I was hoping I'd never have to do this

[Mikkel]

It won't help much but I'm sure you did the right thing.
I couldn't help laughing at the chip-stealing picture, he SO knows that he is being naughty.

[Seshat]

Oh Mike.

Believe me, you did absolutely the right thing. I'm certain he knew it was time, and it's far better for them to go quietly, in the company of their family, with a caring vet and vet tech helping them.

The first symptom of the drugs they use is pain relief, and unconsciousness. And that is .. such a blessing.

I'm sure he knew you were doing your best.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I'm sorry to read this. He was a beautiful cat.

[Eireann]

He was gorgeous.

I know what it's like, too. And I didn't know, until I took my kitty to the vet, that he would have to go. I thought the vet would give him some medicine, maybe put him on a special diet, and he would be better. As it turned out, his kidneys were failing. I went there with a live kitty and came back with a dead one.

It was the worst day I'd ever had, until last year.

[hinakiba777]

I'm so sorry for you loss.

It must be so hard to lose a pet, especially one you've had so long.

[blas]

I'm so sorry, Mike

[Sunsetsky]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[sms001]

Thanks for a wonderful tribute to one of our furry friends Mike.



As an aside, for those of you who may someday face the decision, some vets (especially if you have a good rapport with them) will do house calls for that last visit. I like to think that Loki liked having Dr. C. come by while he was relaxing on his couch in between his humans and then just going to sleep. Seemed a lot less traumatic on all of us. Something you might ask about.

[crazyofficeclerk]

There is nothing to say that can erase this hurt. Know that you have my deepest sympathies and many hugs.

[MoonCat]

I'm sorry. What a lovely cat! Keep him close to you in your heart. His spirit will never be far from you.

[Becks]

*oodles of hugs*

[Peppergirl]

I'm so sorry I'm just now reading this.



My condolences

[Primer]

I'm so sorry to hear about your losing such a great friend.

Mine are getting on up there, and I know I'll be facing it soon, also.

I can say that even though the vet was dry-eyed, I'm sure he still felt bad. When I was a vet tech at an emergency clinic, I had to administer the shot many times. None of us ever "got over" it. Even an animal I had never met before would leave me in tears.

[Marmalady]

I'm so sorry, Mike He looked like a lovely cat, and it sounds like he had a lovely life.

[protege]

I'm so sorry, Mike. I too, had to put a kitty to sleep. Kitty was originally my grandmother's cat. But, I was the one who played with him, let him inside to "watch TV," and brought him home after I'd bought my house, and she sold her farm. By then, he was 12 years old. Little did I know that he'd only be with me just over a year. October of '07, Kitty was dying. He had fluid in his lungs, and was in serious pain. The day he died, he kept trying to throw up. When I got home from work, he was crying, so I took him to the vet. That's when I got the bad news--the fluid was going to kill him, and the operation to remove it...was no guarantee that it wouldn't come back, or even that he'd survive. Like you, I didn't want to see him suffer, and made the very difficult decision to end his pain. One thing I didn't do, was bury him outside--after I brought him home, he *hated* being outside. Never mind that he was an outside cat on the farm... Instead, Kitty was cremated, and his remains are on a shelf in the hallway. I just couldn't bear to put his ashes outside--I felt that to do so, would have been torture. I wanted him to be at peace

After he died though, the house seemed too quiet without a cat. That's when I adopted Snow. She was a very fluffy, but deaf cat. Nobody would adopt her, because she couldn't hear. Other than that, there was nothing wrong with her. She loved to play, and was very sweet. Like your cat, she loved to pull things off of the Christmas tree, and to hide under it. Most of her day consisted of sleeping on my beat-up recliner, and trying to get the 'birdies' outside. I couldn't actually *let* her outside, because she was deaf though. Too many idiots speeding on my street, and too many neighbors had dogs. Anyway, Snow only lived with me 6 months. She had a heart attack, and died in my kitchen April Fool's Day of 2008. Again, the house was too quiet without a cat

With all that said, Mike, I do know how you feel. Losing a pet is never easy. However, I'm sure they're all no longer suffering, and are enjoying lots of kitty treats, huge balls of yarn, and are probably curled up on a chair somewhere.