It never rains....but it pours
Yesterday morning, I opened the door to our basement. Crouching at the top of the stairs was a very unhappy kitty. She cried a little and promptly slipped under the couch. When I pulled out the couch to check on her, it was obvious she was not well at all.
Jeeez. First the bird, now the cat. And it's not like I can drop absolutely everything to take her to the vet, not when I have a classroom of kids waiting for me. I called the vet and made an appointment for late that afternoon. Of course, by the time I finally got her there, I had worked myself into a crying jag.
Katy is 16. I lost my first cat five years ago, to kidney failure at age 17. It happens to older cats. We have been monitoring Katy for the last year or so to try and stave off what we could. But once the kidneys go, that's pretty much it.
The vet was noncommital. He decided not to run any additional tests on her kidney function, instead we treated her diarrhea and her dehydration. He wanted to wait until Thursday morning to see if she seemed better before deciding on the next step. I took her home last night and she was very weak, barely eating and sleeping behind the television most of the night.
Tonight she is a bit spryer. She actually came upstairs to sit on my lap and was seriously interested in the chicken I was making for supper. But, I know I have to face the harsh reality; she is not a young kitty and it is probably getting very near the end.
Being a pet owner is one of the joys of my life. I have always had pets in my life, and I can't imagine my life without them. But unless you own a parrot or an elephant, your pet is unlikely to outlive you. And saying goodbye is so very hard. Losing a creature that has been essential to your life for 10-20 years is similar to losing a part of yourself. Katy has seen me through homes in Southern California, San Francisco and Toronto area. She has sat on my lap and purred when I cried about my first failed marriage and came east with me when I found the Canadian love of my life. She was stranded with me in Cleveland when I brought her to Canada, she cried all the way from LA to SF when she drove with my ex in the moving van. She loves to rub against feet and purrs like crazy when you scratch her face. She sheds on everything I own; if you don't know I am a cat owner, you aren't looking. I can't imagine not having her on my lap when I watch tv and to look down and see that quizzical face as I work on the computer. Or having to brush off my bum every time I sit in her favourite chair.
But in the spirit of Monty Python, we say :
Not dead yet!
And carry on in love and hope and purrs.
Jeeez. First the bird, now the cat. And it's not like I can drop absolutely everything to take her to the vet, not when I have a classroom of kids waiting for me. I called the vet and made an appointment for late that afternoon. Of course, by the time I finally got her there, I had worked myself into a crying jag.
Katy is 16. I lost my first cat five years ago, to kidney failure at age 17. It happens to older cats. We have been monitoring Katy for the last year or so to try and stave off what we could. But once the kidneys go, that's pretty much it.
The vet was noncommital. He decided not to run any additional tests on her kidney function, instead we treated her diarrhea and her dehydration. He wanted to wait until Thursday morning to see if she seemed better before deciding on the next step. I took her home last night and she was very weak, barely eating and sleeping behind the television most of the night.
Tonight she is a bit spryer. She actually came upstairs to sit on my lap and was seriously interested in the chicken I was making for supper. But, I know I have to face the harsh reality; she is not a young kitty and it is probably getting very near the end.
Being a pet owner is one of the joys of my life. I have always had pets in my life, and I can't imagine my life without them. But unless you own a parrot or an elephant, your pet is unlikely to outlive you. And saying goodbye is so very hard. Losing a creature that has been essential to your life for 10-20 years is similar to losing a part of yourself. Katy has seen me through homes in Southern California, San Francisco and Toronto area. She has sat on my lap and purred when I cried about my first failed marriage and came east with me when I found the Canadian love of my life. She was stranded with me in Cleveland when I brought her to Canada, she cried all the way from LA to SF when she drove with my ex in the moving van. She loves to rub against feet and purrs like crazy when you scratch her face. She sheds on everything I own; if you don't know I am a cat owner, you aren't looking. I can't imagine not having her on my lap when I watch tv and to look down and see that quizzical face as I work on the computer. Or having to brush off my bum every time I sit in her favourite chair.
But in the spirit of Monty Python, we say :
Not dead yet!
And carry on in love and hope and purrs.
posted by allison | 7:36 PM
3 Comments:
You know sweetie, life is so funny this way. It has been almost a year since Mr. Pooks was put to sleep and at times the pain of that is staggering. As like you, to have had this little guy who was with me before I was married, during, and after. Who saw me through undergrad and moving to the coast, inland, and then up north. He was a constant in my life that was only matched by my family. If not more so at times. And I can still just now be in tears over losing him. But the thought of chosing to NOT have these little critters in our lives is more than I could consider. So as I type this with a couple tears, I have a five month old Monster curled up in my lap and looking up at me with sleepy eyes and a loving purr. Doesn't make me less sad over Pooks, but makes me smile more when I'm not sad. You know what I mean?
xoxo
John Kerry here. I LOVE the Dead Parrot sketch. I know you can't tell to look at me when I'm happy, but trust me - Monty Python makes me smile.
It's a bit late in the campaign process for this, but what the hell - I promise that if I am elected, there will be Dead Parrots for everybody!
Hi darling. Just doing a little stalking while waiting to go pick Ems up from a concert. I know what you mean about the pets. You know when you get them that you will lose them at some point but the love is worth it...this is from the lady with two farting dogs under her bed, a kitten in her bed and two other kitties out roaming the house. Our sweet Annie Bunny died right around Easter (talk about your ironies) and I still look for her in her cage when I walk in the garage. Hopefully Katy will go in the Guiness Book as the world's longest living cat. Love you.
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