lje62

Thank you for all of the kind words. I have lost six cats in the last 13 yrs , but this one is hitting me hard for some reason. I was able to prepare for most of the others, since they were ill, but this was just so unexpected.

MidwestParent

lje - We are a cat lovers too and know exactly how you are feeling.

A year ago, I was playing with our 10 year old Himalayan cat. After he tired of our game, he trotted around the corner and I could hear him munching on kibble. I heard him jump off the "food table" (we keep the cat food bowls on top of an old end table so the dog won't bother it), and the next thing I heard was a low, guttural moaning sound I will never forget. I raced around the corner to find him lying on his side, flaccid. At that same time, our younger D was just coming in the door from school. She heard the sound and came running downstairs. We flew out to her car sock-footed and sped to the vet. I knew he was already gone, but was just going on adrenalin by that time. The vet couldn't tell us with certainty what had happened but it was probably his heart. Like you, that was the first time we had ever lost a cat suddenly. Before it had always been kidney failure, etc. We lost a cat to kidney disease at age 7 and my sister lost one to the same disease at age 3. Just like humans, some cats develop problems earlier than others. Although it was such a shock to us and we had to make that terrible phone call to our college D (her cat), I wish all our pets could have such a quick ending. Kidney disease with two other pets was slow and painful for all of us to watch. Our 11 year old dog now has heart disease and I see him fail a little more each week.

We have a 20 lb. Maine Coon. Our younger D (who is now in college) is madly in love with her. She is our first Maine Coon and keeps us entertained with her constant dialogue.

My thoughts are with you today.

Melsmom

I'm sad to hear of your loss also, but may we all be blessed enough to go that way...curled up in our sleep.

roshke

So sorry to hear about the unexpected loss of your much loved family member.

Kei-o-lei

I am so sorry for your loss.

What Sir Walter said about dogs is also true for cats:

"I have sometimes thought of the final cause of dogs having such short lives and I am quite satisfied it is in compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog after an acquaintance of ten or twelve years, what would it be if they were to live double that time?"

Kei

musicamusica

LJE62----I really connected with your description of breaking down at a store check out. I had a personal loss a few years ago, felt I was strong and sublimated my feelings until I got to the check out (at a Victorias Secret of all places). I completely lost it in front of three very sweet check out girls who sat me down in one of the fitting rooms and did a group hug. One of the more bizarre/touching events I have ever experienced. Grief can really take you by surprise.

colmomto2

So sorry to hear about your loss. We're a kitty family, too, so I know how they can be so adorable, entertaining, and in"fur"iating (all at the same time - how do they do that?!) Sounds like your kitty went peacefully and without suffering and that is a blessing. My heart goes out to you and your family.

scout59

Oh, lje - I know exactly how you feel. We are a cat family, too, and this past summer my daughter's favorite cat died. He was only 8 years old. My daughter found him, partially paralyzed, and drove him to the vet's to have him put down. The whole thing was over before I could even drive home from work (even though I was driving at 80 mph.)

So, I felt awful that he died, awful that my daughter had to handle the whole thing by herself, just awful the whole way round. Just thinking about it again makes me want to cry! We adopted two more kittens this fall, and even though they're great animals I still miss that big old fluffy cat.

Just last month my daughter said that in a way, she was glad it was just her and her cat "at the end." She was able to say good-bye to him and give him peace.

lje62

My oldest daughter, who is doing her internship in LA does not know yet. Because of the time difference, we usually talk when she is either on her way home from class or work and she is driving.
I don't want to give her this news when she is driving for obvious reasons. He was her favorite and she was trying to coax her sister into letting her take him out to LA to live with her once she has a more permanant living arrangement.. She will not take this news well either.
He was one of four, and he had a strong bond with one of the others. They were really buddies...he used to cry for him when he couldn't find where he was sleeping...he didn't get the fact that his buddy is deaf , but we always knew what he was crying for.

zoosermom

Oh I'm so sorry. I know your house will be feeling especially lonely.

dadx

You have my heartfelt sympathy.

I had a very similar situation about two years ago with a somewhat older cat. Completely out of the blue, and I was obsessed for some time with wondering what might have caused it, and whether I had done anything to contribute to it.

A few months later, a young vet told me that the same thing had happened to her while she was catsitting for a friend when in vet school. She had to call the friend and let her know the cat had expired, for no apparent reason.

Having had other pets that hung on in old age and were probably better off to have been put down, (but we couldn't do it), it is still debatable to me which situation is the lesser of bads.

BunsenBurner

lje, I do not want to alarm you, but if your surviving cats were especially close to the deceased kitty, they might develop signs of depression. According to several vets, cats are unique animals that can starve themselves to death due to "grieving". If you see signs of odd behavior in your three cats, call your vet.
My heart still aches when I think of my kitties who passed away last year. My sympathies to you and your family.

Jolynne Smyth

lje62--so sorry to hear that! What a shock and so sudden.

xAAAx

I feel for you: we lost our beloved 8 year old rabbit just last week. so sad

bookiemom

Cat Heaven by Cynthia Rylant is a lovely children's picture book that might be helpful to you and your Ds. It has wonderful illustrations and ideas of what heaven might be like for cats. Maybe you could send it to your out-of-town D a little later with a framed photo of your cat?