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ballzac

My cat died yesterday

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On Friday I heard him yelp and I ran out of the study and saw him lying in the hallway panting. I tried to get him to drink some water and he just slumped on the ground. I realised there was something really wrong with him, so I took him to the vet asap. They said he had a heart problem which had caused a saddle thrombus. They gave him oxygen, blood thinners, diuretics and a pain killer. They said that if he was going to get better, we would see improvement within the next 48 hours. We took him home and looked after him all night. He was weeing every half hour or so because of the diuretics and his legs weren't working because of the thrombus, so we were cleaning up after him all night to try to keep him dignified. He seemed better in the morning, and we took him back to the vet for a check up. They gave him some more pain killers, and just told us there's nothing we can really do but wait and see. A few hours later, he started having breathing difficulties again, and was in a lot of distress. Our usual vet was closed for the day, so we took him to an emergency place.

They said that the blood supply to his legs was really bad. He had no sensation in his legs at all. They said that even if the clot does clear, he would probably never get the use of his legs back. We had also been told by the previous vets we'd seen that because of the underlying heart condition, this would happen again even if he gets better, and that he's very unlikely to live another six months. At this stage, it was looking doubtful that he would survive this attack. Considering the amount of suffering he was going through, and the fact that even if he got better, he wouldn't have enough time left to get used to not having the use of his legs, and that he would have to go through all this suffering again at some point, we decided to have him put down. It was the hardest decision I have ever had to make. He's always been my little baby. He was a complete sook, and I was always there to protect him. I feel like I let him down because I was unable to protect him. Even though I know we had his best interests at heart when we had him put down, it felt like a betrayal.

I knew I would be really upset when he goes, but this has hit me harder than I could have imagined. I was having constant anxiety attacks yesterday after he died, and I wasn't able to eat anything yesterday and was throwing up when I tried. This was all compounded by the fact that I hadn't had any sleep the previous night. In spite of this, I couldn't get to sleep for ages last night, and I thought I was never going to sleep. Once I finally got to sleep, I slept well. I'm feeling a little better this morning, having had a good nights sleep, and I'm eating again. The house seems so empty. I just expect him meow at me to let him in, or to bring me a toy mouse. I loved him so dearly. He was the last of my childhood pets. I'd had him since I was 15.

Here is a picture of him frolicking on the floor, taken a couple of years ago

post-1298-0-22868100-1353799940_thumb.jp

RIP Turvy :(

turvy.jpg

turvy.jpg

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The pet lovers of the forum know exactly how you feel ballzac.

It's always a sad time when you lose an important being in your life.

:(

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sorry for your loss mate

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Oh shit man, that is sad..

I never had any of our dozens of childhood pets last more than a couple of years, but since having my own pets they have been with us for 10 plus years.

Recently one of our cats got sick and I was going through something similar: sick, anxious, unable to eat and sleep properly. I hate to think what it will be like when they go, youy can get so attached to the little pelts.

anyway, my thoughts are with you today man, hope you manage to get some sleep and eat, take care of the basics and give yourself some time and space to grieve.

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Thanks for the thoughts

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wish i could do something more practical! let me know if i can.

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So sorry to hear this. Such cool looking cat! Post some more pics if you have some and feel up to it.

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sorry to hear about it, at least he's not suffering

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I'm very sorry to hear of your loss Ballzac :( He was beautiful.

I don't know how I would cope if one of our cats had to be put down. They are indescribably dear to me. It's amazing just how strong that bond is.

It sounds like he had a very long life, you obviously took good care of him. Turvy was almost 15? Wow.

Just looked at his photo again, man those eyes were incredible.

Edited by Alice

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That sucks Ballzak.

I've had to make that decision too, it feels like a betrayal but sometimes it is the kindest thing we can do.

Sorry for your loss.

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I've had to make that decision too, it feels like a betrayal but sometimes it is the kindest thing we can do.

Plus one.

I think it's heart-warming that there are people who care so well for their furry friends. Ballzac: You gave that little guy years and years of happiness which will never be forgotten.

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Sorry to hear that man ....

R.I.P

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I'm sorry to hear that man. :/ It's a strangely moving event to let go of an animal friend. I hope you feel better soon, and perhaps find the strength to love again. :)

I've recently had small pangs of how you feel too. Just 5 days ago, we took our dear little doggy to the vet as he was developing a concavity on his skull above and below his eye, feeling pain in the area, and sneezing a lot (these seemed like possible signs to a bone infection to me). I was pretty sure that this was the last few days or so to see him alive (he actually sensed my anxiety and became sad himself, this made a feedback loop). Thankfully, the vet felt his skull for a few seconds, and quickly determined that it was only muscle tissue that had died as a result of past nerve damage (horse kick). So he's okay.

Yesterday I noticed the odd-one-out chicken was exaggeratedly waddling slowly and had a swollen abdomen, eating at 20% the rate of the other chickens and just generally seeming hunched over and glum. I thought it was maybe an egg blockage. The swollen abdomen turned out to be very hard to the feel. So we syringed a little cooking oil down its throat in the hopes it would poop out a giant oily mass. It didn't. Today it was just as bad, so after research, we put some vaseline up its ass, and bathed it in hot epsom salts water for 40 minutes, and gave it some calcium chloride in solution down its throat. It was a little happier after its bath, but it still seems extremely lethargic and laboured, and we couldn't feel an egg, so it might be something worse. I'm not sure if I want it to suffer, so maybe I'll have to sharpen the axe... :(

Not sure if these stories will help or make it worse, but hang in there, as I'm sure your cat wouldn't want you to be sad. :)

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Sorry to hear man, my cat ginger I had from the age of 5 until I was 19 I sobbed for days after he went = (

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Sorry to hear of your losing a good friend. Happened to us a few months ago, a horrible death, and as much as I was against the idea so soon, a new adoptee really does fill the void. Maybe you might think about rescuing a kitty in the new year. Now the memories of our dear departed pal are of fond recollection rather than gut wrenching sadness.

Incuidentally, our new little buddy is a Tuxedo coat like Turvy :)

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Im so sorry, Ballzac! I know i´ve told you that already in private but i felt like saying it again. I consider pets to be a part of my family so i deeply feel for you and hope that your pain is getting better soon.

Just lost one of our pets last night as well so i guess its been a bad day all around the globe.

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Why did he get called 'Turvey' ? was it a nick name?. I was thinking Topsey Turvey?.

Its the worst part of owning a pet i reckon...saying goodbye. Its inevitable though hey. And Its worse when you have to play 'God' and say its time.

As i bring my new pup home the other day, i look at her, and i know the heartbreak that is to come one day in the future...but not before we share a shit load of good times. :) Its a gift you know, having a pet to love, and to love you back. They are different to people, sometimes better :)

:)

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so sad, i feel for ya bro , so sorry to hear of your loss.

i'm at a loss for words zac but i just gotta say something to support you in this grieving time, here goes -

the connection you had was obviously incredibly strong.

totally understand the emptiness you are feeling currently and i empathize dearly.

our last pud lived for 13years and we still miss her, and she reserves a spot right in there, snuggled up to our inner top, right corner of our heart.

when she passed 3 days later she came to me in a dream and sat on the end of the bed and rolled around and meowed those weird cat meeyows they do when they are trying to speak english to you and you understand what they are trying to convey through their body mannerisms .

the dream was so real, so surreal, waking to the reality was a heavy trip man.

when she passed we buried her in the backyard and planted a psycho cut on top.

now our latest lurvs nothing more than to bake herself up against the log.

here's my lasted fave pic of the socket

post-4664-0-07632600-1353827385_thumb.jp

so don't be surprised if Turvey pays you a final visit to say thanks for being a bud but my time came now.

my thoughts are with you because personally,(apart from my petal) humans suck and i only ever cry at pet funerals.

all the best now

what you looking at.jpg

what you looking at.jpg

Edited by etherealdrifter
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Thanks guys. It helps significantly to know that others care so much and that people understand how important pets can be to us. My girlfriend was telling me that someone at her work was complaining because someone called in to take the day off because their pet died. Needless to say, my girlfriend gave her an earful. Some people just don't understand how traumatic it can be to lose a pet. They are well and truly a part of the family.

Why did he get called 'Turvey' ? was it a nick name?. I was thinking Topsey Turvey?.

 

When I got him, I got him and his brother together. They would sleep together in a tiny little basket, head to tail. They were like a yin-yang, because of the way they were sleeping and their colouring (topsy was mostly black with a bit of white) so I was going to call them Yin and Yang. I had trouble picturing myself calling out "Yin" and "Yang" when it was dinner time, lol, so I tried to think of another similar name. Then I thought of Topsy and Turvy. It fitted because they slept head to tail, and I thought they were cute names. They had very different personalities. Topsy was very outgoing and Turvy was very timid and reserved. He used to follow his brother around for protection. One day they were outside and Turvy came to the front door crying and Topsy wasn't around, but we didn't think much of it at the time. Not long after, our neighbours came to the door telling us Topsy was dead. I think they were about a year old then, so Turvy has lived a long life in comparison.

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Lost one of my Burmese a couple of years ago, straight after losing my two Newfs.

I empathise brother.

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Owww 'the love for our miniature house predators!' hehehe

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I am very sorry for your loss Ballzac. Saying goodbye to a loved one is tough, but we'll all be here for you :)

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My deepest sympathies Ballzac. I know how you must feel. We've only had our little cat for 11 months and she's already a part of the family and has imprinted on us quite strongly. She got in a scuffle the other day under the house. It sounded scary and I wanted to run and help her but she was way out of my reach. The next day we noticed she was quiet and not as bouncy as she usually is. We took her to the vet and she came good within a few hours.

But to think we'd lose the little shit was sad, we just love her so much. My girlfriend probably more so. But I hope you're ok man and doing well. Any thoughts on getting another kitten?

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Any thoughts on getting another kitten?

 

Well we've still got my girlfriend's cat. She's getting really old and probably won't last much longer either. She's been on three different medications for the past year or so. So we won't get another one while she's still around.

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