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  • #1

    Nearly Four Years Ago ...

    September, 2010, a very tiny kitten took over my heart. He was no more than 5 weeks old when we found him. His parents were local ferals/strays. He stayed with us, because I couldn't let him go. Those of you on CS Chat at the time will remember me sharing pictures of him sleeping on my shoulder.

    Today, I no longer have that choice. When I woke up this morning, he was definitely off. I hoped it was something similar to a cold or flu. When my wife came home, she noticed something I didn't. He hadn't urinated all day. We took him to the vet. Urinary tract blockage. We left him with them, and at 6:30 this evening, I got a call. He made it through the blockage clearing, but during recovery from that procedure, the toxins that had built up during the day finally caught up. He passed away today.

    I'll miss you, Storm. And I'm sorry I failed you.

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  • #2
    You didn't fail him. In cats, this can happen very quickly and with little warning. I'm sure he was with the vet ASAP after you realised it was more than just him feeling a bit off.


    He knew you loved him. I'm sure you gave him a good and happy life.
    Seshat's self-help guide:
    1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
    2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
    3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
    4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

    "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

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    • #3
      I'm so sorry for your loss, and so soon. You gave him a much better life than he would've had if he'd stayed feral, and I'm sure he really appreciated it and gave you lots of purrs.

      Seshat is right; you didn't fail him. It's difficult for humans to "read" cats sometimes; when they're sick, they tend to hide it. Please don't blame yourself.
      I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem.
      My LiveJournal
      A page we can all agree with!

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      • #4
        Ditto those - the life Storm (Great name, btw.) had over a feral's? No comparison.

        We recently had a similar bout, although the luck of the draw went Krush's way, and I can echo what Seshat says. Both my wife and I have been avid cat cohabitants all our lives and we are very much in tune with them - this is a tough one to pick up on, AND can escalate quickly even when caught at once.

        Thanks for giving such a handsome little fella all that you did.

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        • #5
          I'm so sorry. Sometimes it does happen very fast. Bless you for giving him a good life for as long as you could.
          When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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          • #6
            I'm so, so sorry, Pedersen. And you didn't fail him. UTIs and blockages are one of the most common and dangerous problems facing cats. Any number of things could have caused it. *hugs*
            "If your day is filled with firefighting, you need to start taking the matches away from the toddlers…” - HM

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            • #7
              Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry. I work at a vet's office, and urinary blockages in males are extremely common. I don't think you failed him. (And, yes, I have encountered pet owners who I have blamed before.)

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              • #8
                I know your pain. I recently had to say goodbye to one of my cats, George, earlier this month. He was only five, and since he was the son of one of my other cats, I had raised him from day 1.

                I was watching the house for the weekend while my parents went to the grandparents house to help them move into assisted living. Well, Sunday night rolls around and my parents are back home. Everything is fine and in one piece. Until Mom goes into her closet to find George's body... He was cold and stiff by the time we got to him, so he'd been gone a while. And he was in the closet for 48 hours at most; so starvation doesn't seem likely and he was already stiff. My guess, due to how the area around his body looked (which I'll spare you the details of, it wasn't a pretty sight) I'm about 90% sure it was a seizure. That doesn't make it easier though. He was one of the most lively cats I've ever seen. Snake in the house? Dead bird? Probably courtesy of George. I'm still mourning, after all, he was my baby. I blame myself for the fact that I was watching the house, I should've known what was going on.

                Sorry if this is a bit nonsensical, this is the first time I've written it all down. Just know that someone here knows exactly what you're going through at the moment.
                Some people just need a high five...

                In the face with the back of a chair....

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                • #9
                  Thank you for your kind words.

                  it has been a rough weekend. I didn't take him to the vet right away (in fact, didn't even call) because of money concerns. Had I called, they likely would have told me to bring him in right away (he was laying in his litter box, which I've since learned is somewhat common in cats that can't urinate as they're trying to force themselves to do so). My wife is the one who figured out that he hadn't urinated all day when she came home.

                  That's why I say I failed him. I didn't do the things that I should have done. I should have at least made a phone call to ask about that behavior. Had I done so, I would have been there at least an hour earlier, and probably more. He would have stood a better chance.

                  The only good thing to come out of this is my decision to start working on saving money more actively. I won't let money get in the way of thinking about pet care ever again. I won't let something like this ever happen again. At least I can do that much in his memory.

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                  • #10
                    Pedersen, it is the easiest thing in the world to see what you did wrong after a thing is done with. I see nothing here that indicated you acted out of malice or negligence. The fact that you didn't recognize certain signs of distress in your cat just means you didn't know. The sitting in the litter can also be a sign that the cat wants to be surrounded by their own scent, or could mean they're not feeling safe, or a number of other things.

                    The best I can tell, you did good by that cat, and deserve better than to wallow in undeserved guilt.
                    The Rich keep getting richer because they keep doing what it was that made them rich. Ditto the Poor.
                    "Hy kan tell dey is schmot qvestions, dey is makink my head hurt."
                    Hoc spatio locantur.

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                    • #11
                      Oh no...I remember all the jokes we used to make of the that little kitten. Whenever he came to sleep on you I remember there being a problem somewhere with the site. He was a good kitty.

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                      • #12
                        Don't kick yourself for it. We all have at times not correctly set our priorities by mistake and lack of knowledge.

                        You thought he was just a big "ugh". You didn't know. He'll remember you tried your best. x
                        I am so SO glad I was not present for this. There would have been an unpleasant duct tape incident. - Joi

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                        • #13
                          I remember Storm from chat days, and I'm so very sorry for your loss. Please don't feel guilty, it's happened to the best of us.

                          Storm is nuzzling you from kitty-heaven..you were a great cat-dad.
                          "So, if you wanna put places like that outta business, just stop being so rock-chewingly stupid." ~ Raudf, 9/19/13

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                          • #14
                            Farewell Storm. You'll live in the memories and hearts of many people for years to come.

                            Rapscallion

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                            • #15
                              Oh, my heart just breaks for you.
                              "Is it hot in here to you? It's very warm, isn't it?"--Nero, probably

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