RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners

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GreedyTop -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 6:12:55 AM)
Marc.. heartfelt sympthay. I see someone has already posted the Rainbow bridge statement. Somewhere I saw a poem that went something like this: If tears could build a pathway, and memories a road, I'm climb right up to Heaven and bring you home again. I lost one of my furbabies almost 4 yrs ago, and not a day goes by that I don't miss him. The pain is less now, and I think that I will never fully lose that pain.. but now it is bittersweet. RIP, Ollie..

camille65 -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 6:42:43 AM)
Marc that was a beautiful story & Ollie was well loved. That is apparent in your words. Barney (female) Cat is 19 years old, I got her the week I got married. She is a teensy but very very hairy tuxedo cat who I'm fairly sure sheds her weight in fur on a daily basis. [&:] They no longer make her canned food & she literally will not eat any other brand so now every week I buy a rotisserie chicken for her lol. I figure at her age it is better she eat something than nothing! She eats so much now that her little belly sticks out [:D] but wow she is happy. She sleeps most of the day now, behind my generation jade plant in a puddle of sunshine. She pretends to be going deaf but she can hear the fridge open from across the house. Lil faker [;)] just wants chicken and sunshine. Her only major problem are the hair mats she has, she simply refuses to let me near her with scissors unless I avoid the mat area. Hmm that could be because I enjoy trimming her into a poodle shape huh? For the first year of her life she slept on my pillow wrapped up (and drooling) in my hair. Now she sleeps draped across an ankle making sure I don't move or disrupt her sleep hehe. Cats.. gotta love 'em. Everyone that knows Barney laughs about how she will outlive me because she just keeps going and going.

fadedlace -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 7:17:34 AM)
Bittersweet...apt description. I laid my Pouh to rest, a beautiful bright-green-eyed, silky black cat who graced my life for over 8 years, in the back yard, under the fig tree, with a homemade headstone and little cross. I see her resting place every time I look out the back door or sit in the glider, and I still miss her "look Mom, what I brought you" special meow when she'd deliver me a "gift" to the front door (knowing she wasn't allowed to bring it in.) But then I remember the hilarious things she used to do and the devotion she had in watching over my lil one after we brought him home from the hospital. (As he grew up, she'd tolerate tail pulling and ear poking and fairly hard squishing hugs with quiet dignity and never a hiss,scratch or bite.) You'd have thought he was hers...lol Now, 4 years after she's passed on, the grief has faded, I can smile when I think of her and miss her, but her memory won't fade. And now...thanks in part to the youngun's sharp ears and eyes, I've been charged with amusing, feeding, loving, and appreciating a grand total of 4 assorted felines (females - calico, siamese, orange tabby; neutered male - gray tuxedo tabby with a sumo wrestler physique) ranging from age 8 years to 20 months. (We want a dog, but not inside with the 4 cats, they're not "dog tolerant" and we have no fenced yard...so no dog till I can get a fence.) Two of the cats, I had to bottle feed and bathe and all the fun momcat stuff since they were 2 days old, and none are related to each other genetically...lol. When their times come...I hope not for a long time...I'll cry...put them next to Pouh if we're still living here...and hope that since I believe my cats can feel love, they do have souls of a sort, and are in a wonderful afterlife. And eventually I won't grieve anymore, just miss their company and be grateful to have shared our time with each other. Same way with all the loved ones I've lost. (Still waiting for some of the grief to fade with a few more recent losses.)

MissBytch -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 7:21:45 AM)
My heart goes out to you too. I have three cats and they all have their role in My life. Their spirit shines in so many ways and it's the most beautiful thing to see them ALL sleep together, regardless them coming from ALL different litters. I am sending tons of hugs and a shoulder to cry on. I would be so devasted if it was Me. Always remember, they came into your life for a reason , season or a lifetime and always left with a special message. They are never too far away, still there in spirit world. That I truly believe. xo

silverchains -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 7:30:53 AM)
I send my hugs and sympathy. I lost my cat, Annie, about a week and a half ago. I had a hard time. One day I couldn't even get up from bed. I still wake up crying sometimes. The only thing I can say, since the feeling of loss for me is fresh, is it's okay to feel that way. To feel like crying and to feel sad. In the future, I'm sure we'll both feel better. We'll still miss them, but we'll feel better. Hugs to you!

BeingChewsie -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 8:16:32 AM)
I'm so very sorry for your loss. I lost my beloved 3 year old siamese cat named "Catifornia"... 12 days ago to cancer. She just stopped eating and drnking and started vomiting. She was a part of our family, the free woman of the house and very spoiled. She loved to play fetch and loved us "her peasants" in whatever way cats love the people they own. I know what you are going through. quote: ORIGINAL: Marc2b ...Although everyone is welcome. A few days ago my cat suddenly started eating and drinking a lot less than he normally does. He also became much less active and affectionate, and he was always an very active and very affectionate cat. I took him to the vet this morning and then went through my day as best I could, trying not to worry too much. I got the news around 6pm. Liver cancer. He will have to be put down. I’ll be going back to the vet tomorrow morning so I can be there with him when it happens. I first met him six years ago, a few days before my birthday, in the middle of November 2001. He was a very furry fella and quite young, little more than a kitten. He was hanging around the door to my apartment building, being friendly to everyone who passed by, but he seemed particularly interested in me. He would follow me to my car when I left in the morning and I’d have to shoo him away because he kept trying to get into the car with me. When I came home from work he would try to follow me inside and again I’d have to shoo him away. Then he’d perched himself outside my window and just stare at me. This went on for a few days and he began to cry and cry more often. At first I assumed that he belonged to somebody nearby but now I began to wonder if he wasn’t lost (he seemed too friendly with people to be a stray). Finally, after three days, I couldn’t take it any more. I went outside and petted him and asked everybody who went by if they knew anything about him. One elderly gentleman in my building knew his tale (no pun intended). He had belonged to a couple who lived in the building furthest from mine. They had gotten him for their young daughter. Unfortunately, the couple were quite noisy (apparently they liked to blast punk rock music at three in the morning) and got evicted. They had simply abandoned him. He was then taken in by another couple but when they found out that they had to pay a two hundred dollar pet deposit and an additional twenty on their rent – back out the door he went. That’s when he apparently pegged me for a sucker. Well, we’d always had cats when I was growing up. I think cats are the second coolest creatures on the planet. Having recently moved in I hadn’t really though about getting a pet but I was cool to the idea of having one now. "Fine," I said, "looks like the third times the charm for you." I brought him inside and gave him some water which he lapped up eagerly. I then went to the store to buy some cat food and a little box. When I returned, I found that he had knocked over my garbage and feasted on some chicken bones, and had then made himself quite at home, sleeping on my bed. The next day I took him to the vet. She pronounced him to be six months old and other than a case of worms and some ear mites, healthy. It was while driving him back home that I decided that his story reminded me of Charles Dickinson’s story of Oliver. Thus did he become Oliver – but of course I, and everyone else, just called him Ollie. I looked up his breed on the internet and discovered that he was a Main Coon. Like most Main Coons he is VERY furry, very affectionate and people oriented. He’s a bit smaller than the average Main Coon and the tufts on the top of his ears weren’t quite as pronounced, so maybe he’s got a little something else in him. With Ollie I’ve had all the typical cat owner complaints and then some. I know I didn’t teach him to stay off the counters but to stay off the counters only when I was there. Most cat owners can tell you about shedding but with Ollie (who appeared to be twice as big as he really was) you have to multiply that by ten. Fur everywhere! I’ve gone through three vacuum cleaners in six years. And of course there were the hair balls. He was good for a big icky one about once a month. So why will I miss him? Well, cat owners know the answer to that too. Damn.

DomKen -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 12:37:38 PM)
Tigress was a tiny orange fur ball when she came into my life, looking mournfully out the window of the Anti Cruelty Society here. I was on a date with an utterly forgettable woman and rather than walking on to the restaurant where we had resevations I went in and got her. Somewhere in the process I think my date left but I didn't really care. Tigress' mother had been found in a storm sewer and brought to the ACS where she promptly delivered and almost as promptly died. The ACS staff had tried to feed the kittens with eye droppers and the like but after 3 weeks Tigress was the only one left and she wasn't gaining weight like she should. They told me she almost certainly would be dead within a week but I truly didn't care. I took her home fed her warm cream off my finger until I could entice her to try milk softened kitten chow. She never got as big as the vet said she should and I had her fixed at 18 months even though she still showed no signs of reaching sexual maturity because that is what the ACS requires if you adopt from them. For just a little over 10 years Tigress was with me through highs and lows. Sure she could be a pain in the neck at times but in the long run she was far better company than virtually every person I've ever known. One awful day I came home from work and she was laying on the floor having what could only be called convulsions. I got her to the vet and found out she had some sort of meningitis type infection. Her brain was terribly damaged from the seizures that may have been going on for hours. The vet stabilized her but her hind legs were paralyzed and she was blind. When I went into see her she bit me when I petted her head then she must have got my scent and pushed hard against my hand and mewed. It was clear she was confused and suffering. The vet said she wouldn't ever get any better so I took Tigress in my arms and held her while the vet gave her the shot. After several years I got a new kitten this spring. She is a pure bred Maine Coon and at 5 months she is already bigger than Tigress ever was. She will never replace Tigress but as I sat here writing this she has come over and curled up on my lap. Which is one benefit of working from home I suppose.

girl4you2 -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 12:45:35 PM)
i am so sorry for your loss. i'm glad someone posted the rainbow bridge prose. there's also a book called the tenth good thing about barney by judith viorst. i highly recommend it. although it's a children's book, it's a book for all ages. writing down the things that were the most memorable, or even the silliest thing that you and your pet did will be something special to look back upon as well. it's helped me in the past. again, i'm truly sorry.

Marc2b -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 5:25:59 PM)
Well, Ollie was put down around ten this morning. The vets were very professional and very compassionate about it. They let me be with him alone for a while during which I petted him and told him that I would miss and thanked him for coming into my life and making it more interesting and a lot more humorous (most cat go nuts when you tease then with a laser pointer but Ollie had an maniacal obsession with catching that red dot). Despite being weak he found the strength to nuzzle and lick my hand (one of his favorite things to do, usually when I was trying to take a nap on the couch). The end was quick and painless, as promised. Again I want to note the professionalism and compassion of the vets. God bless such people. As for me I’m at that stage where I keep expecting to see him every time I turn a corner – but that will pass in time. I’m just going to allow myself the privilege of being sad for a few days. I want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts again, and extend my sympathies to all those who have lost their furry friends, either recently or years ago – they really are members of the family. I also enjoyed the cat stories. Thinking about Ollie has made me think about other cats I have had the privilege to know during my life. I seem to remember a thread about cat stories a while back but I never posted on it because I was caught up in some other threads at the time. There are two I’d like to share now, though. The earliest cat I remember was Kaboo (when we got her my parents let me name her and I was only four at the time so what did they expect?). Anyway, when I was seven Kaboo got hit by a car. It was not a pretty sight and my parents had to cope with three crying kids (my sisters were eleven and thirteen at the time). My father made a small wooden coffin and we placed Kaboo in it along with some cat food and a couple of her favorite toys. My mother packed a picnic lunch and we took Kaboo into the woods behind our house and buried her there. My father gave a eulogy and each of us said what we would miss about Kaboo the most. We ate our picnic lunch while we cried over Kaboo but we also laughed remembering funny stories about her. Right in the middle of all this – Kaboo comes walking out of the woods. She sits down with us and gives us a "hey everybody, what’s up?" look. We never did find out who’s cat we buried. Kaboo died for real three years later (feline leukemia) and about a year later along came Butch. Butch was a stray Tom who looked like he’d been in quite a few scraps in his day. The top of one ear was torn off and he had three good scars on his face (my father named him, he said he just looked like a Butch). While friendly, Butch was very independent. He would come into the house only on the coldest of winter nights. He was a hunter extra ordinaire and presented us with many gifts (usually minus the head, much to my mother’s displeasure). The most extraordinary thing he did was the night he kept leaping up and banging himself on my parent’s bedroom window – about two in the morning. He woke my parents up and that is when they smelt a burning rubber smell. It turned out that some old faulty wiring in the basement was smoking – if Butch hadn’t woken my parents up, the house may well have caught fire. Shortly thereafter, after having been with us for about a year, Butch disappeared. We never saw him again. But we did hear of him again. Just a few years ago my sister was having lunch with one of her co-workers. It turned out the co-worker grew up about twenty miles from us and she told a story about a stray Tom that wandered into their lives that they had named Duke. It was soon obvious to my sister that her co-worker was talking about Butch. Same black and white markings, same torn ear, same scratches on his face. Just like with us he wouldn’t come into their house except on the coldest of winter nights. He left frequent gifts, minus the heads. Even the timing was right. Duke made his appearance about a month after Butch disappeared. But here is the really weird part. The co-worker told how one day, when she was seven, she had broken her ankle while playing in a field behind her house and Duke "went and pulled a Lassie." He ran back to the house, got her father’s attention, and led him back to his injured daughter. Duke disappeared shortly after that, after having been with them for about a year. While watching the movie Pulp Fiction, I thought that some lines by Samuel Jackson’s character summed up Butch perfectly. He is like Cain from Kung-Fu. He walks the earth, meets people, and gets into adventures. Although I am a fairly skeptical guy I do recognize the fact that there is more in Heaven and earth that is dreamt of in our philosophies (tip o’ the hat to the Bard). They say God works in mysterious ways? Well, I know of at least one case where God worked through a cat. It has been thirty years since I’d known Butch so I doubt he is still walking the earth, but I like to think that he is. I’ll bet he had a long line of tough guy names but he was a tough guy with a heart of gold. I wonder how many lives he touched. Once again I want to thank everyone for their kind words and I want to thank SubinMaine for the beautiful poem. My sister and a co-worker sent me the same one. Peace and Prosperity (and the love of a cat) to all, Marc2b

SeeksOnlyOne -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 5:51:40 PM)
ahhhh, being less than 48 hours past holding my sweet dog, razor as he crossed over from this life....that gave me goosebumps and tears.......it took me 5 years to not want to pick up the phone to call mom, i wonder how long til i quit waiting for razor to come around the corner........now back to crying....bless you

Griswold -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 6:46:34 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Marc2b ...Although everyone is welcome. A few days ago my cat suddenly started eating and drinking a lot less than he normally does. He also became much less active and affectionate, and he was always an very active and very affectionate cat. I took him to the vet this morning and then went through my day as best I could, trying not to worry too much. I got the news around 6pm. Liver cancer. He will have to be put down. I’ll be going back to the vet tomorrow morning so I can be there with him when it happens. I first met him six years ago, a few days before my birthday, in the middle of November 2001. He was a very furry fella and quite young, little more than a kitten. He was hanging around the door to my apartment building, being friendly to everyone who passed by, but he seemed particularly interested in me. He would follow me to my car when I left in the morning and I’d have to shoo him away because he kept trying to get into the car with me. When I came home from work he would try to follow me inside and again I’d have to shoo him away. Then he’d perched himself outside my window and just stare at me. This went on for a few days and he began to cry and cry more often. At first I assumed that he belonged to somebody nearby but now I began to wonder if he wasn’t lost (he seemed too friendly with people to be a stray). Finally, after three days, I couldn’t take it any more. I went outside and petted him and asked everybody who went by if they knew anything about him. One elderly gentleman in my building knew his tale (no pun intended). He had belonged to a couple who lived in the building furthest from mine. They had gotten him for their young daughter. Unfortunately, the couple were quite noisy (apparently they liked to blast punk rock music at three in the morning) and got evicted. They had simply abandoned him. He was then taken in by another couple but when they found out that they had to pay a two hundred dollar pet deposit and an additional twenty on their rent – back out the door he went. That’s when he apparently pegged me for a sucker. Well, we’d always had cats when I was growing up. I think cats are the second coolest creatures on the planet. Having recently moved in I hadn’t really though about getting a pet but I was cool to the idea of having one now. "Fine," I said, "looks like the third times the charm for you." I brought him inside and gave him some water which he lapped up eagerly. I then went to the store to buy some cat food and a little box. When I returned, I found that he had knocked over my garbage and feasted on some chicken bones, and had then made himself quite at home, sleeping on my bed. The next day I took him to the vet. She pronounced him to be six months old and other than a case of worms and some ear mites, healthy. It was while driving him back home that I decided that his story reminded me of Charles Dickinson’s story of Oliver. Thus did he become Oliver – but of course I, and everyone else, just called him Ollie. I looked up his breed on the internet and discovered that he was a Main Coon. Like most Main Coons he is VERY furry, very affectionate and people oriented. He’s a bit smaller than the average Main Coon and the tufts on the top of his ears weren’t quite as pronounced, so maybe he’s got a little something else in him. With Ollie I’ve had all the typical cat owner complaints and then some. I know I didn’t teach him to stay off the counters but to stay off the counters only when I was there. Most cat owners can tell you about shedding but with Ollie (who appeared to be twice as big as he really was) you have to multiply that by ten. Fur everywhere! I’ve gone through three vacuum cleaners in six years. And of course there were the hair balls. He was good for a big icky one about once a month. So why will I miss him? Well, cat owners know the answer to that too. Damn. Wow. I'm not often prone to tears, but listen up "sucka"....that was a hell of a story. Thanks for telling me about Ollie. One of a kind. (Both of you).

Griswold -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 6:49:04 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: SubinMaine Damn...it breaks my heart hearing about others losing pets.... i'm a cat owner myself, Marc, so i completely understand WHY you will miss your Ollie. And, 2 of mine are Maine Coon's, the shedding & hairballs are mind-numbing smile my deepest sympathies for your loss hug This time i will post the bridge: The Rainbow Bridge Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together… – Author Unknown Gawdammit....who fucking hid the kleenex?

LeMis -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 6:57:55 PM)
Sorry to hear about your cat Marc. [&:] It's been 2 weeks since I had to put Charley down, he had a prolapsed rectum and surgery to correct it but a few days after coming home it happened again, the vet said that it would be best to put him down. I keep expecting Charley to hop up on my car after pulling in driveway, or hopping up on the computer desk, or something.. He was my boy. I am not getting another, I can't bear being this attached and losing a pet. Hugs. ~L~

gretchenS -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 7:13:48 PM)
I wish I had something to say, but I need to hug my Cleo-Cleo before my eyes go wet... sigh

maybemaybenot -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 7:39:59 PM)
You have my heartfelt sympathies, marc. I had to put my kitty of 19 years to sleep a year ago and while it has gotten a bit easier, I still miss him terribly and still cry for him. I cried alot reading this thread. My Vet sent me a sympathy card and this poem was in it. I would like to share it with you: Your favorite chair is empty now, No eager purrs to greet me, No softly padded paws to run Ecstatically to meet me. No coaxing rub, no plaintive cry, will say it's time for feeding I've put away your bowl, and all the things you won't be needing. But I miss you little friend, I can never measure the happiness you brought to me. the comfort and the pleasure. But since God Put you here, To share in earthly joy and sorrow, I'm sure they will be a place for you, In Heaven's bright tomorrow. mbmbn .

Trampler -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 7:55:19 PM)
I've had a few furbabies, mine and by association. Humphrey (HamDancer, guess what he loved best?) He was a Maine Coon mix, came into my family's lives a year before I was born. He didn't care for kids that much, so there were a few times where he (rightfully) belted me one. He had a thing for green olives, would pick the pimentos out and eat the Olive. One time the fridge door was left open so he knocked down a huge glass jar of olives, and was happily gorging on them during my families annual backyard bbq's. He was smarter then he should of been. :)He passed away when I was 14. He just fell asleep and never awoke. Harvey (Bubba, he got pretty big.) My dad nic named him that, also "the pillow that eats" He wasn't that smart,(compared to Humphrey anyways.) but he had a pretty sweet dispostion, exept when it came to birds. Used to love leaving those by the back door. My mom cured him of leaving them on the bed after the 1st one. lol. When my parents got seperated, then divorced, he was there for my dad, let him soak his fur up,pat him on the head and purred so soothingly. And he was good to me too. when I got home from work, he would demand a spot on my lap. One day, in the winter, just before my parents divorce papers, he wanted on my lap. He came over, gave me that begging look, but couldn't seem to get on the couch so I picked him up and placed him on my leg. He laid there for a couple hours, which I became very concerned, because he hadn't moved, I checked frequently to see if he was still breathing, (he was, normallly.) When I went to go to dinner, I noticed that he had gone to the bathroom, on the blanket. Then my dad came home, and I told him about my worries. The morning that he took Bubba to the vet, was a thursday, I had to go to work, but my dad couldn't find him. Looked all over the house for him, finally found him in the basement, lieing on the tile floor. (he was still alive.) The verdict from the vet was:kidney failure. I think there was a treatment for it, but the vet said that Bubba's quality of life would be diminished, and that it would be much kinder to let him go. (he lived 17 years, thats a good life for a cat.) So my dad, my mom,(she came to say goodbye too, and came for us.) My dad held his paw while the vet put the shot in, my mom tried turning me away, but I wanted to see. I needed that closure. I thank the gods every chance I get for sending Bubba our way especially for him being there during my parents divorce. Susie (Susie Q,Squirletta May.) yeah she was squirley alright. a pin would drop and she would jump 10 feet. But she was so sweet and loving. she loved to perch above my head in the evenings, and watch tv with me. We had to give her away when she kept using the hall rug as a toilet. I have 2 cats now: Padreic and Anya,(or Buzz and Smudge.) They are mostly good cats. :) Marc, I feel for you and am sorry for your loss. Everyone else who has lost their furbabies, I feel for you as well.

popeye1250 -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/12/2007 8:16:19 PM)
Marc, my condolances.

tigerlilly34 -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/13/2007 11:20:37 PM)
i feel so bad for you. its horrible to have to feel the loss of a beloved pet. i can only imagine what you are feeling and my thoughts are with you. (i am going to go hug my three little ones now).

Marc2b -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/16/2007 9:34:10 PM)
Well I've broken out a puzzle, so I guess that marks the official end of my mourning period (I've always loved doing puzzles but couldn't because a certain furry somebody would bat the pieces around). I just wanted to give one last thanks to everybody.

SeeksOnlyOne -> RE: Looking for sympathy from cat owners (7/16/2007 9:40:52 PM)
glad to hear that.....i only cried twice today, and have actually begun to think of getting another dog......razor cant be replaced, but furbaby love is good for the soul....and i finally realized i wouldnt trade the 14 years i had with him to not feel this pain........ good luck on the puzzle too.........

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