Cherish Every Moment

I wrote something on Friday that was truer than I had any idea...to cherish every moment with our cats because you never know when. I wrote it as I was waiting to discuss with my vet how to handle my oldest kitties care in the upcoming weeks now that he has been found to either have severe IBD or Lymphoma at the age of 16+ (he already has crf) plus we believe one test result due back any day, will also show hyperthyroidism. I can't begin to describe how special Patrick is, just trust me, in a life of cats, all special to me, he stands out.

While waiting for my vet to call, I heard someone throwing up..as usual I went to see who, were and what hairy present was being left. It was Chris, a 13 y.o. who is just as special to me as Patrick, and to my breed, a fellow who has left a legacy. Nothing had come up. Instead I saw him go into respiratory distress..nasal flaring and strong chest retractions. We were seen at my vets, despite it's being almost closing, and he was found to have a pleural effusion that I had caught early - one lung was in good shape, the other not completely collapsed. Besides labs and the x-rays, they tapped his chest for 65 cc of milky fluid, and I was faced with the horrendous decision of whether to take him home or not. My husband could not get to the vets (thanks to horrible traffic) to be with me.

I prayed, and I asked Chris to tell me what to do. He gave me an answer by climbing into my arms and moofing me...my vet said when in pain with this, they just won't want to be held. I took him home, and did something we haven't done in years - not since he used to mark me as a kitten (waking up to being peed on is so not cool) - we slept together -me in my easy chair, he on various cat beds in my den. Saturday, he was begging to be hugged, eating, playing with various toys...it was not the day. I don't know when the day will be, except it will be soon as we can't "fix" this.

My point? We had no idea, he had a normal heart per his exam last December, his only problem was Hyperthyroidism found at that exam, for which he's been on tapzaole.

I thought I had years left with him, and it just brought it all home to me again...for every person and creature you love, every sentence, every snuggle, it all counts like it's the last, because you never know when.

How awful for you, and for poor Chris.

All life is so precious but even knowing that can made sudden illness like this such a shock. I can see you are a wonderful loving person and will make Chris' time as comfortable as possible -- I wish you luck and strength in dealing with the days ahead. Hopefully you will get to enjoy Chris for a lot longer.

Pat, my heart goes out to you. What an amazing connection you have with your precious kitties. You are so right, we all need to cherish each and every pet, every snuggle, every kitty kiss. Our time with these furry angels we call cats is all too short.

Yes, it is all about cherishing them while they are here, and knowing when and how to say goodbye.

Pat, you have my heart for what you are dealing with now. I wish you strength and good end times with your buds-

That is so true, and it is ashame but sometimes we need a reminder. We started letting neo sleep in the room with us again. We have been keeping the door close because the kittens will not let us sleep at night. It is amazing how much of a difference it makes with him. He is so much happier now.

Thanks everyone, I'll see if I can get an image of the correct size to post here, of both Patrick and Chris.

How true. We should cherish the time we have with our loved ones.

Poor you and Chris, not to mention Patrick and your husband.

*hugs*.

Your words are so true! I'm so sorry that you are going thru this right now (((*****hugs*****))))

Oh I am so sorry to hear about your Chris. Your post bought me to tears. It is so true. I'm going to go find all my pets, and snuggle them all. Particularly my Bengal, Pau Sau.

He was diagnosed as having Malignant Lymphoid Sarcoma in his bowel, last week. After sobbing hard with him, we have decided to keep him going on Steriods as long as possible. As chemo isn't really fair on him we aren't doing that, but we want to do everything we can for him, like Homeopathy and stuff. I feel so helpless right now, but it is just too expensive, to be feasible. The only option we have now is to give him the steriods, and hope we have him around for a while longer.

It is hard to live with them knowing that one day, sooner than we ever thought, we have to know when to part. All we can do is exactly as you say...Cherish every single moment. You never know what the future holds.

Chris, you & yours, are in my thoughts and prayers. Stay strong.

Peace, Love, and Happiness, Always
Sonia

We take them into our lives knowing (well, planning, at any rate) that we'll outlive them, and be there for them when they call it a day. But when the time comes, it's still a shock. You just never know, and no amount of preparation is enough. As you so rightly say, we must cherish every moment, for who knows which one will be the last.

I'm so sorry you have this to go through.

I imagine how you must feel, and I really wish I could say something for you or poor little Chris...

And as some have already said here, I am really amazed by your strenght. The first time I had to deal with a sick kitty, I simply went hysterics...

I hope Chris still has many good days in him, because I know he wouldn't want you to suffer or be sad.

that was beautifully said. i dread the day my baby leaves me. its many years from now but that doesnt mean that that day wont come.

Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.
--Isaac Asimov

:angel4:

Originally posted by rapunzel47
We take them into our lives knowing (well, planning, at any rate) that we'll outlive them, and be there for them when they call it a day. But when the time comes, it's still a shock. You just never know, and no amount of preparation is enough. As you so rightly say, we must cherish every moment, for who knows which one will be the last.

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So so true.

Pat I'm so sorry.. hang in there. What a story that was, it really hits home.

Poor baby - he is lucky he has you to love him during all of this.

I'm going to post an update, but put it in the Health and Nutrition area, I thank everyone who responded.

Having just lost my Persian kitty, Stanley to liver disease, I can fully relate to what you're saying. It was like on Tuesday I didn't even know he was sick, and on Thursday he was gone. He was only a little past 2 years old. I wish I would have cherished his last days with me a lot more than I did.

My heart is with you, while you deal with this sad ordeal.

Thank you for reminding us all. It's easy to take it for granite that someone or our pets will be there.

*sniff*
I am so sorry about Chris.
Thank you for the reminder on how special life can be.
I need to go home and hug my cats.

Originally posted by HopeHacker
Having just lost my Persian kitty, Stanley to liver disease, I can fully relate to what you're saying. It was like on Tuesday I didn't even know he was sick, and on Thursday he was gone. He was only a little past 2 years old. I wish I would have cherished his last days with me a lot more than I did.

My heart is with you, while you deal with this sad ordeal.

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I am so sorry for your loss of Stanley. Things are not going well today

I am so sorry for you. But he has left a mark on your heart that will never go away.