Life is such a fragile thing

[CityK]

Sadly, one of my cat's died rather tradegically today at the vets. I am greatly angered by this because
- there was likely nothing (in the way of ailments) which warrented this outcome
- it was likely quite painfull for him
- and this event was all together too similar to that which occured with our last cat's death (some two and a quarter years ago)...yet also dissimilar.

In a nutshell, my brother & mother took the three cats into the vets this morning for their annual check up. After all examinations, immunizations etc etc, while my mom and brother were placing the last cat to have been examined, Spotter, back into his carrier to return home, he apparently had a heart attack. My mom said he started making funny noises just like Buff did, when he died of a heart attack, in the waiting room at the very same vets. The difference here is Buff was very sick to begin with, Spotter was not.

The initial autopsy points to it being heart attack. The vets have sent his remains off to Guelph for a more thorough autopsy

I really wish I had taken time to have taken them in instead. The cat would not have been as stressed out if I had been there - if the heart attack was strictly initiated by stress/panic that is (as a reaction to one of the vaccines or something can't be ruled out).

He wasn't the smartest of cats, and he was rather skittish, which could be down right annoying at times even for me...and this leads me to believe that nervous stress was the factor that lead to a fatal heart attack.

Nonetheless, he was a very affectionate and warm critter in his own right, with possibly the loudest purr I have ever heard from a cat. He had lots of really neat idiosyncrasies to his personality. I'm going to really miss the chorous he sang when he was hungry or at feeding time, or the purts he let out running around the basement, or the little hello meows he'd utter to you when you walked into a room where he was sitting. I think I'll miss most the very unique way he would come in beside my desk and stretch up to say hello and grab my attention to give him a scratch on the head or to pull his tail (which he absolutely loved having done). His siblings (as all three of these cats were from the same litter) are going to miss him too.

Fuck, what a shitty way to die.

 

[Handruin]

Real sorry to hear of the bad news, CityK that's very sad. I know I would feel equally as bad if that were to happen to my cat, so I can only partially understand what you must be feeling. I hope the autopsy comes back with something useful.

 

[LunarMist]

Sorry, man. One of our dogs was fine until he had a routine vaccination. After 24 hours he was suffering so badly there was no other choice but euthanasia. Another time, we lost a nice old cat to a coyote.

 

[jtr1962]

I'm terribly sorry to hear that. It doesn't get any easier, either. Three years ago Tiger passed away. To this day I still miss her. If fact, a few days ago I was having a couple of good crying episodes thinking about her. The way Suzette died was similar to what just happened to you, except she never even made it into the vet's office, just the waiting room. Truthfully though, the shape she was in she probably would have passed within a day anyway. The vet visit was a last ditch attempt to save her.

Hopefully in time the pain will become less for you, but it never really goes away. In your case, if there was nothing wrong with Spotter then that makes it all the worse. I haven't seen a cat yet that enjoys going to the vet. I'm sure once in a while the stress actually does cause a heart attack. It just seems such a pointless way to go. My deepest sympathies.

 

[mubs]

My deepest consolences, CityK. It's always hard when it happens. Been there several times. It never, ever, gets easier. I console myself at times like this with the thought that it was better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Cliche it may be, but there's still a lot of truth to it.

 

[ddrueding]

That's quite rough, CityK. Once I had a cat (shalom) that died shortly after returning from the vet for no apparent reason. Two of my cats (copy and ona) both managed to simply run away after I had made a vet appointment for them years apart. I was making the appointment to have Ona put down, and apparently she knew and had something better in mind.

My condolences, I have been without a cat in my life for nearly 18 months now and certainly miss the company.

 

[CougTek]

I have been without a cat in my life for nearly 18 months now and certainly miss the company.

Just pet your girlfriend of the week, will do the same.

My sympathies CityK. I didn't know vets could be that rough on cat's nervous system.

 

[mubs]

Vets seem to hurt about as much as they help. We had an American Spitz that we got as a puppy. The fella survived a lot of stuff, including a fall from 40 feet (he broke one tooth and one paw; limped around in a cast for a few months). When he was about 10 (growing old gracefully), he had some rashes. The vet gave him an injection, saying it was an allergy and that he would be fine in a few days. He died in the night, all alone, without us even knowing it. I don't know if the vet's assistant injected the wrong stuff, or if he was more allergic to the medication, making the cure worse than the disease. Sad day it was.

 

[Mercutio]

I would have a serious rage issue if a vet did anything that caused any of my cats to suffer.
I'm really sorry to hear about about your loss, CityK.

 

[Santilli]

Well, the story about Tiger has me crying, and you all know what a drama it was when our cat escaped.

I'm so sorry about your loss, CityK. :cursin: :cursin:

It's also happening at a time when I'm supposed to take our cat in for a booster shot, which isn't helping matters...

My best friend from high school is our vet, and I like to think he's as careful, and good as I know he was in high school, and, that he takes his practice as seriously as most doctor's do theirs.

God Bless and help the pain go away...

Greg

 

[The JoJo]

My condolences. I'm truly sorry for your loss.
Take care.

 

[CityK]

Thank you for the condolences and relating your stories. Sure sounds like you guys know where I'm coming from.

I was just really mad at the whole pointlessness. I think what I really wanted to accomplish by posting, which I kind of forgot or left out, got picked up by you guys quite well. In future, I'm going to be very mindful of the stresses family pets are subjected too.

 

[Santilli]

Problem with pets is many are inbreed to a point that bad characteristics,
that should have been flushed from the gene pool, are reinforced, and can create real problems. Heartattacks, through stress, skitishness, bad temper, etc. are all similar, and should be taken out of the gene pool when noted.

Breeders don't keep their animals long enough to do this, and, owners rarely
have the guts to put down their pet, resulting in biting, etc, in dogs, and cats.


Also, shows, and breeding for certain characterisitcs, can have the same result. It's not your fault, Cityk, it's just life with pets.

Someone here mentioned that an excellent way to get over it is to go to the pound, and look around. The easiest way out of emotional pain is replacement behavior, and it works just as well for humans as it does for
animals.

Find another cat, that needs you, and it will help. Takes your mind off the past.

I figure at my age, Jumpster is probably going to outlive me, if she stays inside.

Ours is a feral cat, half anyway, and a bit of a mutt, but, she's smart as a tack, likes to be around us, and really athletic. And, she's beautiful, at least to our eyes.

Hope this helps, but I remember being REALLY crushed for an entire day, and then a couple more not much better when I thought she was gone...

Good luck, and God Bless.

Greg

 

[Groltz]

Peace be with you, CityK. Your situation is a painful one, I know.

After the homewrecker otherwise known as my stepmother (now dead, happily) lead my father off and away about 14 years ago, she had him get the cat I had all through childhood euthanized because it upset the cat she owned. Mine was 17 years old at the time, still healthy, and about as upsetting as a glass of warm milk. Living or dead, I'll never forgive her for that.

-Steve

 

[Gilbo]

I'm sorry CityK. That's terrible. I lost my last cat about 18 months ago. A car ran it over . I'd had her since she was a kitten. I found her in the woods thirteen years ago with two of her brothers. They seemed to have been abondoned by their mother, so we adopted them and gave one of them to friends. Losing her was terrible, her other brother disappeared a couple years before, almost certainly stolen by neighbours :evil:; I swear I've seen him around the neighbourhood twice.

My girlfirend, who I live with now, is horribly allergic to cats, so I have been without feline companionship ever since, which only emphasizes the loss for me.

 

[Adcadet]

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[Santilli]

I'm so blessed by our cat, I'd give up my, well, I shouldn't say it,but my cat is more consistent then other parts of the family.

It's funny, but my girlfriend isn't home, but, I'm not lonely. Jumpster is sleeping near, waiting for me to go to bed.

Would be nice to be in Africa, and have a cheetah come in, and live with you,lion, or, an elephant, or white rhino hanging around for friends...

GS

 

[Mercutio]

Funny you should mention that, Groltz...

I had three cats growing up. I was the "cat person" in my family - two of them were strays I brought home, the other was willed to me by my great aunt (purebred Scottish Fold), who knew I love cats.
Anyway, these cats were 6 to 8 years old when my family moved from a crappy 1500sq.ft. ranch house to this cavernous 4-floor 5000sq.ft. home in Indiana.

My cats didn't take the move well. So all through high school, I maintained their litterboxes daily to prevent accidents around the house (and it was a big house, with rooms no one has ever used).

When I went off to college, my schedule was such that regular visits home weren't much of an option, but apparently no one was as dilligent with the cat boxes as I was. So my first trip home my first semester of school, all I heard about was how awful my cats were.

Literally the day after I went back after my visit, my parents collected my three cats and put them all to sleep. So for the rest of that semester, every time I spoke to my mother, I'd ask about the cats, and I'd get an answer like "Oh, the cats are doing much better now."

At the end of the semester I went home again. And I didn't see my cats, but it's a big house, so... I wasn't that worried. But by that night, I was a little concerned, as one of my kitties slept on my bed every night. I looked around the house for a couple hours the next day... couldn't find them.
The person who finally told me what had happened was from my parents' cleaning service.

Their explanation for that: They said that since I didn't enquire immediately upon returning home, they obviously weren't that important to me.

Nothing I could do would bring my cats back. But every time I have occasion to give either of my parents a greeting card, there's a cat on it.

 

[Handruin]

:-? That's terrible man. I don't want to say anything disrespectful of your parents, but that's cruel. For them to lie to you? I'm real sorry you had to go through that...and then find out from the cleaning service.

 

[jtr1962]

One thing I'm puzzled by here is what self-respecting vet would euthanize a perfectly healthy cat? I tend to think most would just send them off to a no-kill shelter if they were unwanted. I'm also somewhat disgusted by some of the reasons mentioned here that people use to euthanize an animal. Another big reason people give is that they'll have a kid, the kid happens to be allergic to their cat, which incidentally they often had for years, and they just run off to the vet to have the cat killed like it's an inanimate object. Totally disgusting and incomprehensible to me. Get rid of the kid instead. You can substitute new partner for kid in the last sentences for yet another excuse for having an animal put down.

If my parents had done anything like Merc's or Groltz's stepmother I'm pretty sure I would be on non-speaking terms with them permanently. I'm often amazed at the lack of value placed on the lives of animals people have lived with for years, or the flimsy excuses given for having them killed. After all, assuming it were legal, would any of these people have one of their kids euthanized if they didn't get along with the others? Even if the animal is unwanted or can't be kept due to circumstances beyond the owner's control, is it really that much effort to find a new home for it instead?

I saw a flyer last time I was in the vet's office about someone needing to find homes for their three cats by November or else they would be put down. Well, at least they're trying but there are some no-kill shelters they could send the animals to if they're still homeless come November.

 

[Handruin]

I adopted my cat from a no-kill shelter. She was 3 1/2 when I got her last xmas, and I know there are others like me who do the same. There is no reason to kill a healthy cat (or any animal for that matter).

 

[Santilli]

Cats can be distructive, and some people would get rid of the cat, if it tore up their screen door, and their 3000 dollar couch, or pooped all over the house.

Still, if you have cats, they are your responsibility, sort of.

Cats, IIRC, are considered property for which distruction does not require compensation, at common law. Dogs, perhaps because they preform work functions, are in a different category.

That said, I like, and love, our cat more then I do most people. iI'm watching her play with a fake mouse, right after I fed her, and she REALLY wants me to throw the mouses. She's being very vocal, and wants me to throw the mice for her.

I'm constantly amazed by her beauty, and grace, and it reminds me how Blessed this earth is in some ways.

Mercutio's story is a bit much for me.

GS

 

[mubs]

Mercutio's story is a bit much for me.

Was for me too.

 

[Santilli]

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GreatCats/default.cfm?cam=T1

Nice site...

gs

 

[mubs]

Fluffy, large puddy tats! Thanks Greg!

 

[LunarMist]

I get bummed when watching most animals in a zoo. Of course I appreciate the importance of zoos in conservation, but the animal behaviour is just so unnatural. It is much better to see as many species as possible in the wild, especially the larger mamals.

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

Mercutio, I have not had cause to comment on this forum for ages, but your story has prompted me to.

My mouth drops open with amazement! If that had happened to me, I would have a) had the vet procecuted for animal cruelty b) taken out large adverts in my local newspapers advertising the fact that this particular vet is an animal murderer c) done everything in my power to make my parents lives as intolerable as possible. For me personally I could never forgive that. Sorry parents, forget ever seeing your grandchildren. I will ensure that they grow up knowing what cold-hearted scum you are.

Sorry to say it, but it disgusts me that people like that are allowed to walk the earth. My reaction is over the top, but then again I have a particular dislike for those who enjoy being cruel to the defenseless.

 

[Mercutio]

I don't like talking or even thinking about it, Vlad.

In that situation, I was literally powerless to help, since I did not know any where to take them and I did not know my pets' lives were in danger until after the fact.
I don't know what was said to the vet who euthanised my cats; I can only imagine that the situation with them having accidents was misrepresented. In any case, I don't think any of the fault lies with him.

Sometimes parents, friends and family members do awful things to people who trust them and in point of fact I will never forgive them for what they did. Nothing I do now will bring them back, though, so I try not to dwell on it.

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

Ok,

I know it won't ever happen, but I hope the pain gets easier for you.