One of my cats had to be put to sleep today. She had cancer. Very badly it turned out. She was a sweet cat, about a year old when she showed up on my porch. She had an injury on her jaw. We thought she'd been hit by a car. It took a bit to win her trust but we caught her and got her to a vet. We were wrong about her injury. It wasn't caused by a car but by cancer. The vet wasn't hopeful but he did the surgery anyway. Afterwards he was glad; he thought he'd got it all.
A week or two later, I noticed a bump. Hopefully, it was just an infected stitch. Back to the vet we went. We weren't so lucky. It was her cancer come back rapidly and with a vengeance. Our vet was about to leave for vacation so we waited until his return to do her second surgery. The vet wanted to amputate her lower jaw and I confess I had my reservations but she was such a sweet cat. I wanted to give her my best.
The surgery was today and when the phone rang I knew it wasn't news I wanted to hear. The cancer wasn't limited to her jaw but had spread to her lymph nodes and could have very well infected her whole body. The vet offered to remove her lower jaw anyway but said there wasn't much we could do for the rest of the cancer.
So we had her put to sleep and my husband and I buried her under the elm tree in our back yard. I know if was the right thing for her but I can't help feeling like a life that was so unique, so special has been lost to the world. Sometimes, our very best efforts aren't enough.
I don't know what you believe. I believe in the God of the Bible. After burying Cleo, I stood in my shower and prayed to God. "Your world isn't fair, God," I lamented. I think He just held me and showed me a healthy, cancer free Cleo and I had peace.
I will miss her all the same.
A week or two later, I noticed a bump. Hopefully, it was just an infected stitch. Back to the vet we went. We weren't so lucky. It was her cancer come back rapidly and with a vengeance. Our vet was about to leave for vacation so we waited until his return to do her second surgery. The vet wanted to amputate her lower jaw and I confess I had my reservations but she was such a sweet cat. I wanted to give her my best.
The surgery was today and when the phone rang I knew it wasn't news I wanted to hear. The cancer wasn't limited to her jaw but had spread to her lymph nodes and could have very well infected her whole body. The vet offered to remove her lower jaw anyway but said there wasn't much we could do for the rest of the cancer.
So we had her put to sleep and my husband and I buried her under the elm tree in our back yard. I know if was the right thing for her but I can't help feeling like a life that was so unique, so special has been lost to the world. Sometimes, our very best efforts aren't enough.
I don't know what you believe. I believe in the God of the Bible. After burying Cleo, I stood in my shower and prayed to God. "Your world isn't fair, God," I lamented. I think He just held me and showed me a healthy, cancer free Cleo and I had peace.
I will miss her all the same.
