Bye Bye Baby

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I had to have my 15 year old cat Baby put down this morning.

This is her after eating her last meal.

About a week ago she got real scarce for 3 days. Normally she was an indoor/outdoor cat but would be inside and come sleep with me at night. At least for a bit, then she would bail out and crash on the floor.

I didn’t see her for 3 days but the wife said she would come in, eat a few Kibbles and then take off again.

When she did finally come back her back legs didn’t seem to be working right.

She holed up in the kids closet and wouldn’t come out.

I finally found her and drug her up to the Pet E.R., I couldn’t get an appointment at her vet for two weeks.

$525 and several hours later, her blood and urine tests came back nominal. The Doc said it looked like test results from a two year old cat.

He couldn’t explain what was wrong. I kept suspecting Kidney Failure, which is pretty common in older cats but he seemed to suggest that here urine test ruled that out.

Could be Cancer or any other dozen things that go wrong with cats on a regular basis.

She laid around for a couple more days after that. She would eat wet cat food a little but no water intake and no signs of bowel movements.

When I went to pick her up this morning her bladder was so full she leaked all the way to the litter box.

I held her up in it but she wouldn’t go. So I let her drip until no more came out and then made her comfortable on the futon, fed her some and then loaded her up.

By some miracle the same vet that couldn’t see her before suddenly had an opening after I told them she had already been seen by the emergency room.

Uh Huh.

I hauled her up there and the only thing that vet wanted to do was to take an X Ray to see if her spinal cord had been severed as if she had been hit by a car.

I pointed out that there were no outward signs of any injuries and she didn’t seem to be in a great deal of pain.

After an examination and a very brief discussion it was decided that there was no hope of any kind of treatment, no hope for any kind of quality of life and that it was obvious since her last visit that she has been deteriorating for some time now.

Six pounds lighter than her last visit,

So I told them to do the dirty deed and be done with it.

Just the two visits cost me a Grand, I’m not spending thousands of dollars on a dying cat thank you very much. Seen that happen a couple of times.

She is gone now, I am having her cremated and will put her ashes up on the mantle next to the other two we have lost in the last couple of years.

Needless to say I have had a pretty shitty morning.

It’s all part of life, it’s not the first, second, third or even fourth time I have had to do this.

Doesn’t make it any easier though.

RIP Cat, you can shit in my sandals again when we meet on the other side here shortly.

43 thoughts on “Bye Bye Baby”

  1. It looks like it ain’t a good day for either one of us… losing a beloved cat is just as devastating as losing a love one . RIP cat… you can shit in my sandals too.

  4. Nothing worse than saying goodbye to a four-legged friend. I know we don’t own cats they own us. We lost 2 cats in a two-week period. One to old age having to put her down after 18 years with us and the second (only 8 years old) had a brain tumor. They were both cremated and share a spot with the 16 year old husky that passed 4 months earlier on my dresser (that was a really crappy year). Told the wife that’s where she can place my ashes when I join my beloved friends in Valhalla.

  6. I know what you’re going through, have been there myself and it isn’t easy.
    It’s the price that must be paid for the previous years of companionship.
    Love ’em while you’ve got ’em.

    HouseCat #3 is sitting on my lap as I type this.

  8. the last trip to the vet is one of the hardest things I ever done.
    sorry to hear about your kitty. like you I also have made too many trip to the vet
    with loved ones.
    call me what you will, but if you try to hurt one of my buddies. I will hurt you.
    again, sorry to hear this.
    you know the one good thing about our 4 legged friends is they never would hurt
    you. unlike some of the 2 legged ones I have known.
    had a outside/inside cat that used to bring me dead mice he killed to swap for tuna. he also had a taste for smokehouse nuts too (?) he stole them when I wasn’t looking. the goof.

  9. after reading this again, you might want to find another vet. just saying.
    took a while to find one we both liked. she got 5 dogs and 4 cats running around her place. and treats every one that comes in like one of her own.
    40 minute drive, but worth it. there are a couple closer, but,,,,,,,,,

  10. I’m so sorry. Isn’t it amazing how pets seem to understand you so much better than people, sometimes. May God bless you and comfort you.

  11. Phil,
    I am sorry for your loss, it doesn’t get easier, but it is our responsibility
    (Scoutergreg)

  12. You did the right thing, however hard it was. When we had to have our cat put to sleep I shed more tears than I have for any human: non animal people just don’t get it.
    On another tack, I thought our UK vets’ fees were excessive. Yours are 4king astronomical!

  13. Traveled down that path a few times myself. Definitely not a easy one.
    Sorry that was how you started the day.

  14. Man, what a bummer. We’ve all been there…man, I hate mourning the loss of a loved one…even if they are the 4-legged variety. Thanks for caring about Cat enough not to prolong the suffering. Peace and comfort to you.

  15. I have had at least 4 cats that made it to 18 years old in the last 4 years and loved them all. Last one a couple years ago that was a heart breaker, just shy of 18, kidney disease that I brought her back from 3 years after, and had a great quality of life until suddenly over something different.This is a sad day! I will tip back a shot of Vodka for your pain. Sorry for your loss!

  16. So sorry for you. I lost my old dog of 14 years and 5 months April 1st and I still am grieving. I’ve never grieved so much for any pet or any person. The older you get the worse it is to loose your dog or cat. Again, so sorry for you. –ken

  17. My sympathies. So sorry. We have had to put down multiple pets over the years, every single fricking time I tell the wife, why the hell do we keep doing this? And then, after a suitable time, we go and get another. Mostly shelter cats but purebred dogs, seems there is some difference if you know a good breeder.

    It always hurts. Bad. And you can’t just call in sick, miss work, or sit at your desk crying. For a damned pet. So you gotta suck up and pretend. After all, it’s not like a kid or a parent or a spouse dying. Just a absolutely real member of your family. Some people understand, some don’t.

    And vets today? OMG expensive. I could buy two more dogs for what a regular checkup costs. But I won’t. Damn bastards have me over a barrel. Hard to believe we treat our four legged children sometimes better than we treat ourselves. But we do.

  18. Sorry to hear Phil. And you’re right, it never gets any easier. Shitty day, every time. Hope you find the right fur ball to fill the hole soon.

  21. Reading your story, trauma was the first thing I thought of, second was what is known as a saddle thrombus, where a kitty has undiagnosed hypertension and a blood clot breaks loose and lodges at the bifurcation of the aorta. It’s usually very painful, though. My condolences on your loss. I recently had to put down my 17 year old kitty that I had fixed a diaphragmatic hernia in when he was 2. His owners brought him in after rolling the car over him (accidentally, of course). The surgery would have cost between 800-1000 and they wanted to put him down because they couldn’t afford it. I told them that I’d fix him (at that time in my career I’d never repaired a diaphragmatic hernia before) and then adopt him and they enthusiastically went for this option. 15 years and over 125 stitches in his diaphragm later he was one of the best damned kitties I’ve ever had.

  22. Sorry about this, Phil. We get more back from them than we give them, that’s for sure.

  23. I’m so sorry, Phil. Blood clots, I suspect, have taken a couple of my male cats. Lost the use of their hind legs. It’s horrible. It’s sad. And it just shouldn’t happen to such beautiful creatures. I feel the same sadness that you feel. Always remember them, though. I believe it possible to visit them when our time comes as well.
    OG

  25. Well, buddy, it happens to all of us who care for our “companions”, no matter how tenuous the link to them. We have a Ragdoll (Furby) that we are watching deteriorate before our eyes. Doesn’t seem to be in any pain that we or the Vet can detect, yet he’s down to 6 pounds and falling. When the time comes, we will miss him terribly, but this is not my first rodeo. We will keep him in a box at floor level for a day or two so the other two can see that he is dead, it’s the best way for them to say good-bye. We will bury him out back in the garden area. He won’t be the last.

    I can feel your loss, man. They are such a joy (mostly), and a void opens up in our lives whenever they die. C’est la vie!

  27. Off hand I’d say the cat had a stroke. They have them just like humans do.
    Had to put down a 19 year old Snowshoe kitty about 3 years ago after she had
    a second stroke and couldn’t use her back legs. Letting a pet go is among the
    most difficult things that life dishes out.

  30. Sorry for the shitty day Phil. Lots of good days with pets, but the bad ones like these hurt. You did things right be her and I’m sure knew that. RIP Cat.

  32. Very sorry to hear. We are very lucky to have a vet friend who will come out to our house for those final events. But it never gets easier. They are better creatures and have more personality than most people I know. We will hopefully see them all again someday.
    Haze Gray

  33. Sorry for your loss, Brother.
    It may be of small consolation that she is at peace and waiting for you on the other side.
    Be well.

    Leigh
    Whitehall, NY

  35. Really sorry to hear about Baby. It’s amazing how much of a void they fill, that we don’t even realize until they’re gone. Condolences.

  36. So sorry for your loss, it hits harder with every fur child we lose. Remember, it’s okay to go off and have a good cry. Raise a glass in a toast to the fun times and the silly antics of the better days.

  37. Sorry for your loss. Raise a glass in memory of the good times and sometimes silly antics. It’s hard to give up a fur child and it’s okay to have a good cry.

  38. That blows. Sorry to hear that.

    We have an old cat. She’s like 15 years old and is like an old fat lady that just wants to sit in her chair all day and watch her stories. She sleeps on my legs every night. Sometimes, she misses the litter box, pukes on the bed…You know…old cat stuff.

    The missus is frustrated with her. But I told her to back off.

    First off, up until she got old, and we moved, she was a great cat, an amazing hunter. Second, when I was sick on cancer therapy, she never left my side no matter where I was. If I was in bed, she was by my side. If I was in my office, she was on my lap. If I was on the couch, she’d be right next to me.

    So until she’s well ready, she’s not going anywhere.

  41. I am sorry. RIP Baby. She was beautiful.
    I agree, it doesn’t get easier with experience. It seems the only time it’s less painful is when you’ve been given a diagnosis and “maybe a year, but she doesn’t know she’s sick – bring her back in when she stops enjoying life.” Usually you don’t get that time to prepare.

  42. Tough as leather tomcat had a similar demise, recently. Virus. Most blood tests don’t catch it. Intestinal, which causes internal organs to cascade fail. Just some outdoor stray that stuck around, and had a unique persona. Would have enjoyed more visits.

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