- Joined
- May 11, 2015
- Messages
- 217
- Purraise
- 86
After losing my 1st cat in 1997, I waited until after New Years and took my family to the local shelter program. My wife picked out a white and gray female named Angel. Angel had been "Returned" to the shelter because she was energetic...too much so for her previous owners. Angel came home with us and also accompanied by Thor, a tiny runt of the litter that nobody wanted and my daughter felt sorry for him...so both came home that cold Feb in 1998.
Moose was certainly active and over her first 10 years, she broke her share of stuff...but not too bad. She was informally renamed Moose because she was rather large and not totally graceful. She became cemented to my wife but still spread herself around to the other family members. In 2011, Thor, my daughters choice, passed away leaving Moose without her main playmate. A new cat or two was added to the collection, but Moose was the oldest and the "Boss"
Over the summer, Moose began to loose some weight. At 18 years old or more, it wasn't unexpected. A trip to the vet said that she was doing ok for her age, but we also knew that her kidneys were beginning to show damage. We tried to keep her well fed and fully hydrated, but her health continued to decline and her arthritis made her less mobile...frequently missing the back of the litterbox. About this time, I suffered a leg wound and was couch bound for a month or so. During my time on the couch, Moose would often curl up with me and we would give each other comfort. Eventually, Moose became weaker and had a hard time getting on the couch and making it to her litterbox. She was also becoming less hungry and her food ran thru her.
A day or two prior to Christmas Moose took a turn for the worse. Since all vets were closed, we did the best to keep her as comfortable as possible. Yesterday, we were certain that she would pass at any moment, but she continued to hang in there. I felt terrible but was unable to travel, so today my wife and daughter, amid a sea of salty tears, took Moose to the Vets on this coldest day of the year. They haven't returned but I just had to write this tribute to one of the nicest cats that we have had...certainly a long term member of the family.
I'll miss you Moose. You brought joy and happiness...maybe a bit of mischief, into our family and stayed by us. Someday we will meet again, but in the meantime, please enjoy plaing with Thor again until the day we are reunited.
Moose was certainly active and over her first 10 years, she broke her share of stuff...but not too bad. She was informally renamed Moose because she was rather large and not totally graceful. She became cemented to my wife but still spread herself around to the other family members. In 2011, Thor, my daughters choice, passed away leaving Moose without her main playmate. A new cat or two was added to the collection, but Moose was the oldest and the "Boss"
Over the summer, Moose began to loose some weight. At 18 years old or more, it wasn't unexpected. A trip to the vet said that she was doing ok for her age, but we also knew that her kidneys were beginning to show damage. We tried to keep her well fed and fully hydrated, but her health continued to decline and her arthritis made her less mobile...frequently missing the back of the litterbox. About this time, I suffered a leg wound and was couch bound for a month or so. During my time on the couch, Moose would often curl up with me and we would give each other comfort. Eventually, Moose became weaker and had a hard time getting on the couch and making it to her litterbox. She was also becoming less hungry and her food ran thru her.
A day or two prior to Christmas Moose took a turn for the worse. Since all vets were closed, we did the best to keep her as comfortable as possible. Yesterday, we were certain that she would pass at any moment, but she continued to hang in there. I felt terrible but was unable to travel, so today my wife and daughter, amid a sea of salty tears, took Moose to the Vets on this coldest day of the year. They haven't returned but I just had to write this tribute to one of the nicest cats that we have had...certainly a long term member of the family.
I'll miss you Moose. You brought joy and happiness...maybe a bit of mischief, into our family and stayed by us. Someday we will meet again, but in the meantime, please enjoy plaing with Thor again until the day we are reunited.