridge, and no longer has a snort.
July 18, 2004, Battery's brother Mag died suddenly. Two weeks after Battery was PTS, we adopted Chassis, a Tuxedo kitten, from a vet's office. Mag was lost without Battery - 10 years of constant companionship cut short. He was able to say his goodbyes on that sad day, but we could tell he was lonely. They were littermates under that truck bed in '93. He took to Chassis very quickly. In 2004, we moved to North Carolina from New Jersey. Mag and Chassis were coming down with my mom two weeks after my dad and I. The vet suggested tranquilizers for the trip, as it was a 10 hour drive. Mag passed out almost instantly, and Chassis fought it for an hour or so. My mom had noticed Mag had begun to growl when you picked him up - something he never did unless a stranger was around. Mag did not wake up when she arrived in North Carolina. Chassis was bounding around the house, and Mag was still motionless in his bed. I held his paw through the night and asked him to hold on for me, I was so worried. He was still out of it the next morning, so we took him to an emergency vet nearby. They rose him from the "coma" and did an abundance of tests. Mag's kidneys were failing, and had been for some time. He spent a few days at the vet being observed, and they sent him and a few bags of saline(?) for us to give to him between his shoulder blades every other day. They told us he could live for weeks, months, even years. Mag HATED the saline, but he would stay still for the entire time, then run off with a funny bulge on his back.
On July 17, 2004, we adopted Caliper from a recycling center. A flea-infested kitten, it took 4 hours to get them all off. Mag loved her instantly. He'd stand over her and follow her throughout the house like a bodyguard - especially since Chassis was not thrilled at the addition. Mag was having the time of his life - jumping all over the place, chasing birds, running up and down the stairs - doing things he hadn't been able to do the previous two weeks. He was making progress, we thought! The next morning, July 18, my mom and dad went to the store to get stuff for the house. When they came back, Mag had left for the bridge. He looked as though he was peacefully sleeping next to the table downstairs, but he was gone. We don't know why, the vets don't know why. They believe he probably had a heart attack of some kind, or that his kidneys completely failed and he passed on. It was heartbreaking to put him in the box and bring him to the vet one final time. Only a year after his brother. Mag always slept with my brother, until Battery died. Then he would sleep wherever Battery used to sleep. He spent a lot of time between my brother and I in his last weeks.
My entire family misses them everyday. They were amazing cats. June 27 would have been their 15th birthday. I thought about them that day. I also thought about Battery on the 1st of July. I can still cry for them, 4 and 5 years later. Part of my heart left with both of them (as well as the piece that has gone with Monte, this past June 20). My mom has both of their ashes in boxes next to her bed, with their collars on top. A picture of them is still on the refrigerator, from when they were 1-2 years old.
You will always be missed, Battery & Mag. You are still on our minds.
Battery (under his favorite pellet bag) with Mag:
Battery and his pellet bag:
Mag on the bed:
Mag and Chassis:
July 1, 2003, our beloved Battery was put to sleep. He was 10 years old, and had a tumor in his nose, making breathing hard. He stopped eating and lost a lot of weight. The vets originally did not know what was wrong with him - they figured allergies, gave a few cortizone shots, and sent him on the way. A specialist vet and $2,500 later, we were told he had the malignant tumor and we could do radiation for another $5,000. That would have been fine, until they told us he would probably only live another 8-10 months, and the quality of life would not be good. We did what we thought was best for our darling cat, born in 1993 under a pickup truck bed at my dad's business. He slept in my bed nearly every night, and always positioned himself to where I couldn't get myself onto the bed completely. He used to catch moles for his brother Mag. He was my tubby Bitty-Woo, and the devastation that followed the end of his life was terrible. Me, my mom, and brother held his paws, pet him, and told him how much we loved him as they put him down. He is happily chasing moles over the bridge, and no longer has a snort.
July 18, 2004, Battery's brother Mag died suddenly. Two weeks after Battery was PTS, we adopted Chassis, a Tuxedo kitten, from a vet's office. Mag was lost without Battery - 10 years of constant companionship cut short. He was able to say his goodbyes on that sad day, but we could tell he was lonely. They were littermates under that truck bed in '93. He took to Chassis very quickly. In 2004, we moved to North Carolina from New Jersey. Mag and Chassis were coming down with my mom two weeks after my dad and I. The vet suggested tranquilizers for the trip, as it was a 10 hour drive. Mag passed out almost instantly, and Chassis fought it for an hour or so. My mom had noticed Mag had begun to growl when you picked him up - something he never did unless a stranger was around. Mag did not wake up when she arrived in North Carolina. Chassis was bounding around the house, and Mag was still motionless in his bed. I held his paw through the night and asked him to hold on for me, I was so worried. He was still out of it the next morning, so we took him to an emergency vet nearby. They rose him from the "coma" and did an abundance of tests. Mag's kidneys were failing, and had been for some time. He spent a few days at the vet being observed, and they sent him and a few bags of saline(?) for us to give to him between his shoulder blades every other day. They told us he could live for weeks, months, even years. Mag HATED the saline, but he would stay still for the entire time, then run off with a funny bulge on his back.
On July 17, 2004, we adopted Caliper from a recycling center. A flea-infested kitten, it took 4 hours to get them all off. Mag loved her instantly. He'd stand over her and follow her throughout the house like a bodyguard - especially since Chassis was not thrilled at the addition. Mag was having the time of his life - jumping all over the place, chasing birds, running up and down the stairs - doing things he hadn't been able to do the previous two weeks. He was making progress, we thought! The next morning, July 18, my mom and dad went to the store to get stuff for the house. When they came back, Mag had left for the bridge. He looked as though he was peacefully sleeping next to the table downstairs, but he was gone. We don't know why, the vets don't know why. They believe he probably had a heart attack of some kind, or that his kidneys completely failed and he passed on. It was heartbreaking to put him in the box and bring him to the vet one final time. Only a year after his brother. Mag always slept with my brother, until Battery died. Then he would sleep wherever Battery used to sleep. He spent a lot of time between my brother and I in his last weeks.
My entire family misses them everyday. They were amazing cats. June 27 would have been their 15th birthday. I thought about them that day. I also thought about Battery on the 1st of July. I can still cry for them, 4 and 5 years later. Part of my heart left with both of them (as well as the piece that has gone with Monte, this past June 20). My mom has both of their ashes in boxes next to her bed, with their collars on top. A picture of them is still on the refrigerator, from when they were 1-2 years old.
You will always be missed, Battery & Mag. You are still on our minds.
Battery (under his favorite pellet bag) with Mag:
Battery and his pellet bag:
Mag on the bed:
Mag and Chassis:
