Jill has had Sivvie, a grey tabby/calico mix, since kittenhood. She wasn't a fun cat, in my experience. Very much like Bucky in the comic strip Get Fuzzy. She didn't like to be touched, except on the top of her head and around her mouth. If you walked within 20 feet of her, she'd hiss at you. If you walked past her, your ankles would bleed mysteriously.
She did love the laser pointer, though. That was an instant hit.
She loved climbing up the couch in the most inconvenient way possible: up the side, where laptop computers and wine glasses and knitting projects were placed. And if you tried to clear the path for her, teeth, claws and blood were in your future.
Despite all that, Sivvie seemed to like me better than most people. And that's not counting the weekend she was in heat and demanded attention from me. Even though she hated me, I still loved her.
About two weeks ago, she lost her appetite, and was congested. She stopped moving around as much, and way less vocal (she talked A LOT). Jill got worried, but took it in stride. Last weekend we started to force feed her, but she lost so much weight that her bones were sticking out. She got stronger, but not better.
We brought her to the animal hospital on 6th Avenue & Union Street in Brooklyn on Saturday. Just by feeling her, the doctor knew it was very bad. The x-rays showed that her entire abdomen was full of fluid. You couldn't see any of her organs through it. The doctor left us alone for a while. Sivvie seemed to be aware of and accepted what was going on, and started to purr. Jill held Sivvie, and I held Jill while she decided what to do.
She decided that it's a quality of life issue for Sivvie. Any sort of treatment would just be prolonging the inevitable, and most of that time would be painful.
The doctor came in and gave Sivvie a powerful sedative. We cried, said our goodbyes and I love yous, and held her as it slowly took effect, purring all the while. She eventually fell asleep. We left the room, and the doctor administered the second drug.
Jill should get the ashes within the week.
4 comments:
RIP Sivvie.
I just noticed the inclusion of "no longer" to your blog's subtitle. +1.
It's always tough, even a lousy pet breaks your heart when it comes to that. Tell Jill that we're all feeling it.
My condolences to you and Jill, Jeff.
Been there done that, 4 times now. It doesn't get any easier. Parting with someone you love, whether they have 4 legs or two, is so very painful. My love to you both.
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