I am so devastated right now. Can't stop thinking about the death of my beloved six year old Sweetie. He was a gray shorthair polydactyl who found us at our summer house and moved right in. Yesterday morning, Mother's Day, as my kids were fixing brunch for the family and I was enjoying working in the garden, my youngest daughter discovered Sweetie in the driveway, on his side and lifeless. I found out about it from her shouting "Dad, Sweetie's dead." Didn't think I'd heard it right. She repeated the bad news. No sign of trauma, other than his eyes being open and rigor mortis having set in ...he looked like he was sleeping. No one had driven in the driveway and he was way off the road. The last time anyone saw him alive was 9pm Saturday night. He was walking around near where he died doing his best to ignore the humans calling to him (he was a cool cat). The odd thing is...he was perfectly normal the day before. Hopped in bed with us, stared into my eyes and I into his, ate from his bowl. Spent time sleeping in the bed.
He had a bit of a belly but was agile and active. I had him treated for what we thought was feline asthma every six months (he was overdue for his asthma shot) but he was a happy little guy. The hardest thing about losing him is not having him to love anymore. I knew but never realized the extent to which he was intertwined with my own life. I feel an emptiness and a void. He's not there doing his usual Sweetie things. He'd hop into bed to wake me up, watch the family in the morning from the hallway, spend time watching me prepare dinner (hoping to get a scrap). When I return home today, he won't be in the foyer to greet me.....as was his daily routing.
So the brunch the kids made for their mother became a funeral brunch for our beloved cat, Sweetie. The food went cold as we chose and my son dug his grave. My first thought was to build a casket quickly. With Sweetie lying in the driveway I didn't have enough time. Finding a big enough box turned out to be a challenge. Eventually, I found one at the neighbors. The box had housed a ceiling fan and now would provided a final resting place for Sweetie. Madeline brought down his sleeping basket and placed it in the box. She had brushed him and carefully lifted him into the box. We lowered him into the hole and Madeline began to fill the hole while the rest of the family watched.
After, we went in and reheated the food in the microwave. Somber understates the tone of the brunch. I've been in a funk ever since...today is day two and I still don't feel completely normal. How long does this mourning last? Why wife would like me to get over it...but I can't. Hopefully can find some closure.
He had a bit of a belly but was agile and active. I had him treated for what we thought was feline asthma every six months (he was overdue for his asthma shot) but he was a happy little guy. The hardest thing about losing him is not having him to love anymore. I knew but never realized the extent to which he was intertwined with my own life. I feel an emptiness and a void. He's not there doing his usual Sweetie things. He'd hop into bed to wake me up, watch the family in the morning from the hallway, spend time watching me prepare dinner (hoping to get a scrap). When I return home today, he won't be in the foyer to greet me.....as was his daily routing.
So the brunch the kids made for their mother became a funeral brunch for our beloved cat, Sweetie. The food went cold as we chose and my son dug his grave. My first thought was to build a casket quickly. With Sweetie lying in the driveway I didn't have enough time. Finding a big enough box turned out to be a challenge. Eventually, I found one at the neighbors. The box had housed a ceiling fan and now would provided a final resting place for Sweetie. Madeline brought down his sleeping basket and placed it in the box. She had brushed him and carefully lifted him into the box. We lowered him into the hole and Madeline began to fill the hole while the rest of the family watched.
After, we went in and reheated the food in the microwave. Somber understates the tone of the brunch. I've been in a funk ever since...today is day two and I still don't feel completely normal. How long does this mourning last? Why wife would like me to get over it...but I can't. Hopefully can find some closure.
Sweetie sounds like a wonderful cat. It's always hard to lose a good friend whether it's human or feline, so give yourself time to grieve. If you'd like to post a picture of Sweetie here, we'd love to see your boy.
Run free and breathe easily at the Rainbow Bridge, Sweetie. 
