Hi,
I have not been on the site lately. You guys helped me so much with my little foster GrayCee. Now I am really in pain so I thought I would tell the story of my little cat, Rizzo.
My husband had a terminal disease. We moved to a place where I could have a pet and I thought a kitten would be nice for him. A friend of a friend had a cat they took because the owners asked a farmer to shoot the cats. The friend could not keep him because he was very angry & attacked all of her other cats. I took him on a trial basis. He was five & had been declawed as a baby. He hated my husband but slept right next to me the very first night. He peed all over the house & especially on my husband's clothes however. I was going to give him back but the people said they would have to take him to the HS. I knew he would be killed and my husband said "I have gotten used to him", so he stayed. I had never had a cat before so we really had a rough time. My husband died & this little guy was my sole comfort & companion.
He never stopped peeing but it was less frequent. I took him out on a harness and he would bug me all summer to go out. Talked with a well known AC & never got anywhere with him. I called him my little monster. The AC got so expensive I went to a cheaper one. What a mistake. She was good with yes/no questions but not so with open ended ones.
I was retired & spent a lot of time grieving alone & this little guy was there for me every minute. If I was home he would always lay on me & we watched TV together at night He would run to meet me when I came home. I took him out every summer, but he always wanted more & this became very time consuming. Kept taking him because the joy on his face was wonderful and he would come right back when I called him. Plus, he was very persuasive in getting his way; the meows would get more pleading. I would talk to the new AC & rag about the peeing & the time outside.
A couple years ago he stopped eating everyday & threw up a lot. Took him to the vet and was told this was normal for a cat; that he would eat when he was hungry. I then read on the internet that this was not normal and took him to a natural vet. Had all the tests & ultrasounds. Everything was normal so they said he had IBD and I should force feed him. This did not work so we went to another vet. She gave him a steriod shot & this lasted for 6 months. The next shot for about 3 months. Then we had to go to oral which did not work at all. She referred me to an internist & of course they did all the same tests and said he probably had cancer. Recommend a full thickness biopsy. Was not convinced he had cancer and certainly was not going to cut him open. Quite quickly he got worse. Decided to talk with the first AC.
He said he had cancer in his stomach & intestines & was leaving soon. He apologized for being a bad kitty and said I now could get a good one. I was so shocked that he did not know how much I loved him. We got that resolved and I decided last Friday that it was time for him to go as it had been almost 3 weeks and set the appt. for Monday. The vet was coming to the house and Rizzo wanted a pre sedative so he would not run & hide. The whole thing was awful. The sedative made him drunk & very hungry. For an hour & 15 min. he flopped around the floor trying to eat. Worse time of my life! He settled as the vet arrived but was very alert. The first shot hurt & for the first time he growled. Although he was still alive his body went limp with his eyes open so after I few minutes I had the vet come back in & give the final shot. After they are gone they just look awful.
Now I am heartbroken and realized this was his house more than mine. It is very large & I only use a few rooms. He used the whole house. His things are in every room & the second floor as well. I see him in all his favorite places & feel like I am in a big lonely barn. I guess I loved my little charmer more than one should love a cat because the grief is equal to my husband's loss.
If you made it thru this long post, thank you! Have any of you been hit this hard by the loss of your cat or used an AC for your pets? It is much easier to believe in AC's when you are only checking in but harder when there is a death. It would help me to hear your stories. I hope you guys don't think I am crazy using ACs.
PS: I know he got cancer because I live in a condo & they spray pesticides about 10 times a year. This never occurred to me and it should have.
I have not been on the site lately. You guys helped me so much with my little foster GrayCee. Now I am really in pain so I thought I would tell the story of my little cat, Rizzo.
My husband had a terminal disease. We moved to a place where I could have a pet and I thought a kitten would be nice for him. A friend of a friend had a cat they took because the owners asked a farmer to shoot the cats. The friend could not keep him because he was very angry & attacked all of her other cats. I took him on a trial basis. He was five & had been declawed as a baby. He hated my husband but slept right next to me the very first night. He peed all over the house & especially on my husband's clothes however. I was going to give him back but the people said they would have to take him to the HS. I knew he would be killed and my husband said "I have gotten used to him", so he stayed. I had never had a cat before so we really had a rough time. My husband died & this little guy was my sole comfort & companion.
He never stopped peeing but it was less frequent. I took him out on a harness and he would bug me all summer to go out. Talked with a well known AC & never got anywhere with him. I called him my little monster. The AC got so expensive I went to a cheaper one. What a mistake. She was good with yes/no questions but not so with open ended ones.
I was retired & spent a lot of time grieving alone & this little guy was there for me every minute. If I was home he would always lay on me & we watched TV together at night He would run to meet me when I came home. I took him out every summer, but he always wanted more & this became very time consuming. Kept taking him because the joy on his face was wonderful and he would come right back when I called him. Plus, he was very persuasive in getting his way; the meows would get more pleading. I would talk to the new AC & rag about the peeing & the time outside.
A couple years ago he stopped eating everyday & threw up a lot. Took him to the vet and was told this was normal for a cat; that he would eat when he was hungry. I then read on the internet that this was not normal and took him to a natural vet. Had all the tests & ultrasounds. Everything was normal so they said he had IBD and I should force feed him. This did not work so we went to another vet. She gave him a steriod shot & this lasted for 6 months. The next shot for about 3 months. Then we had to go to oral which did not work at all. She referred me to an internist & of course they did all the same tests and said he probably had cancer. Recommend a full thickness biopsy. Was not convinced he had cancer and certainly was not going to cut him open. Quite quickly he got worse. Decided to talk with the first AC.
He said he had cancer in his stomach & intestines & was leaving soon. He apologized for being a bad kitty and said I now could get a good one. I was so shocked that he did not know how much I loved him. We got that resolved and I decided last Friday that it was time for him to go as it had been almost 3 weeks and set the appt. for Monday. The vet was coming to the house and Rizzo wanted a pre sedative so he would not run & hide. The whole thing was awful. The sedative made him drunk & very hungry. For an hour & 15 min. he flopped around the floor trying to eat. Worse time of my life! He settled as the vet arrived but was very alert. The first shot hurt & for the first time he growled. Although he was still alive his body went limp with his eyes open so after I few minutes I had the vet come back in & give the final shot. After they are gone they just look awful.
Now I am heartbroken and realized this was his house more than mine. It is very large & I only use a few rooms. He used the whole house. His things are in every room & the second floor as well. I see him in all his favorite places & feel like I am in a big lonely barn. I guess I loved my little charmer more than one should love a cat because the grief is equal to my husband's loss.
If you made it thru this long post, thank you! Have any of you been hit this hard by the loss of your cat or used an AC for your pets? It is much easier to believe in AC's when you are only checking in but harder when there is a death. It would help me to hear your stories. I hope you guys don't think I am crazy using ACs.
PS: I know he got cancer because I live in a condo & they spray pesticides about 10 times a year. This never occurred to me and it should have.
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