In Memory.

[Darkharvest]

Put this up here in memory of my cat Rikku, she was about 7 years old. Had to have her put to sleep today, I wasn't expecting. She had gotten skinny, was weak, and there was a different look in her eyes, but I didn't think it was this bad. She had kidney failure over 2/3 of her kidneys where gone, some of the test result came back and were off the charts. Kinda feel like I failed like I should have seen/noticed it earlier. Can't help but wonder if I made the right decision either, and I know thats going to be with me for a long time. They said I could have taken her to a emergency place for some more testing, I V, fluid hydration, but they said they were guarded at best about the results. Wasn't sure I wanted to put her through all of that just to have it there be more of the same. Idk. I stayed with her for the first shot,(seditive) but broke my heart to see her just lying in my arms limp and I lost it and couldn't stay for the second, kinda wishing now I would have... The house feels very empty now, and very quite. I keep expect to see her come trapsing down the stairs or hear her meowing for attention. First time I've ever had to have a pet put to sleep. She was my buddy and kept me company through alot of hard times. She was a sweetheart, and had a thing for rubbing her head on your feet wanting to be scratch with them, I don't know where that came from. ouple of pics.

*edit shrunk the pics some came out big

[Saturo]

It's always sad to have a pet put to sleep. However, I believe "slumbering in" is a much better way for a loved pet to die than the painful natural way. When I had to have my bunny put down, I kept thinking it was because I loved her. Not putting your cat trough the pain is probably the kindest thing you could have done. In a way, you did her a favour.

Hope you can get over the sadness, losing a pet is harsh.

[Kaylai]

So sorry for your loss, RIP Rikku.

~Kaylai

[Jakkra]

I'm so sorry you had to make that decision. You saved her from a lot of pain, though. Don't beat yourself up over whether or not it could have been noticed sooner- she couldn't have told you how she was feeling, and as much as it may hurt to hear, there's likely nothing you could have done, as I hear that it is terminal

What a beautiful cat she was- it's rare for an orange kitty to be female.

[Lupis]

Such a beautiful cat.

Putting down animals is aways horrible for the person, but the animal is being spared a lot of pain. In the end you just need to realize that you're trying to help, and doing it out of love.

Very sorry for your loss. RIP, Rikku.

[Darkharvest]

Thank you all.

[Tahlian]

My deepest condolences on your loss. I lost one of my cats to the exact same thing in October. It's never an easy thing, and I too wished I had known what was really going on sooner. You did what was best for your pet, though, right up to the last. And sometimes doing what is best for our best furry friends is the most difficult thing we as pet owners will ever have to do.

[Ana]

Really sorry to hear about your loss. I have had cats my self and i really loves them.
Your pets becomes your babies and its so hard when they are no longer among you.

[Helio]

Such a beautiful cat... I know how it feels to lose a pet..you're not just losing a pet, you're losing a family member..one of your very best and most trustworthy friends... I feel for you.

[Rhyela]

Aw, this made me all teary! I'm so sorry about your little cat, but you really did do the best thing for her. Who knows what all that testing and such could have done to her already-weakened body? I personally think you did what was best, rather than prolonging her suffering. It was tough for you to do, of course, but it was for the best.

[Suzi]

Very sorry to hear about your loss, Darkharvest. The hardest part about having any pet is eventually letting them go.

[Emowin]

Oh honey I'm so sory to hear about your kitty. I to know what it is like to have a pet sic and not know about it untill its to late. My kitty Zuse had the crystals in his bladder and I didnt realize what was going on untill it was to late to save him. I could have had surguy done to remove the crystals but there was no guarntee it would work. And odds were that his kidnes had allready begun to shut down. I miss him so, but I allso now realize that putting him to sleep was the best I could do for him

[Mania]

What a beautiful cat ... I'm so sorry for your loss. And now I'm a bit teary too ...

[Ryno]

Aw! Very sorry about this.

[Kitairra]

Kitairra

[Karathyriel]

I remember our neighbors dog having kidney failure too.
There is nothing you could have done about it and, to be honest, it was the best think you could have done for your cat.
I know it feels bad right now, but you spared her a lot of suffering.

Keep your head up, everyone has to go someday, even if we don't want them to and still, we got to move on somehow.

[Dakonic]

Im so sorry to hear! Its never fun when a pet dies!

[Vecksykins]

Gaaah! Looks EXACTLY like one of my cats It stinks to have pets put down.. I lost it completely when I had to put my husky down, cried for weeks over that dog, but he was my first dog ever, and i miss him dearly to this day =') I love you Reggie!

Although, I hated the vet he went to, they gave us a sympathy card with his paw print on it, and I knew they did it after he died. Pissed me off so much since I knew he hated his feet being touched. I hope your vet was more respectful with your loss. They may just seem like pets to others, but they're still someone's friend/companion.

Best of luck to you I hope all is well now =)

[Roonok]

Old Thread but,


Just had to say I understand the pain of such circumstances... In my life I have endured the death of animals hundreds of times, and it just never gets any easier for me.

I suffer along with any animal I've been close to that's passed away for whatever reason, but pets are by far the hardest to bear... When I was a boy my dad had a German Shepard named Smokey that more-or-less grew up with me. When I was 19 he died of old age. It devastated me for a long time. My dad's one of those ultra tough guys from the 40's that shows no emotion or pain. He's like a rock, but that day he toted Smokey off into the woods and my Mom wouldn't let me follow him.

Years later my wife and I saved a 2 day old kitten from a trash heap when it's mother was killed. Bottle feeding a kitten that small is a tough thing, trust me, but he survived. His name was Nip because he was so tiny. Years later he grew into a massive 25 pound tomcat. I always thought he must have had a Bobcat or something as a father... He lived for 20 years, which is impressive for your generic cat, and had many adventures. I actually had to climb a tree once to rescue him from his own self lol. I'm always amazed how cats will climb towering tree's in seconds and then become scared to climb back down. He did that one evening and when he hadn't come back down by the next morning I knew I was going to have to go up after him. I'm 6'2" and 180lbs and the prospect of climbing an 80' white oak was no joking matter, but someone had to get Nip back to Earth. When he passed away 2 years ago it was the absolute hardest Thing I have personally had to endure in my life. I've sat with many friends and family on their deathbeds and somehow being able to talk to them makes their passing somehow bearable in a way, but Nip torn me up. He had suffered heart failure for 6 months before he passed and we all knew it was coming, but it didn't make it any easier. I found him alone, away from the other cats on the 4th of July 2008. In our little rural town the vet was closed. It upset my wife to badly to be around him so I decided I'd stay with him. I brought him inside and put him in his favorite sleeping spot. For 6 long hours I rubbed his head until he finally faded away.

I always tell myself I'm never getting another pet because it hurts to much when they pass on, but one always manages to sneak in anyway. I have a weird empathy with animals and I swear they know it. They know if they show up at my door I'll take them in. I came home from work one day and a cat was sitting on my front porch. I had never seen it before, but when I got closer I could see it was injured. On closer inspection I could see it had been shot and the bullet had went clean through the poor things torso. Well you know I had to load him up and head to the vet. My wife thought it would eat my arms off being hurt so bad, but he never even meowed when I picked him up. He made a full recovery and a month later disappeared back into the woods around my old house. My wife wasn't happy about the vet bill since the cat went off on it's merry way, but that's life.

I've rescued rabbits , squirrels and everything in between. When I was a boy we hunted those thing's for food and it's always confuses my wife how I can now pick up an ill rabbit and take it to the vet. It's just life... It's a strange dynamic, but one I can't fully explain to people. A person does what they have to for survival, but that doesn't mean you can't be compassionate when needed. I look at it as mother nature balancing the scales.

So, mourn your kitty's passing, always remember the good times, but also keep a spot open for that next pet that'll need a loving home and kind hand... It amazes me how those little critters just look up at you and instantly win you over...

Take Care, Roo...