We have always known the cats were getting old. According to the vet's chart, the cats are in their 80s in cat years. In fact, they were no longer considered Senior, but Geriatric...
But, even knowing that - this change in Shady seems pretty rapid. A while ago, she got fleas again (she is indoor/outdoor cat and there are a lot of neighborhood cats). Being alergic to them, she got really skinny again. We didn't think much of it because it has happened to her before and after we got rid of the fleas, she had gained some weight back.
A couple weeks ago she started acting very odd around the car. At first, we thought she wanted to go with us because she kept climbing in the car -- even on the dash. We even took her for a ride to Fred Meyers, only to figure out that wasn't what she wanted. After that, she started standing next to the tires or laying under the car. I think she was trying to keep us from leaving the house.
In the last week or two, her belly got really distended. We couldn't keep track of how much she ate or drank because we have two cats and the neighborhood cats kept sneaking in too. So after taking her to the vet, we decided to keep her indoors so that we could try to monitor if she was eating or drinking anything. The vet thought that she might not be doing either.
So we bought her some wet proplan food, cuz she loves it and punky doesn't (so we knew that if it was eaten, she had done it). She scarfed it down, though it seemed very difficult for her. She would grab a bite, hold it for a moment, then chew it up quickly at which point it sounded like her teeth were gnashing on each other. Remember, this is wet food - it shouldn't sound crunchy.
We also noticed that she is now laying between the litter box and back door. Literally - her body kinda stretches from one to the other. Kinda odd though, cuz she is a black cat laying under a ladder and under a partially open umbrella. Seemed so odd noticing that.
Last night, we noticed that she is not moving much now. Remember that two weeks ago she was climbing on the car dash. As of this morning, I am not convinced she can move at all. I went to lie down with her for a few minutes and she cried at me without opening her mouth. I recovered her with a towell (she is hypothermic) and pet her for a bit. She was purring, but I noticed that petting her chin or her paws didn't make her flinch or move in the slightest. Not a good sign at all.
I woke Dino up and have her spending some time with Shady right now. I am sorry that we are not hanging out with any friends right now, but I am seriously starting to think she isn't going to last very long at all.
As a side note, I am pretty sure that both cats know what is going on. Even though Shady and Punky have not gotten along since we brought him up here, he has been sniffing noses with her and we have caught him checking on her. The other day, she was laying in the front yard when we drove off. We realized we forgot something, came right back, and Punky had walked all the way around the house and was standing next to her. He's also taken to coming and sleeping on our bed in the last couple days. I think he is trying to make us feel better.
This is really hard on us, but especially Dino. She has been with Shady almost her entire life -- longer than she has known any of us.
Malachi | After a while spending time with Shady, we realized that she might be trying to hold on so that we wouldn't see her pass. We decided to let her have some privacy. About 1/2 hour later, I peeked into the kitchen to check on her, and noticed that she was lying on her side moving her front paws. I had Dino come with me to check on her. She meowed at us, possibly in pain, I am not sure. It seemed like she really wanted to sit up, but couldn't. We helped her turn over -- Dino lifting her body, and me lifting her head so it wouldn't flop over. She seemed really cold. We covered her back up, and put a toy under her arms. A few moments later, we realized that we could no longer tell if she was breathing. We both tried to check if she was breathing or had a heart beat, but couldn't tell. We noticed that she wasn't blinking. That was around 9:45 am. We have an appointment in just under an hour to take care of final arrangements. At the very end, she seemed to have a smile on her face, had both her parents with her, and was curled up to a stuffed animal. Shady, may you rest in peace. We will miss you more than you can possibly know. Posted by Malachi on Sun Feb 12 03:09:00 PST 2006 |
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Santa Baby | Hey, Mom called me last night and told me Shady wasn't doing so hot. I guess I was hoping she's last a little longer. I would call you right now but I'm afraid I might cry and I really don't want to do that right now. I am so so sorry. I know how much you both loved her. I remember one time Shades ran away and we thought she might never come back cause she was gone for a like a week but thank god she did and spent a long happy life making us smile. As heartbreaking as it is that she is gone she lived a long long long happy happy life. I doubt there are many cat's in the world that had it better. I promise to call soon. My deepest sympathy, Love, Lori Posted by Santa Baby on Sun Feb 12 09:11:00 PST 2006 |
| Malachi | Thanks Lori. I completely understand about the crying bit. I wasn't even able to get my name out when we talked to the funeral home on the phone. We tried calling you quite a few times today, but can't seem to get through to you. I think it would be nice if you and Dino were able to talk before she tried to go to work tomorrow. Both the kitties were so old.... We are thinking we should take Punky in to have a vet take a look at him. He seems healthy, but.... Thank you for taking the time to respond. It means a lot to both of us.
Mal Posted by Malachi on Sun Feb 12 09:23:00 PST 2006 |
Dawn | I'm so sorry. Even knowing that they are old never helps much. Give Dino a hug for me and know that I am thinking of both of you. Love, Dawn
Posted by Dawn on Mon Feb 13 09:40:00 PST 2006 |
KerryRose a.k.a. "Santa's Mistress" | Mal, I am so very sorry. Most people don't realize how much our pets enrich our lives. I've only had Lugosi for 2 1/2 months and I would cry a lot if anything ever happened to him. Hell, I cried when you told me about Shady today while I was driving to school. I'll never forget you getting in the car while wondering what the strange noise outside was. It wasn't a beaver or woodchuck. It was Shady's unique little meow. I'll never forget her. Give Dino a hug for me. Love, KerryRose Posted by KerryRose a.k.a. "Santa's Mistress" on Mon Feb 13 11:52:00 PST 2006 |
Darkangel | i have not to say but my condolences. i have one of my own and it at times is the one thing keeping me sane. be well. Posted by Darkangel on Mon Feb 13 15:45:00 PST 2006 |
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