Nearly Four Years Ago ...

[Kara]

I'm so sorry to hear about this, Peds. He was a good kitty, and I remember how well loved he was. You did your best for him, and he knew that.

[protege]

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.

Yep, kitties tend to hide it when they're sick. I had one die in my arms, about 6 months after adopting her. If she was sick, she sure hid it well. I didn't notice anything was wrong, since she really didn't act different. It was only after she fell over while eating that I knew something was up. Turns out she had a heart attack

6 months before that, I had to have another cat (Kitty, who I had since he was a kitten) put to sleep. He had fluid in his lungs. Again, at first, I didn't realize anything was wrong, until that morning. Kitty loved to hide, and even though he was hiding a bit more than usual, didn't realize anything was up. I didn't know how bad it was, until he came into my bedroom, and started meowing. He'd never done that before...even when he was hungry. I couldn't take off work, so I put him in the bathtub with a towel, some food, and his toys. He spent the entire day in there. That night, I had him put to sleep. At his age, there was no guarantee that the fluid wouldn't return, or the procedure to remove it...wouldn't kill him.

With all that said, Peds, you didn't fail him. We do our best for our kitties. Right now, I have a feeling that yours, and mine...are playing with a huge ball of yarn and enjoying lots of treats.

[RootedPhoenix]

*hug-squishes Pedersen* Cats know when their people love them. You love him, even now. Please don't beat on you for not knowing and being everything. You had several things to juggle while making a tough choice. You're a good guy, not a bad guy.

[Moogles]

I went through that twice First was my cat Clawde who made bladder crystals with startling regularity. We were told that while he would survive the surgery, the anethestic and toxins buildup would kill him.

The second was my cat Marco. Cuddly kitty of shedding whiteness. Went from seemingly fine to falling over. Turns out he can gone into full renal and liver failure . Vet said he had the cat version of my own liver condition, it just took 7 years to catch up to him.