Another Goodbye in our House

isolde curry

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Hey, all.

It’s been a while since I’ve been on here. It seems every time I post, it’s when one of my furry family members crosses the Rainbow Bridge, and never for happier moments, which I do intend to be better at.

But, this morning, I come with the news that we lost another furry family members the night before. Alvin the Basement Cat. He was not doing the last few days to a couple of weeks. He had trouble eating, possibly due to a tooth bothering him (being a picky eater certainly didn’t help). He was also just on a downhill slide and couldn’t get around as well.

He lived to about 14 years old, and lived many years longer than he was expected to, due to having a heart murmur and some type of chronic IBS that we never could get a proper diagnosis on, which he lived with for the better part of 10 years.

Alvin did give us many years of amusement in his mischief along with his sister, Maggie who went on ahead of him about two years ago. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge here at home sometime between Wednesday night and yesterday morning. My Mom came home and found him later in the evening in the basement. We (or rather, Mom since I couldn’t bring myself to handle him for silly reasons) retrieved him from his final resting spot in the basement when I arrived home from work this morning and created some temporary storage accommodations until I can properly bury him this weekend.

The loss is hardest on my Grandmother, since he was her constant companion since he came into our home 14 years ago and slept on her bed every night up until the end. He was quite the character and little warrior, and he will be missed.

My mom posted a touching tribute to Alvin on Facebook last night that was very fitting.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?st...oHYVn93rEl&id=100014589222102&mibextid=qC1gEa
 

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Margot Lane

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I just read the FB tribute. What a loved kitty he was! And to live so long w IBS is amazing. I am glad you discovered what diet helped him. RIP dear Alvin. You’ve left a warm spot in all of our hearts here. :redheartpump:
 
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isolde curry

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Also, I just thought of something I wanted to ask: does it seem silly that I couldn’t muster up the nerve to handle Alvin this morning, having my mom get him? I handled Maggie as she was put to sleep and have handled the cat boxes as I’ve buried past cats, but not this time for some reason. Given my line of work, I shouldn’t be as wigged out about something like that as I was this time. (Sorry if it’s TMI).
 

Kwik

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Also, I just thought of something I wanted to ask: does it seem silly that I couldn’t muster up the nerve to handle Alvin this morning, having my mom get him? I handled Maggie as she was put to sleep and have handled the cat boxes as I’ve buried past cats, but not this time for some reason. Given my line of work, I shouldn’t be as wigged out about something like that as I was this time. (Sorry if it’s TMI).
I'm so sorry for your loss,Alvin's beautiful....I just wanted to say that I don't think it silly at all,not in the least.Having been down that road before you know how that stays with you a long,long,long,long time and it's not a memory you want as your last.....it's very understandable❤
 

di and bob

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Yes, you want to remember him as he was, not after death, so it is not silly at all. He is also someone close to you, a family member, so his death affects you differently then others.......
I am happy he dies at home, surrounded by everything familiar and the love he received from your family. Thank you for giving him the best life he could want, he'll be at peace because of that. His little soul will be a part of your own for eternity. The bonds of love are spiritual so eternal.
One day your sadness will grow into gratitude for what he taught you about love, for what he brought into your life. but that takes a long time to get to that point. Time is the only thing that helps with matters of the heart.
We are here if you need to talk, need someone to listen, We understand what these beautiful creatures mean to lives and can empathize.
Please know I am so sorry about his passing, but remember he lives on through you now, and will forever parallel your own life's journey. Love never dies, death cannot take it because of that. May God bless you for making a difference in those sweet cats' lives......RIP dear Alvin. You will never be forgotten, you will always have secure places in loving hearts. May the good Lord bless and keep you, until you meet again!
 

Mamanyt1953

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Rest you gentle, Alvin, dream you deep. Your pawprints are on someone's heart forever.

Also, I just thought of something I wanted to ask: does it seem silly that I couldn’t muster up the nerve to handle Alvin this morning, having my mom get him? I handled Maggie as she was put to sleep and have handled the cat boxes as I’ve buried past cats, but not this time for some reason. Given my line of work, I shouldn’t be as wigged out about something like that as I was this time. (Sorry if it’s TMI).
Not odd, or wrong, or silly in the least. We have to take our grief as it comes to us, both at the moment of passing, and afterward, and each grief will be different from every other one, just as our love for the lost one was different from every other love we have. Alvin, from his home in That Place Where All Things Are Known, now knows your heart inside and out, knows how he was loved by you, and knows you did the best you could for him...always, even in that moment when you could not handle him. And he sends his love, translated and purified into Love, to walk beside you down through all of your days. Because Love abides. Always, forever, Love abides.
 
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