Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, tagged cat, cats, grief, loss, Rumpelmintz on June 16, 2013| 7 Comments »
Rumpelmintz is gone. My friend Barb used to say “Rumpelmintz is too stubborn to die.” I guess she was right. In the end, we did have to give her a little help. It was time, and she needed to be told it was okay to let go.
My little girl, a princess napping on a pillow
Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, tagged cats, grief, Kitty.com, loss on July 16, 2012| 9 Comments »
Kitty.com has left us today. She fought a valiant battle, but she looked tired and ready to go. I assured her she could rest now, and left her in the incredibly compassionate and capable hands of Dr. Olsen. Kitty.com seemed unsure for just a moment, before tucking her sweet face into Dr. Olsen’s chest, ready for her battle to end.
Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, tagged cats, grief, Jellybean, loss on September 7, 2010| 9 Comments »
I lost Jellybean today. Jellybean was my firecracker, with lots of “tortie-tude”. The spark of that firecracker has sadly gone out.
Jellybean in their window enclosure
Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, tagged cancer, grief, loss, Studley on July 12, 2010| 15 Comments »
As I’d posted previously, Studley was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago. I opted not to pursue IV chemotherapy or immunotherapy (vaccination therapy). While they might have slowed the progress of the cancer, it would have meant a lot of unhappy car trips for my little man. He’d been losing weight drastically since January, so I wasn’t optimistic any treatment would buy him much time. We did put him on oral prednisolone (steroids) to hopefully reduce the swelling in his lymph nodes, increase his appetite and make him more comfortable.
For two weeks, the steroids helped – he was eating more and seemingly feeling better. Due to the weight loss, he was even able to do things like hop up to the back of the couch – something he hadn’t been able to do previously. However, the past week he started to deteriorate again. He lost 6 ounces. He vomited violently on Sunday. I felt we should spend one last, really nice, weekend together, and then ask the vet to help him move on. Maybe this was a selfless act on my part, wanting him to move on BEFORE he was suffering and unhappy – while he was still having relatively good days filled with sunshine and fresh air in our outdoor window encosure. Perhaps it was selfish, wanting to spare myself the agony of watching my little man die. Maybe it was both. I’m not sure.
Studley, his last weekend
Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, tagged grief, Ralph on August 25, 2009| 15 Comments »
I lost Ralph Friday. It was sudden and unexpected. I came home from work, started the usual routine of grabbing my mail and saying hello to the cats – when I see Ralph wasn’t there to greet me. Stepping into the living room, I see him laying near the bottom of the stairs. Of course, those mixed feelings hit me – a combination of dread and fear and hope that really nothing is wrong and I’m being paranoid. But I know something’s wrong, the way you just KNOW. He’s not getting up. I give him a freeze-dried 100% meat treat and he eats it eagerly, but he’s not getting up. Honestly, I hoped he’d just fallen down the stairs and broken his leg, but again, I just KNEW. I knew this was bad.
Ralphie in the cat tree, surveying his domain
Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, tagged grief, Louie on June 22, 2009| 4 Comments »
Louie napping
Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, Life of the Lintee Bean, tagged cats, grief on November 11, 2008| 2 Comments »
I miss waking up each morning and looking over to see Monet sitting on my chest near the window.
I miss Lovey throwing her front legs around my neck so we could “dance” together.
I miss Molly’s little face peeking up over the kitchen counter.
I miss Elsinore licking the white vase.
I miss Meow Meow gumming my arm when she got over-excited.
I miss watching Latifah eat her food enthusiastically, bopping other cats on the head to get theirs.
I miss giving Afer sub-q fluids while she purred and rolled over so I could rub her belly.
I miss coming home each night to see Omaha waiting for me, holding him and listening to his deep belly purr.
I miss them. Loved and Lost.
Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, Life of the Lintee Bean, tagged cats, grief on October 23, 2008| 2 Comments »
How am I doing?
I’ve been asked the question more times than I can count over the past week. Sometimes by people just making small talk or as a casual greeting, other times by those that know I’ve suffered the loss of two cats in four days. To the latter, I sometimes reply to the effect I’m carrying on, or I’m hanging in there… but the vast majority of times I simply reply I’m okay.
Truth of the matter – I’m NOT okay. It’s NOT okay to lose something so precious. The pain is a physical ache in my heart. It’s almost fitting Louie ruptured an anal sac, as the raw open wound he physically exhibits seems to reflect my broken heart.
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Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, tagged death, grief, Omaha on October 15, 2008| 4 Comments »
I’d written recently of my loss of Afer E Granny, my “heart”.
When it rains, it pours – I lost Omaha, my “soul”, last night. Perhaps they were meant to make this journey together. Perhaps the powers-that-be just felt as long as I was grieving, best dump everything on me at once. I don’t know, but my heart aches and my home feels empty and life isn’t the same without them.
I never knew Omaha healthy, nor has anyone I know. He was admitted to the shelter with leg/hip injuries and potential neurological damage. So, I have difficulty imagining him running free now – but I’m sure he is.
Omie da Great
Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, tagged Afer, cats, death, euthanasia, grief, Omaha on October 12, 2008| 6 Comments »
I love all my cats, past and present. I have to admit, though, two of them are a bit special to me. I don’t love them any more than the others, but there’s just this particular feeling about those two. I suspect it’s because I didn’t adopt these two cats because they needed me (unlike the others), but because, in a way, I needed them. Adopting them just seemed to complete my life and my home. A shelter staff member once laughed at the first two I’d chosen from their organization, these two, saying they were the “yin and yang” of the shelter. I often said it was as though they were my heart and my soul: Afer my heart, so brave and strong, slightly elusive, expressing pure joy at the simple pleasures of being petted or brushed, a bit of cheese or sour cream from my plate… Omaha my soul, so smart and loyal, hardened by life yet so protective of those he loved, distrusting and willing to fight to the end for what he wanted (or didn’t want), ready to do whatever he wanted or needed to do despite any obstacles faced…
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Life of the Lintee Bean 