Kitty

I had to put my cat to sleep yesterday. She was 25 and 1/2 years old. I got her from an adoption when she was just 18 months old. Her previous owner had given her the name of Louise. She had a sister called Thelma. Thelma had already been picked up by someone so I chose Louise. I quickly changed her name to Kitty. Kitty was always great with me but I must admit she was not the friendliest cat . Kitty took a while to accept other people but after you got to know her for a while she would accept you. We became very close friends and went through so much together over the years. She was always there to help me get through relationship breakups, devastating disappointments and the death of my dad last May. I am 59 1/2 so she was with me for big chunk of my life. She had a host of aliments through the years, hyperthyroidism, kidney disease , dental issues etc... I always tried to get her the best treatment I could and she was such a fighter and always came through just fine. However, the last six months or so she began to have a noticable limp but was still able to get around pretty well and do most of the things she used to. Then her kidneys got worse and I started giving her subcutaneous fluids at home as the vet recommend. Was so hard to stick a needle in her but I knew the fluids were making her feel much better. Slowly the last month her appetite began dwindling. I was trying everything to get her to eat more but she was eating just enough to get by, no longer taking pleasure in her favorite foods. Then last Saturday she was having great difficulty walking without falling and hardly even drinking her water. On Sunday Morning I was surprised to see her sitting on my chest which was her usual morning custom. This required her to jump out of a chair which is her normal resting place and walk across the room and climb up a few stairs at the foot of the bed then make her way up to my chest. I started thinking maybe things would be okay after all. However, when I took her to her food bowl she was not interested in eating or drinking anything. She was able to slowly limp over to a heating vent one of her favorite spots. Later she tried to make it up one stair and fell backwards on to the floor and peed on herself. I knew then there was no getting better and it was time to give up the fight. That Was the hardest decision have ever had to make. Watching the life drain out of her eyes as the drugs took effect was heart breaking. The vet put her in a basket and covered her with a blanket. So many years of my life gone with her. I love you so much Kitty... I hope to see you again some day.
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