I lost my sweet Sophie today. She was 11 years old and has been with me since she was about 5 weeks old. She drove me insane for so long, eating toilet paper, eating any bread product she could find for the past few months, biting my face as a kitten, howling at the walls, fighting with my other cat occasionally. She also had the sweetest, fluffiest tail you have ever seen on a cat. She looked like she had a fox tail stuck on a cat. She also would lick you until you were raw whenever she could. She would give kisses by touching her nose to mine just for a split second. She would snuggle up under my chin and purr and purr and purr whenever she was scared of a thunderstorm or the vet's office.
She went in for her annual checkup about a month ago and she had lost nearly 50% of her body weight. She was so fluffy that I didn't really notice. I had thought she was getting a little bony, but I figured it was because she was getting older, and I am a single mother of a 2 year old, so I don't have nearly as much time as I used to for both of my cats, so I was horrified when I realized I hadn't paid enough attention to notice. She ended up having an overactive thyroid and they put her on meds. She stabilized and even gained a half pound in the last two weeks, which the vet said looked fabulous. She had her thyroid removed today and survived the surgery just fine, and woke up and was walking around in her cage. Then the next time the vet checked on her, she was lying down and not breathing on her own. They put a tube down her throat and had to breathe for her from there on out. She had slipped into a coma, which the vet thought was from a possible blood clot in her brain. She never regained consciousness again. She would twitch a bit and even kicked one leg for a few seconds when I went to see her this afternoon, but the vet said it was most likely a small seizure.
I made the decision to let her go an hour or so later, and brought my son with me. He snuggled her and kissed her and said, "I love you Sophie" and I had a good long cry with him and her in my arms. She slipped away so fast and so gently that if I hadn't had my hand on her chest, I wouldn't have realized that anything had happened.
I am going tomorrow with my son and my father to bury her behind my father's house. I am so saddened and feel so much guilt that I didn't catch this sooner for her. I know there is nothing that could have been done differently, really, but it is still so hard. She drove me insane over the last few months, eating bread any chance she could find it. She literally ate through plastic bags to eat the bread inside. I got so angry at her and so frustrated when she would vomit it all up all over the apartment. I know it wasn't her fault, but I was so irritated at her. I feel like a crappy kitty mama.
I hope there really is a kitty heaven and she is there. I know that if heaven is real for humans, mine will not be complete without every pet I have ever had the honor of knowing in my life.
She went in for her annual checkup about a month ago and she had lost nearly 50% of her body weight. She was so fluffy that I didn't really notice. I had thought she was getting a little bony, but I figured it was because she was getting older, and I am a single mother of a 2 year old, so I don't have nearly as much time as I used to for both of my cats, so I was horrified when I realized I hadn't paid enough attention to notice. She ended up having an overactive thyroid and they put her on meds. She stabilized and even gained a half pound in the last two weeks, which the vet said looked fabulous. She had her thyroid removed today and survived the surgery just fine, and woke up and was walking around in her cage. Then the next time the vet checked on her, she was lying down and not breathing on her own. They put a tube down her throat and had to breathe for her from there on out. She had slipped into a coma, which the vet thought was from a possible blood clot in her brain. She never regained consciousness again. She would twitch a bit and even kicked one leg for a few seconds when I went to see her this afternoon, but the vet said it was most likely a small seizure.
I made the decision to let her go an hour or so later, and brought my son with me. He snuggled her and kissed her and said, "I love you Sophie" and I had a good long cry with him and her in my arms. She slipped away so fast and so gently that if I hadn't had my hand on her chest, I wouldn't have realized that anything had happened.
I am going tomorrow with my son and my father to bury her behind my father's house. I am so saddened and feel so much guilt that I didn't catch this sooner for her. I know there is nothing that could have been done differently, really, but it is still so hard. She drove me insane over the last few months, eating bread any chance she could find it. She literally ate through plastic bags to eat the bread inside. I got so angry at her and so frustrated when she would vomit it all up all over the apartment. I know it wasn't her fault, but I was so irritated at her. I feel like a crappy kitty mama.
I hope there really is a kitty heaven and she is there. I know that if heaven is real for humans, mine will not be complete without every pet I have ever had the honor of knowing in my life.
