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- Jan 6, 2006
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Yesterday I had Hannah, my 16 yo calico PTS. We'd had a long journey together since I adopted her in 1991 from the animal shelter. She was just 1.2 pounds of fuzz but had the most fiery personality which never changed for the duration of her life.
Hannah was my first cat, and second pet I ever had "as a grown up." She saw me through a few boyfriends, a husband, a daughter who is now 10, the addition of 5 other pets, and the losses of 3 of her "petmates." Through it all she was a quiet life force, always in the shadows, never liking much contact with people--preferring the dogs and most of all, Cleo, my greyhound rescue. Cleo passed on several years ago at a ripe old age and Hannah has been a "bit lost" ever since.
Hannah enjoyed good health until recently. A few months ago, I noticed some incontinence. It became more frequent and more "messy" and then I noticed she was spending more and more time at the water bowl and was no longer climbing or exploring, preferring to sleep on a dining room chair in between trips to the food and water. I took her into the vet when she suddenly stopped eating as well. Hannah HATED to be handled and was a "very tough customer." At the vet's they had to anesthetize her to examine her and draw blood, etc. They found nothing remarkable in the labs except a slightly elevated sugar. She rallied and began eating again, and the incontinence improved--briefly.
Last week the incontinence became much worse again, and I timed her at the water bowl. She was drinking for 30 minutes or more per day, eating well and peeing almost out of control. I completed an online quiz on "deciding to euthanize your companion animal" and she scored in the "euthanasia recommended" category. Yesterday morning I watched as she restlessly moved from bowl, to litter box, to bed to chair, and having accidents all along the way. She seemed uncomfortable and I came to the conclusion that I could not put her through more testing as I was not willing to force any treatments on her, if indeed anything could be done, since she so disliked being handled. I decided to have her put to rest.
Yesterday afternoon I fed her wet food laced with sedatives. I took her into the vets, with her very sleepy. She was soon at peace. The end of an era.
My husband and daughter took her to my parents' ranch and buried her in their little pet cemetery. She will rest forever beside Cleo, her favorite.
RIP Hannah
. You were a good kitty and will be missed.
Hannah, with her usual "slightly ticked off" expression:
Hannah was my first cat, and second pet I ever had "as a grown up." She saw me through a few boyfriends, a husband, a daughter who is now 10, the addition of 5 other pets, and the losses of 3 of her "petmates." Through it all she was a quiet life force, always in the shadows, never liking much contact with people--preferring the dogs and most of all, Cleo, my greyhound rescue. Cleo passed on several years ago at a ripe old age and Hannah has been a "bit lost" ever since.
Hannah enjoyed good health until recently. A few months ago, I noticed some incontinence. It became more frequent and more "messy" and then I noticed she was spending more and more time at the water bowl and was no longer climbing or exploring, preferring to sleep on a dining room chair in between trips to the food and water. I took her into the vet when she suddenly stopped eating as well. Hannah HATED to be handled and was a "very tough customer." At the vet's they had to anesthetize her to examine her and draw blood, etc. They found nothing remarkable in the labs except a slightly elevated sugar. She rallied and began eating again, and the incontinence improved--briefly.
Last week the incontinence became much worse again, and I timed her at the water bowl. She was drinking for 30 minutes or more per day, eating well and peeing almost out of control. I completed an online quiz on "deciding to euthanize your companion animal" and she scored in the "euthanasia recommended" category. Yesterday morning I watched as she restlessly moved from bowl, to litter box, to bed to chair, and having accidents all along the way. She seemed uncomfortable and I came to the conclusion that I could not put her through more testing as I was not willing to force any treatments on her, if indeed anything could be done, since she so disliked being handled. I decided to have her put to rest.
Yesterday afternoon I fed her wet food laced with sedatives. I took her into the vets, with her very sleepy. She was soon at peace. The end of an era.
My husband and daughter took her to my parents' ranch and buried her in their little pet cemetery. She will rest forever beside Cleo, her favorite.
RIP Hannah
Hannah, with her usual "slightly ticked off" expression:
