Shep hasn't been good for a long time now. She quit grooming herself about 6 months ago. Her life in the last month has consisted of being carried from the washing machine to the kitchen counter and back. Her back legs were weak and she was having trouble even walking, let along jumping up and down from the areas where she spent her time (even with the chairs we placed in front to help her). This morning Steve picked her up to carry her to the washing machine and she lost all bladder control. We called the vet and rushed her in.
Our vet thought that she was having either small strokes or had a brain tumor (for probably a year now). We had the quality of life discussion with him - her only good moments were when we would pet her and groom her and those were not as good as they used to be. As Steve came to put it, with the vibrancy of her life in her prime, her life now is like putting Tarzan in a nursing home to waste away his days. My guess is that she had another stroke this morning (or the tumor is growing again). We had her euthanized (Steve held Shep as I held Steve), and both feel relief for her. I don't think it was overdue, but we weren't helping her by having her hang on. Our gut feelings are that this was what was best for her.
Shep - probably 17 years old was named after George of the Jungle's faithful "doggie" Shep. In her prime we called Shep the mighty huntress. She strayed into our lives about 12-13 years ago and until the last few years she had always been an indoor/outdoor cat. She loved hunting in the fields around our house where she would catch a field mouse and play with it for hours before she would kill it. As she aged she loved to simply sleep away the day in a sunny spot outside. She confined herself in the house more and more in the last 2 years with the last year spent inside.
She hated other cats and they hated her in return. She was the house pariah which is why she loved the outdoors so much and it was very hard on her to live inside all the time, but for her safety, she chose to do that. She loved our dogs and often slept with them.
We buried her in the field where she spent so much time hunting, next to her dog buddies Jethro and Tyler.
Shep - you will always be the mighty huntress. Sweet as sugar and as tough as any cat I've ever met. We will miss you my sweet little girl.
Let loose the chains that bind my soul
That I may soar as meant to be
From darkened paths emerge to light
Be free......
(written by my brother)
Our vet thought that she was having either small strokes or had a brain tumor (for probably a year now). We had the quality of life discussion with him - her only good moments were when we would pet her and groom her and those were not as good as they used to be. As Steve came to put it, with the vibrancy of her life in her prime, her life now is like putting Tarzan in a nursing home to waste away his days. My guess is that she had another stroke this morning (or the tumor is growing again). We had her euthanized (Steve held Shep as I held Steve), and both feel relief for her. I don't think it was overdue, but we weren't helping her by having her hang on. Our gut feelings are that this was what was best for her.
Shep - probably 17 years old was named after George of the Jungle's faithful "doggie" Shep. In her prime we called Shep the mighty huntress. She strayed into our lives about 12-13 years ago and until the last few years she had always been an indoor/outdoor cat. She loved hunting in the fields around our house where she would catch a field mouse and play with it for hours before she would kill it. As she aged she loved to simply sleep away the day in a sunny spot outside. She confined herself in the house more and more in the last 2 years with the last year spent inside.
She hated other cats and they hated her in return. She was the house pariah which is why she loved the outdoors so much and it was very hard on her to live inside all the time, but for her safety, she chose to do that. She loved our dogs and often slept with them.
We buried her in the field where she spent so much time hunting, next to her dog buddies Jethro and Tyler.
Shep - you will always be the mighty huntress. Sweet as sugar and as tough as any cat I've ever met. We will miss you my sweet little girl.
Let loose the chains that bind my soul
That I may soar as meant to be
From darkened paths emerge to light
Be free......
(written by my brother)
