Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: Sad news ...., 1 by beckygardener

beckygardener wrote:
I'm sorry I haven't been on here much this week. Have some sad news to share. I know this may not be the appropriate forum to post this, but many of you have read my threads and seen my photos.

On Monday, my kitty Lucky started vomiting and was unable to keep anything down. Took him to the vet and they gave him fluids via IV. Told me to definitely bring him back the next morning if he was still unable to keep the IV fluids in his system. He threw up the IV fluid during the night. Took him back in the morning and they kept him and ran tests and x-rays on him. They came to the conclusion that he has swallowed something that had caused a blockage in his stomach. Prognosis seemed very good for removal and recovery. Well, when they opened him up they found his stomach, upper intestines, and part of his pancreas full of cancer. I was at home and they called during the surgery and wanted to know what I wanted to do. The vet recommended euthanizing him because the cancer had spread so much. She wanted to know if I wanted to have him woken up so we could say goodbye. I couldn't do that to him by having him suffer any longer, so I had them euthanize him while he was still under anesthesia. We never got to say goodbye to him. He died Tuesday about 6:00 pm.

The night before, he went around and sat on everyone's lap. Something he has never done before. Usually it's my lap or my dh's lap. I think he was suffering and was going from one person to another looking for someone to help him. We had no idea whatsoever that he was so sick. My family is heartbroken. He would have been 10 years old next month. He was king of the house and very much loved. It's such a shock to lose him so suddenly without any warning that anything was wrong. He was his normal crazy and sweet self only 2 days earlier. He apparently had the cancer quite sometime. But he never showed any symptoms that we saw, so we had no idea. It's such a shock.

Anyway, I am so sad and miss him. He always slept curled up by my feet every night. He had to be touching my leg or foot before he would settle down and go to sleep. Tuesday night we brought him home and buried under the last garden bed I still have yet to put plants in. I am going to plant something special there in his memory.

I was doing okay today until I had to go to the grocery store. I just happened to walk by the cat food section and all of it came flooding back. I could hardly get out of the store fast enough and just cried all the way back home in the van. I can't believe he's gone.

I cleaned out all his stuff last night after we buried him. I couldn't bare to wait to do it later because I didn't want to see it as a constant reminder that he isn't here any longer. It's just too sad.

I have never lost a cat that young. Most of the cats I've had lived at least 12 years or more. We always thought the dog would go first because he is older and has some health problems. We never expected this.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know why I just haven't felt like posting lately. I have a week and a half left of school before summer break, so I will probably start posting more then.

Even though Lucky was just a cat, he was very much a member of our family. When we evacuated for hurricanes he came with us no matter what. 10 years he has been our baby boy. I've lost pets before, but never had one die unexpectedly from cancer. I can't get over the fact that he didn't even look or act sick. I hope and pray that he didn't suffer other than those last 2 days when he couldn't keep anything down.

Thanks for letting me talk about this. Sorry to have created such a bummer of a thread. I just wanted y'all to know why I haven't been posting lately.

I have to believe that there is pets in Heaven. And I hope to someday be reunited with all the wonderful, loving, and dear pets I have lost over my lifetime. They have been such a blessing in my life. Thank you all for letting me share my grief and loss.