Sunset was the cat that when we had company figured they must be there to see him and made himself the center of attention. He was the cat that would walk to the curb to greet us as we pulled up. He was the cat that would often accompany us on late night strolls with the dog, always a few steps behind, but never out of sight. He was one of those cats, that even if you were not a cat lover could win your heart. We lost the coolest cat we have ever had the pleasure of knowing this weekend. Sunset's eight year life was cut short in a car vs. kitty incident that involved me as the driver, and him attempting to greet me as he did nearly every day:(
Annika's perspective on life has kept me going, and at times in stitches over the past several days. Initially we thought we were dealing with a shattered femur and were unaware of the internal damage that would make itself known over the next couple days. While reviewing Sun's x-rays and discussing that he would likely need to be confined to a small kennel for about two months for his leg to heal, Annika chimed in, "Well that won't be anything out of the ordinary, he pretty much lays around all day anyway..."
On day two bruising showed up on Sun's abdomen, he was unable to urinate, and urine was leaking into his abdomen. On the recommendation of our vet, we took him to the UMC Vet School where additional scans were done and the prognosis became more grim. I told myself before that I would know if the recommended treatment seemed excessive for Sun, and there was not much doubt after they told me they could try to operate, but were uncertain it would be his only surgery, if it worked at all. He was going to continue to suffer, and I knew in my heart I needed to let him go.
As much as I loved him, I am surprised at how grief-stricken I am by the loss of a furry friend. I guess Annika was right when she said we would probably have felt worse if this had happened to our not-quite-as-friendly kitty cat Cleo(who will be receiving much more love and attention) because we don't seem to give as much love to her as we did our Sun. Her comments reminded me of a poem by Kahlil Gibran, that reminds me how lucky we are to have loved him like we did.
So we will see you again someday Sun. Thanks for being such a good kitty.
2 comments:
I'm so sorry, Angie. I had to have our family dog put down after 14 years. It's hard. But the end is not how I remember her. I remember all the good times. 'Here's to all the good times Sunset brought you. :)
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