I was 10 years old when I first found Kitty. I was watching TV in my living room, and in the morning sun I saw a Calico cat's head peer up from one of our empty flower boxes. I had always wanted a dog or a cat as a pet when I was a kid, but my mom and sister were allergic.
I ran to my fridge and grabbed some turkey lunch meat and opened my back door. The Kitty had jumped out of our flower box and started to run down the deck when she turned back and looked at me. Little did I know that our bond started there. I lured kitty into the house with a trail of turkey meat and she couldn't stop screaming with happiness. After she was flirting with me for about 30 minutes I had to shew her out of the house because I had to catch my bus to school.
I remember rushing home when I got home from school that day, and running straight to my back yard saying "here kitty kitty kitty", and I heard that "meow" and out of the corner of my eye came Kitty running up to me. After a week of feeding kitty outdoors, I finally showed my mom her. When Kitty came inside to meet my mom she started rubbing her face on my moms legs. I remember my mom saying "is she going to bite me"? And I said "no, mom. Shes kissing you". From that point on my mom was suckered in and we took Kitty to the vet that day. 18 years later I never realized how hard it would be to say goodbye.
Up until a week ago, Kitty was doing great. I tried giving her treats and I noticed that she couldn't move her back legs at all. Heartbroken, I thought she must have hurt herself, so I rushed her to the vet. They took blood samples, checked her teeth, gave her a physical and couldn't find anything wrong with her. They said that it may be the fact that her arthritis was getting really bad being at the age of 18. The next day the vet called and said that Kittys blood work was completely normal and advised that she may just be feeling the effects of being "old". She gave us some pain meds and told us to call back in a few days if she hadn't gotten better.
The pain meds seemed to make Kitty worse. At least it took away her personality, and it certainly didn't make her walk again. I took her back to the vet a second time and they gave her a cortisone shot. When we brought kitty home she walked to a few different rooms in the house and collapsed in the the living room. When she woke up from her nap, she again, couldn't walk.
Our vet was closed on Sunday and I frantically goggled everything i possibly could to see why my cat couldn't walk. It wasn't a blood clot, a broken bone, torn tendon, or spinal problem. I wasn't sure what it was. Monday finally came around and I called the vet and advised the that kitty was doing worse and I asked about euthanasia. The Secretary advised that I should meet with a vet before making that decision, and I decided once again to take kitty in.
After giving Kitty ANOTHER physical, the vet said she was pale, and that her temperature was at 97 (Supposed to be at 102). They said that I could Euthanize her if I wished or that I could take her off of the pain meds and they could inject some fluids in her to see if she would "bounce back". The vet advised that some cats respond bad to pain killers and could actually do them harm. Also the fact that she was given a cortisone shot around the same time, would make it hard for the body to digest. Like a lot of cats, Kitty was always terrified of the vet and even though I was there with my mother I told her I didn't want her to die in the vet and I would rather have her die on her terms in the place where she is loved and familiar with. When the vet walked in she asked what we wanted to do and I asked "if she were to die naturally, would it be painful" The vet told me "She couldn't promise anything, but other than the fact that kitty was getting old, she wasn't fighting cancer or had kidney problems. She was more or less just "shutting down". She again said she couldn't promise anything but kitty was healthy for a cat her age. Kitty was injected with the fluids and sent home with us.
That past week was killer for me. I remember crying so much that it felt like I had an ulcer in my stomach. I felt like I could throw up the pain hurt so much. And this is coming from a macho football guy. I wasn't sure if i was making the right decision to bring Kitty home to suffer her last days...
Its been 3 days since our last vet visit and Kitty isn't just holding on, but her health seems to be on the incline. She isn't cold to the touch, she has a hearty appetite and still drinks a lot of water. The only difference is, is Kitty cant use her back legs. Which leaves me to me questioning everything....
I feel selfish if I euthenzied her. She seems very happy considering the past week. She has a big appetite still, she drinks plenty of water, and still uses the litter box (with a lot of assistance). for the past 2-3 years Kitty was a lounge cat, so her daily routine isn't all that different. She just gets extra blankets and more attention than usual
On the flip side I would feel selfish for not euthanzing her. I realize that cats hide pain very well, and I have been dissecting all of her moves and emotions because the last thing I want is for my girl to suffer, but I honestly cant see it. I keep telling myself, what if i were to euthanize her just because she cant use her back legs? what if she lived for a year longer content with her new lifestyle and I took it away from her? I have read so many stories about cats that were paralyzed from accidents or were born like that, but there owners devoted their time to them to make it work. So far it isn't that hard, I work nights and my mom works days, so someone is always home with kitty to offer her food and water and help her to the litter box.
Right now, I am so happy I brought her home. These past few days I have been able to say goodbye to her and accept the fact that she will be gone very soon.
I have only read a few stories in this thread and some people seem to say "I don't know why im so upset, its just a cat". I have even caught myself thinking that, but I can honestly say that Pets in general fill a void that many of us want filled. Basic emotions that boil down to trust, loyalty, and love. Its the innocence in their behavior that I always found so endearing. No matter how my day went, whether I was sad, or extremely happy, a Pet is always constant, always loving, always loyal, no matter what you are going through.
Kitty, I always wanted a pet when I was a child in the worst way and my parents never let me. I thought you to be a gift from god, a stray kitty in need of a home and me a child in need of a friend. I will carry you in my conscious for the rest of my life and I cant wait until the day I get to hold you again. You are my friend forever and I love you.
I ran to my fridge and grabbed some turkey lunch meat and opened my back door. The Kitty had jumped out of our flower box and started to run down the deck when she turned back and looked at me. Little did I know that our bond started there. I lured kitty into the house with a trail of turkey meat and she couldn't stop screaming with happiness. After she was flirting with me for about 30 minutes I had to shew her out of the house because I had to catch my bus to school.
I remember rushing home when I got home from school that day, and running straight to my back yard saying "here kitty kitty kitty", and I heard that "meow" and out of the corner of my eye came Kitty running up to me. After a week of feeding kitty outdoors, I finally showed my mom her. When Kitty came inside to meet my mom she started rubbing her face on my moms legs. I remember my mom saying "is she going to bite me"? And I said "no, mom. Shes kissing you". From that point on my mom was suckered in and we took Kitty to the vet that day. 18 years later I never realized how hard it would be to say goodbye.
Up until a week ago, Kitty was doing great. I tried giving her treats and I noticed that she couldn't move her back legs at all. Heartbroken, I thought she must have hurt herself, so I rushed her to the vet. They took blood samples, checked her teeth, gave her a physical and couldn't find anything wrong with her. They said that it may be the fact that her arthritis was getting really bad being at the age of 18. The next day the vet called and said that Kittys blood work was completely normal and advised that she may just be feeling the effects of being "old". She gave us some pain meds and told us to call back in a few days if she hadn't gotten better.
The pain meds seemed to make Kitty worse. At least it took away her personality, and it certainly didn't make her walk again. I took her back to the vet a second time and they gave her a cortisone shot. When we brought kitty home she walked to a few different rooms in the house and collapsed in the the living room. When she woke up from her nap, she again, couldn't walk.
Our vet was closed on Sunday and I frantically goggled everything i possibly could to see why my cat couldn't walk. It wasn't a blood clot, a broken bone, torn tendon, or spinal problem. I wasn't sure what it was. Monday finally came around and I called the vet and advised the that kitty was doing worse and I asked about euthanasia. The Secretary advised that I should meet with a vet before making that decision, and I decided once again to take kitty in.
After giving Kitty ANOTHER physical, the vet said she was pale, and that her temperature was at 97 (Supposed to be at 102). They said that I could Euthanize her if I wished or that I could take her off of the pain meds and they could inject some fluids in her to see if she would "bounce back". The vet advised that some cats respond bad to pain killers and could actually do them harm. Also the fact that she was given a cortisone shot around the same time, would make it hard for the body to digest. Like a lot of cats, Kitty was always terrified of the vet and even though I was there with my mother I told her I didn't want her to die in the vet and I would rather have her die on her terms in the place where she is loved and familiar with. When the vet walked in she asked what we wanted to do and I asked "if she were to die naturally, would it be painful" The vet told me "She couldn't promise anything, but other than the fact that kitty was getting old, she wasn't fighting cancer or had kidney problems. She was more or less just "shutting down". She again said she couldn't promise anything but kitty was healthy for a cat her age. Kitty was injected with the fluids and sent home with us.
That past week was killer for me. I remember crying so much that it felt like I had an ulcer in my stomach. I felt like I could throw up the pain hurt so much. And this is coming from a macho football guy. I wasn't sure if i was making the right decision to bring Kitty home to suffer her last days...
Its been 3 days since our last vet visit and Kitty isn't just holding on, but her health seems to be on the incline. She isn't cold to the touch, she has a hearty appetite and still drinks a lot of water. The only difference is, is Kitty cant use her back legs. Which leaves me to me questioning everything....
I feel selfish if I euthenzied her. She seems very happy considering the past week. She has a big appetite still, she drinks plenty of water, and still uses the litter box (with a lot of assistance). for the past 2-3 years Kitty was a lounge cat, so her daily routine isn't all that different. She just gets extra blankets and more attention than usual
On the flip side I would feel selfish for not euthanzing her. I realize that cats hide pain very well, and I have been dissecting all of her moves and emotions because the last thing I want is for my girl to suffer, but I honestly cant see it. I keep telling myself, what if i were to euthanize her just because she cant use her back legs? what if she lived for a year longer content with her new lifestyle and I took it away from her? I have read so many stories about cats that were paralyzed from accidents or were born like that, but there owners devoted their time to them to make it work. So far it isn't that hard, I work nights and my mom works days, so someone is always home with kitty to offer her food and water and help her to the litter box.Right now, I am so happy I brought her home. These past few days I have been able to say goodbye to her and accept the fact that she will be gone very soon.
I have only read a few stories in this thread and some people seem to say "I don't know why im so upset, its just a cat". I have even caught myself thinking that, but I can honestly say that Pets in general fill a void that many of us want filled. Basic emotions that boil down to trust, loyalty, and love. Its the innocence in their behavior that I always found so endearing. No matter how my day went, whether I was sad, or extremely happy, a Pet is always constant, always loving, always loyal, no matter what you are going through.
Kitty, I always wanted a pet when I was a child in the worst way and my parents never let me. I thought you to be a gift from god, a stray kitty in need of a home and me a child in need of a friend. I will carry you in my conscious for the rest of my life and I cant wait until the day I get to hold you again. You are my friend forever and I love you.
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