Can't stop crying

Kim515

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My sweet Sammy passed away on Saturday and I cannot stop crying. On Thursday, I noticed he was not eating his food, just licking some and
walking off. I called the vet and made an appointment for Friday. That night Sammy was still not eating and was lethargic.In the morning he seemed more alert but still not eating. The vet did blood work and a X-Ray. The blood worked showed he was anemic and the xray showed an enlarged spleen. The vet thought we could rule out an infection because Sammy was not running a fever, and after looking at the blood samples with another doctor did not think it was autoimmune, which left cancer. An ultrasound was needed to find out what was the problem. The doctor that could do ultrasound was out, so I had an appointment to come back on Saturday.

Sammy stayed at the vet so they could monitor him and was given fluids and pain medicine. They called and said Sammy could come home that evening and return tomorrow for the ultrasound. When I picked Sammy up the vet told me Sammy would probably sleep all night due to the pain medicine. I put Sammy in his bed at 6 pm and checked on him every hour. He got out of the bed and laid by his favorite toy and then moved back into the bed twice. When I checked on him at 4 am he was back in his bed and seemed to be fine. When I checked on him at 5 am he had passed away.

How could this happen? Sammy was only 6 years old. He was fine on Wednesday jumping around, playing with my other cat, and begging for treats. He was not throwing up, had not lost weight, and before Thursday had been eating normally. I know you can not answer why, our vet could not say why either. I just want to see if anyone has had a similar experience and talk to people that understand how I feel.

Sammy is the second cat I have lost this year. Casper was put to sleep on April 13 due to kidney failure. We had time to prepare for what was going to happen to Casper. He lived a!most two years after being diagnosed with kidney failure but Sammy's sudden death has left me feeling so upset.

Kim
 

SnugglesAnn

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I am so sorry. It's so hard to lose any of our kitties, especially when it happens so sudden like that. My first cat, Anastasia, she stopped eating and I took her to the vet immediately. Bloodwork came back fine, etc. She passed away on my way back to the vet the following Wednesday. I will never forget it. The shock. Not understanding what had happened. She was only 9. I have to admit though, even when I've known what was going on with the furbabies I have lost, it isn't much easier. It tears you apart no matter how it happens or when.

I am so sorry about Casper as well. I cannot even begin to imagine losing two in one year. Bless your heart. There are just so many things beyond our control that sometimes things just can't be explained. It hurts and it hurts bad. They are together now though and you will see them again. Sending you lots of hugs tonight. ❤❤
 
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Kim515

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I am so sorry. It's so hard to lose any of our kitties, especially when it happens so sudden like that. My first cat, Anastasia, she stopped eating and I took her to the vet immediately. Bloodwork came back fine, etc. She passed away on my way back to the vet the following Wednesday. I will never forget it. The shock. Not understanding what had happened. She was only 9. I have to admit though, even when I've known what was going on with the furbabies I have lost, it isn't much easier. It tears you apart no matter how it happens or when.

I am so sorry about Casper as well. I cannot even begin to imagine losing two in one year. Bless your heart. There are just so many things beyond our control that sometimes things just can't be explained. It hurts and it hurts bad. They are together now though and you will see them again. Sending you lots of hugs tonight. ❤❤
I am sorry to hear about Anastasia and losing her that way. 9 years old is too young to lose a beloved kitty.

It is never easy but to have it happen suddenly seems so much worst. It was the first time I lost one at home. All the other times it was at the vet's office and I had time to prepare and say goodbye. This time I did not get to tell him goodbye and how much I love him. He was my shadow and was always with me. I have been on furlough since May, so we were spending more time together than when I was working. The house seems so empty without him. I keep thinking I missed some sign that he was sick. If I had caught it earlier maybe the vet could have done something.

Thanks for listening. It is nice to talk with another person that understands what it means to have this kind of lost. My friends are sympathetic but think after 6 days I should be getting over it.
 

Skylarmarie

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I am so sorry, I lost my last kitty fast to cancer when she was 7. I had to keep telling myself that at least I know she had a great life with me. And your kitties have had great lives with you. You cared for them and loved them more than anyone else could
 

MissClouseau

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I'm so sorry for your loss and going through a traumatic experience like this!

I will leave these here in case you didn't see:

Enlarged Spleen in Cats - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, Management, Cost

Enlarged Spleen in Cats

As you will see there (especially in the first WagWalking link) the possible reasons that lead to an enlarged spleen is long list. Cancer is only one of the possibilities. Heart failure is there too for example, and some heart problems don't give out a symptom early enough. Our vet lost her cat to a heart attack at the clinic suddenly. The cat came to the clinic every day with her and was there with a second vet and two vet techs. So you know, definitely somewhere symptoms would be seen if there was one. But there wasn't. Not to say Sammy had heart failure, just to say some things do not give out a symptom that we can see.

In my experience when a young cat or dog passes away suddenly like this, there is usually more than one thing going on.

I hope you find comfort in the fact Sammy had a loving family with you. Memories and love will always be there 💜
 

Norachan

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I'm so sorry to hear this.

:grouphug2:

I lost one of my cats just after Christmas. She went from being fine, to being off her food, to the vet telling me there was nothing they could do within three days. She had an infection that didn't respond to antibiotics and passed away while the vet was trying to help her.

It's so hard. We always go back over everything that happened, looking for anything that we might have missed, any clues that we should have seen. The truth is that you did everything you could. You took Sammy to the vet as soon as you noticed something was wrong. It's always harder when they are so young and seem healthy.

Chicken was only 7 years old when we lost her. We had no time to prepare and we're still not sure what caused the infection or why it didn't respond to treatment. Our vet was wonderful and did everything he could, but sometimes it just can't be helped.

Sammy sounds like he was a wonderful cat. All you can do is be grateful for every moment you had with him.

:hugs::hugs::hugs::hugs:
 

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I am so sorry for you loss. I too had a cat that was perfectly fine one day, sick the next, and passed away the day after that. I did take comfort that she wasn't actively sick long and lingered or suffered. I also took comfort in the fact that she passed on her own as opposed to me having to take her to be put down.

Cry all you want. It takes time to grieve especially when it was unexpected and sudden like that. :hugs:
 

SnugglesAnn

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I am sorry to hear about Anastasia and losing her that way. 9 years old is too young to lose a beloved kitty.

It is never easy but to have it happen suddenly seems so much worst. It was the first time I lost one at home. All the other times it was at the vet's office and I had time to prepare and say goodbye. This time I did not get to tell him goodbye and how much I love him. He was my shadow and was always with me. I have been on furlough since May, so we were spending more time together than when I was working. The house seems so empty without him. I keep thinking I missed some sign that he was sick. If I had caught it earlier maybe the vet could have done something.

Thanks for listening. It is nice to talk with another person that understands what it means to have this kind of lost. My friends are sympathetic but think after 6 days I should be getting over it.
I understand completely. I didn't get to tell Anastasia goodbye either. I honestly thought I would get her back to the vet and everything would be ok.

And I understand about the house being so empty. I lost my sweet boy, Oliver, back in August. Two years ago I lost my baby girl, Snuggles. Both were lost to "suspected" cancer (Snuggles was oral, Oliver's was stomach lymphoma). Snuggles started having issues 6 months before she passed away, but Oliver acted perfectly normal in July, playing around and everything. Then August came and he went downhill fast, within a matter of weeks. I am still having a hard time accepting his illness and find it hard to even talk or write about. His presence is missed in every spot of our home and our hearts.

We had a lot more time together due to Covid. I am thankful for that, but it now just magnifies the pain even more. Friends and family have been helpful, but it always feels like I am bothering them as time goes on.

So we understand. Talk as often as you need to here. ❤❤
 
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Kim515

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Thank you to everyone that responded to my post. I am so sorry for all you who lost your kitty. It makes me feel better to discuss this with people who understand this was a devastating loss.

Miss Clouseau thank you for the links and telling me about your vet loss and how she did not see any signs of trouble. I still keep going over his last week trying to see if I missed a sign but know that some problems don't necessarily show symptoms.

The vet office called to let me know that Sammy's ashes are ready to be picked up this morning. I can't believe that last Friday he was alive and now I am getting his ashes.

My remaining cat, Ginger, is having a hard time adjusting. She has been meowing most of the night. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to help her?

Below is a photo of Sammy Thank again for your responses. I really do appreciate you telling me about your experiences.
IMG_20200826_112613.jpg
 
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Kim515

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I understand completely. I didn't get to tell Anastasia goodbye either. I honestly thought I would get her back to the vet and everything would be ok.

And I understand about the house being so empty. I lost my sweet boy, Oliver, back in August. Two years ago I lost my baby girl, Snuggles. Both were lost to "suspected" cancer (Snuggles was oral, Oliver's was stomach lymphoma). Snuggles started having issues 6 months before she passed away, but Oliver acted perfectly normal in July, playing around and everything. Then August came and he went downhill fast, within a matter of weeks. I am still having a hard time accepting his illness and find it hard to even talk or write about. His presence is missed in every spot of our home and our hearts.

We had a lot more time together due to Covid. I am thankful for that, but it now just magnifies the pain even more. Friends and family have been helpful, but it always feels like I am bothering them as time goes on.

So we understand. Talk as often as you need to here. ❤❤
I am so sorry about Oliver and Snuggles. Thank you for telling about them. I understand about every part of the house reminding you of them. I have a hard time looking at certain areas in my house where Sammy liked to hang out.

Last year I lost may cat Ziggy to stomach cancer during January. His problems started before Christmas and he quickly reached the point when we had to put him to sleep mid January 2019. Around that time we had found out about Casper having kidney disease and they did not expect him to live long. Casper responded well to treatment and surprised everyone by living another year and 4 months. Sammy was such a comfort during this time. He would constantly be by my side and started sleeping with me every night.
I know it is hard to talk about but I am here if you ever want to talk more about Oliver and Snuggles.
 

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I am so sorry about Oliver and Snuggles. Thank you for telling about them. I understand about every part of the house reminding you of them. I have a hard time looking at certain areas in my house where Sammy liked to hang out.

Last year I lost may cat Ziggy to stomach cancer during January. His problems started before Christmas and he quickly reached the point when we had to put him to sleep mid January 2019. Around that time we had found out about Casper having kidney disease and they did not expect him to live long. Casper responded well to treatment and surprised everyone by living another year and 4 months. Sammy was such a comfort during this time. He would constantly be by my side and started sleeping with me every night.
I know it is hard to talk about but I am here if you ever want to talk more about Oliver and Snuggles.
Thank you so much. Sammy is such a handsome boy! There is something special about orange kitties and male kitties as well. Here is my favorite photo of Oliver. I always loved how relaxed he always looked. They really do capture our hearts, don't they? Saying a prayer for you tonight and hoping that each day will get easier for you. ❤❤
 

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I'm so sorry for your loss. Grief is different for everyone I lost my boy one year ago. And I definitely get that some people think it was just a cat, but here we know they are part of our family. I too have another cat who missed his brother we have just added a new cat to the house this week and I found myself crying again because the new kitten has the same kind of personality as my Tik had. Sending hugs :alright::rbheart:
 

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My remaining cat, Ginger, is having a hard time adjusting. She has been meowing most of the night. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to help her?
If you haven't, try some cat music for her - Spotify has a collection of harp music called Cat In My Arms, there's cat music on youtube as well, and also RelaxMyCat and MusicForCats might be sources to try for her :redheartpump:
 
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Kim515

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Thank you so much. Sammy is such a handsome boy! There is something special about orange kitties and male kitties as well. Here is my favorite photo of Oliver. I always loved how relaxed he always looked. They really do capture our hearts, don't they? Saying a prayer for you tonight and hoping that each day will get easier for you. ❤❤
Oliver is a beautiful boy. There is definitely something about orange cats that make them special. My very first cat was named Kitty and was a orange tabby so I have a soft spot for all orange kitties.

The vet office called yesterday to say Sammy's ashes are ready to be picked up which started me crying again. Thank you for your support and prayers. I know only time will start to ease the pain.
 
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Kim515

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I'm so sorry for your loss. Grief is different for everyone I lost my boy one year ago. And I definitely get that some people think it was just a cat, but here we know they are part of our family. I too have another cat who missed his brother we have just added a new cat to the house this week and I found myself crying again because the new kitten has the same kind of personality as my Tik had. Sending hugs :alright::rbheart:
Thank
If you haven't, try some cat music for her - Spotify has a collection of harp music called Cat In My Arms, there's cat music on youtube as well, and also RelaxMyCat and MusicForCats might be sources to try for her :redheartpump:
Thank you for the suggestion. I will try some soft music tonight and see if it helps her.
 
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Kim515

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I'm so sorry for your loss. Grief is different for everyone I lost my boy one year ago. And I definitely get that some people think it was just a cat, but here we know they are part of our family. I too have another cat who missed his brother we have just added a new cat to the house this week and I found myself crying again because the new kitten has the same kind of personality as my Tik had. Sending hugs :alright::rbheart:
I am so sorry for the lost of your sweet Tik. I do not understand how some of my family and friends do not see that Sammy was a loved member of my family. I hope your new kitten brings you much happiness.
 

Tik cat's mum

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I am so sorry for the lost of your sweet Tik. I do not understand how some of my family and friends do not see that Sammy was a loved member of my family. I hope your new kitten brings you much happiness.
Neither do l but everyone on this site understands that they are family. And it does get easier in time until then hugs sent your way.
 
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