The hardest decision I have ever made

[SilverVeil]

Last night I asked a vet to give my kitty an injection so he would go to sleep.
He had a urinary tract blockage and was in a lot of pain. I did not catch it in time and it got so bad his little bladder was streached.

I thought I was such a good mother to him. But I did not know what to look for in this situation. He was only 6 years old. And he was in so much pain. The vet said that even if she drained his bladder, without removing the blockage, there was no guarentee that within a few hours, he would not be in the same condition. And even with removing it, he could have recurring problems over and over. Apparently once this condition starts, it rarely goes away. And they are in pain.

I held him in my arms when she gave him the shot. And he purred to me right up to the very end. And it hurts so much. It hurt then, it hurts now, and it is going to hurt tomorrow and next week. I loved him so much. I could not bear to see him suffer. Even if they fixed it for a few hours or a day or two, what if it happened while I was out all day ? He would suffer in pain till I returned.

I only hope that he knows he was loved, and he somehow knows he is missed so very much.

Bongo was a talker. He would look at me and just meow and if I spoke to him, he would meow a reply back to me. People who came to the house used to think it was so funny to hear me argue with him. Me scolding him, him backtalking a meow to me.

And he was a lover. No matter where I was, or what I was doing, he was only happy if he was right there next to me, within a hands reach for a caress or a cuddle. At night, there was no moving him off the bed. If I was in it, so was he. No matter how crowded it was with me, my fiance, our other cat, my stepdaughter sometimes after a bad dream ... he made room for himself, even if it was on top of me.

He was my first internet alias. I said when I first got on the net I was going to make Bongo famous. And I did. People in Japan, Africa, England, China, Austrailia, Sweden, Russia, South America and Italy know Bongokitty.

Bongo was a universe of love contained in a tiny body. And I did not know how much that love meant to me. I thought it would always be there. And now it's not, and it hurts.

I just wanted to give my tears a voice so they could be heard. I just needed to share with someone how special this little kitty was.

 

[SilverVeil]

This is one of the very few pics I have of my " Great Galactic Kitten "

 

[Guest]

 

[MechaBlade]

I'm sorry.

 

[alltherage]

It is so hard to loose a pet. They are the only family we have that truely understands unconditional love. My heart goes out to you.

 

[Debbie]

I am sorry, SilverVeil. Losing a loved pet is so hard.
My staffy, Mya *pronounced me ya*
was a lovely dog I adopted when she was two.
She loved my kids and me. A real doggie friend.
She was sick and I took her in my arms,
saying goodbye as the vet gave her the injection.
Not wanting her to be alone in her last mins.
Knowing how you feel, with tears in my eyes.
You have been a good "mommy'.

 

[WaterLily]

SilverVeil,

I do not know you, but your words are so sincere, so caring, and so very loving. Yes, you were a very good mother when it came to your kitty. There is not a person here who would ever doubt that.

I have had to put a cat to sleep for the very same reason, SilverVeil, and it's not an easy thing to do. The numbness stays with you for quite some time, but that is part of the healing process.

Your sweet kitty know just how much he was loved, it was in everything you did for him, how you treated him, how you held and petted him. It was in the way you loved him. Yes, he knows, SilverVeil.

Please accept my condolences to you for your loss. When a person loves their pet in this way, they are part of our families. They are like our children and our best friends. It's not easy to lose such a wonderful part of our lives.

 

[Cheyenne]

Male cats are prone to the blockage- crystals in the urine generally cause it. Signs to watch for are pee outside of the litter box- like in the middle of the kitchen floor. That was my first clue and we headed to the vet immediately because it was such an unusual thing for the cat to do. Also, the cat going in and out of the litter box, straining to pee. He will get out of the box and lick himself, then get in the box and try to pee. Repeat, repeat, repeat. After that first accident on the kitchen floor, my clues that he was blocked again after that was watching his litter box behavior.

I did have to watch him after he was unblocked by the vet to make sure it didn't happen again. Eventually it was a recurring problem and my cat had to have surgery. He was already castrated as a kitten, but now he has no penis, either. He was reconstructed to look like a female. Where the problem usually is is in the penis- the crystals get stuck in the small tube for the urine to exit the body. That surgery was 3 or 4 years ago and my cat has never had the blockage problem again.

I'm sorry for the loss of your pet, Silverveil. Maybe someone else will read this and know what to look for to be able to save their cat.

 

[SilverVeil]

I put something here, but thought something else was more fitting.

 

[SilverVeil]

or.

I did have to watch him after he was unblocked by the vet to make sure it didn't happen again. Eventually it was a recurring problem and my cat had to have surgery. He was already castrated as a kitten, but now he has no penis, either. He was reconstructed to look like a female. Where the problem usually is is in the penis- the crystals get stuck in the small tube for the urine to exit the body. That surgery was 3 or 4 years ago and my cat has never had the blockage problem again.

That was part of the problem. The blockage was all through his tract. And his pee was mostly blood. There was only so far up they could go to make the tract bigger for him. One of the biggest contributors to this condition is cat food. I ALWAYS bought Purina brand. But someone in our house did not know and mixed a cheap brand that had a very high ash content in it into the food. They were trying to be helpful thinking it would make the food streach longer for 5 cats ( their 3 and my 2 ) and save money.

Don't skimp on the food your cats eat.

 

[SilverVeil]

How will I start
Tomorrow without you here
Who's heart will guide me
When all the answers disappear

Is it too late
Are you too far gone to stay
This one's forever
Should never have to go away

What will I do
You know I'm only half without you
How will I make it through

If only tears could bring you back to me
If only love could find a way
What I would do, what I would give
If you returned to me someday
Somehow, someway
If my tears could bring you back to me

I'd cry you an ocean
If you'd sail on home again
Waves of emotion
Will carry you, I know they can

Just light will guide you
And your heart will chart the course
Soon you'll be drifting
Into the arms of your true north

Look in my eyes
And you will see a million tears have gone by
And still they're not dry

If only tears could bring you back to me
If only love could find a way
What I would do, what I would give
If you returned to me someday
Somehow, someway
If my tears could bring you back to me

I hold you close
And shout the words I only whispered before
For one more chance, for one last dance
There's nothing that I would not give and more

If only tears could bring you back to me
If only love could find a way
What I would do, what I would give
If you returned to me someday
Somehow, someway
If my tears could bring you back to me

 

[plasticman33]

I understand how you feel, SilverVeil, we just put our dog to sleep, our companion for almost 16 years, it leaves a tremendous void. My deepest heartfelt condolances!

 

[sexy-girl]

im really sorry ... animals can mean so much and he sounds like he was a wonderful little character

 

[Guest]

I am so sorry, Silverveil.

I'd like to think Bongo is up in kitty heaven, having lots of fun, and free of pain.

 

[SilverVeil]

I understand how you feel, SilverVeil, we just put our dog to sleep, our companion for almost 16 years, it leaves a tremendous void. My deepest heartfelt condolances!

And mine to you. It hits ya right in the gut when you least expect it. The thought that the toy on the floor is not going to be played with ever again. There will not be a furry warm body waiting in the window, watching for you to come home.

 

[nzwookie]

Why must it be that the smallest of creatures can cause the biggest of heart aches.....Sympathy goes out to you Silverveil''''
RIP Bongo

 

[clit_licker30]

As much as you love your kitty, and saying goodbye to it, I think you have had a blessed life,if that is as hard as it has been.

 

[SilverVeil]

Sexy-girl and raindancer

I believe that while Bongo gave me so much love, he has so much more to give. Somewhere, somehow, he is back. There is someone who needs him just as much, if not more than I do. And he is there, making them smile, making them feel like they are loved and the center of his universe of love, as he did me. A loving souls life is never over, it continues on in another shape or form. It has to. I know it has to.

I know some people will roll their eyes and think " It's just a cat. " You had to see him, be around him to understand. Everyone who saw him, immediately had a smile on their face. Even if they were not cat lovers, he made them smile with his antics.

 

[CC40]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss, Silverveil. You have my deepest sympathy and understanding.

I have three little kitties(actually they are almost two years old, but still kitties to me!) and honestly don't know what I would do without them. One of them is closest to me and also talks away, and really cusses me out when I have to leave her, or cries when she can't find me.

I also had a cat that had the blockage, but thank goodness, it wasn't to late for him. I swear by the Friskies brand urinary tract food and hope and pray that the person that is taking care of my cat is feeding him that. It was just pitiful seeing him in so much pain.

May Bongo rest in peace.

 

[plasticman33]

And mine to you. It hits ya right in the gut when you least expect it. The thought that the toy on the floor is not going to be played with ever again. There will not be a furry warm body waiting in the window, watching for you to come home.

I know, now I have a tear in my eye!

 

[Calamity Jane]

Don't skimp on the food your cats eat.

Hugs to you Silverveil. Losing a pet, even when you're doing the right thing, is never painless.

Both of my male cats have had the urinary tract blockages... it's pretty common in neutered males. Occasionally, females get it, but that's pretty rare. You're right that it's caused by diet. Too much magnesium, I think. Anyway, I never feed my cats anything but Cat Chow Special Care - Urinary Tract Formula. Since I started feeding that exclusively, I haven't had a problem.

Cheyenne... your cat had a sex change???

 

[Kitte]

The Rainbow Bridge

Im so very sorry for your loss, pets are so much a part of our lives and families. This poem has comforted many through trying times like this, I hope it can be a small comfort to you.

Just this side of Heaven, is a place called Rainbow Bridge...

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they miss someone very special to them; who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. The bright eyes are intent; the eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to break away from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. YOU have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

THEN YOU CROSS RAINBOW BRIDGE TOGETHER...
~anonymous~

 

[Cheyenne]

Cheyenne... your cat had a sex change???

Essentially, yes. He is male internally, but if you look at him externally, he looks like a female cat. No balls, no penis. It was a last chance option since he had the crystals more frequently than the vet liked to see, even though my cat was brought up on good quality cat food. Some cats are just more prone to the problem than others.

The most important thing is to know your animal's normal behavior and recognize when there is a change in it which likely means something is wrong and a visit to the vet is in order. Urinary blockage develops quickly and can kill the cat in 24 hours or less, as I recall.

 

[nasty]

The hardest decision I've ever made is to accept a breakup with a REALLY hot chick in 6th grade, who, I thought, I was in love with,(you know how you think that about everyone at that age.) Last week, I saw her at Walmart, married, with child.

 

[bluemuse]

Cat Heaven

The way to Cat Heaven is a field of sweet grass
where crickets and butterflies play
A cat may be late getting into heaven
there's just so much fun on the way!

But an angel will wait at the yellow front door,
wait till a kitty comes home.
And when she arrives, he'll give her a kiss
and some milk in a bowl of her own

There are trees in Cat Heaven,
trees made just for cats,
trees growing so big and so high.
But no one gets stuck in a tree anymore--
if a cat wants down she will fly!

And oh, all the toys, kitty toys everywhere,
thousands and thousands go by.
There are buttons and baubles
and small cotton mice---
there is catnip afloat in the sky!

And when cat's are hungy,
there's God's kitchen counter
all covered with white kitty dishes,
full of tuna and salmon and mounds of sardines,
and wonderful little pink fishes.

The cats in Cat heaven are so loved and spoiled
God lets them all lie in His bed......
He walks in His garden with a good black book
and a kitty asleep on His head.

Then when a cat needs,
she may simply ponder
and watch the blue world deep and wide.....
She will watch the old house where she once lived and wandered
and the people who loved her inside

All cats love Heaven,
they know the way there,
they know where the angel cats fly.
They'll run past the stars and the moon and the sun...
......to curl up with God in the sky.
--------------

I am so sorry for your loss. The poem is from the most wonderful children's book by Cynthia Rylant.



bluemuse