Carleton, my angel, is gone

[susanm9006]

I am so sorry, neely . I know how much he was loved and how much effort you put into caring for him.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

Neely, I'm so sorry, and as everyone else has said, so shocked to see Carleton's name. All the hugs.

 

[lizzie]

Oh Neely I am so sorry for the loss of your beautiful Carleton.My heart goes out to you and your family.I know without a doubt that he lived his best life with you and your family,and that life was full of nothing but your love for him.Rest easy sweet boy,and many hugs sent to you and yours.

 

[Meowmee]

It is with a heavy heart and much sadness that I am writing this tribute to let you know Carleton passed away yesterday. He was slowing down but we attributed it to his senior age, approximately 14 years old. His appetite kept dwindling, he was lethargic, urinating more and had difficulty sitting in a comfortable position. I called the vet and brought him in for an exam and treatments. I had high hopes because he had always bounced back before and I didn’t want to face the inevitable. But when his labs indicated end stage renal disease I knew we had to make a decision for his sake. It was the most humane thing to do.

My husband and I are devastated. He meant so much to us and we would have moved heaven and earth to keep him here longer. I have written about his background before in other posts. He came from deplorable conditions at a hoarder. After receiving medical care he was adopted to a couple who returned him a year later for the only reason that they didn’t want a pet anymore. Our dog had passed away and shortly after Neely, our last cat. We were without a pet and the house felt empty. It was actually our oldest daughter who found a small shelter that was called in to rescue 23 Persians. The neighbors had called the police to report a horrific stench coming from the hoarder’s garage. Long story short, when we heard Carleton’s story I put in an application to adopt him and the rest is history. I later found out that the hoarder had to pay a fine up to $1,500 for each cat with the possibility of serving time.

The first night we brought Carleton home we set up the bathroom in our bedroom with a furry teepee, litter box, food water and toys. But he kept meowing so DH went in there and slept on the floor next to him. When my husband's back started hurting he said, “what the heck,” and let him out in the bedroom. Carleton jumped into bed, cuddled up with us and we knew adopting him was the best decision we ever made. He was our baby boy, the most loving and affectionate cat we could have hoped for, giving us almost nine years of complete joy and happiness.

As so many of you have sadly experienced, we can not stop crying since yesterday. Everything we did out of habit we cannot stop doing, e.g. looking for him resting on my slippers by the patio door, refreshing the food and water bowls, even checking the litter box. But the one habit that I miss most is when he kept me company on the family room couch while watching tv at night. He would curl up next to me and we’d fall asleep together. He was unable to jump up the past few weeks. But the night before we brought him to the vet to be PTS he somehow managed to jump up on the couch and with tears streaming down my face I told him this would be our last night together.

Rest in peace my baby boy. You will be missed beyond belief. If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever.
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I am very sorry for your loss of Carleton He was gorgeous and so sweet. I know this must be so painful for you. I remember all of your wonderful pics of him here too. As painful as it is, you did the right thing, better a day too early than a day too late as they say, something I have made the mistake of doing- a day too late. It is always such a hard decision to make. He is so cute and I can see how much he adored you the way he is looking at you. Run free sweet Carleton and watch over your family

 

[Kwik]

I'm so so very sorry ,I saw nurseangel post tagging you about ' Carleton" and my heart sunk deep into my stomach....I thought " no,shes mistaken"..... we quickly fall in love with each other's babies in our community and Carleton stood out like shining star with his beautiful ,human like eyes and loving ways....RIP sweet darling boy,enjoy your youth and perfect health again

My deep Sympathy and condolences to you and your husband neely ,if I only had words to comfort you both - you are on my heart and in my prayers.....again,I'm so very sorry for your great loss.From the very first night darling Carleton jumped in your bed with you and your hubby his life began and erased every moment before that- for the last nine years he had a lifetime of love that endures forever and ever

 

[vampiric_conure]

**HUGE Hugs** to you and your family, Neely. Losing a family member always hurts :'(

 

[KittyCat_chitchat]

I am so sorry, neely , that it has taken me this long to reply. Like others have said, I am shocked. I don't know what to say to comfort you, other than to thank you for giving Carleton nine years of the love and care he had always deserved. Hugs to you.

 

[di and bob]

Oh neely , what an absolutely horrific time in your life. A nightmare that never ends. I pray you take comfort in knowing that you saved him and gave him what he wanted most in this life. A home, care, and most importantly a family to love him. In time, your grief will turn into gratitude for what he brought to your life, but that takes time and a lot of it to dull the sharp edges of grief.
But you know in your heart that that precious boy would never want you to be so sad. He would want you to move forward and live your life like you would want for him to do if you were the first to go. Seek more love to add onto his and use his legacy of love to bring you happiness. I know that is impossible right now, but it will come, in time.
It is a great honor to be loved and missed after death. He is indeed an angel, a new star is lit in the summer sky to honor that sweet boy, and will burn bright, fueled by your unending love and devotion. He, in turn, will continue to shine down on you and follow your life's journey until the end.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your husband, my heart cries for your pain. I will pray for his tiny soul, and be thankful he had someone who loved him enough to spare him a future full of pain and suffering. Bless you for that......RIP stunning Carleton. you will always be remembered, you will forever have secure places in loving hearts. May the good Lord bless you and hold you in His arms, until you meet again!

 

[Kwik]

Oh neely , what an absolutely horrific time in your life. A nightmare that never ends. I pray you take comfort in knowing that you saved him and gave him what he wanted most in this life. A home, care, and most importantly a family to love him. In time, your grief will turn into gratitude for what he brought to your life, but that takes time and a lot of it to dull the sharp edges of grief.
But you know in your heart that that precious boy would never want you to be so sad. He would want you to move forward and live your life like you would want for him to do if you were the first to go. Seek more love to add onto his and use his legacy of love to bring you happiness. I know that is impossible right now, but it will come, in time.
It is a great honor to be loved and missed after death. He is indeed an angel, a new star is lit in the summer sky to honor that sweet boy, and will burn bright, fueled by your unending love and devotion. He, in turn, will continue to shine down on you and follow your life's journey until the end.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your husband, my heart cries for your pain. I will pray for his tiny soul, and be thankful he had someone who loved him enough to spare him a future full of pain and suffering. Bless you for that......RIP stunning Carleton. you will always be remembered, you will forever have secure places in loving hearts. May the good Lord bless you and hold you in His arms, until you meet again!

That's so beautiful - may your loving words bring Comfort ,Peace and eventually Joy to the hearts of neely and her husband- I pray so

Carleton and his family are forever bound by love

 

[bbdoll22]

I’m so sorry Neely.

 

[maggiedemi]

So sorry & shocked to hear this. I guess all of us who have been around TCS for so many years also have to deal with the sad fact that our cats are also getting up there in years. Wish we had more time with them. It's not fair. Hugs and comforting thoughts.

 

[neely]

Once again, thank you to all the members who took the time to express their sympathies and sincere condolences. It means a lot to me and I know Carleton would be humbled by your thoughtfulness. I still go about by my daily routine as if he were here, I can't seem to stop doing the things I did when he was with us, e.g. leaving room in the dish rack for his bowls, thinking I have to check the litter box, checking where he is before I leave the house, etc.

 

[Kwik]

Once again, thank you to all the members who took the time to express their sympathies and sincere condolences. It means a lot to me and I know Carleton would be humbled by your thoughtfulness. I still go about by my daily routine as if he were here, I can't seem to stop doing the things I did when he was with us, e.g. leaving room in the dish rack for his bowls, thinking I have to check the litter box, checking where he is before I leave the house, etc.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Rest you gentle, Carelton, dream you deep. You walk in someone's heart forever.

My Darlin' Girl, I am so sorry...even more so that I was offline for a few days, and am only hearing about this today. This is what I know...Carleton lived, breathed, and had his being wrapped in your love. From the moment he first saw you, and you saw him, he knew he was home. He knew he was loved without measure. And he KNEW that you walked with him to that Gate between This Adventure and his Next Great Adventure, sending your love for him to keep him company. Now, from That Place Where All Things Are Known, he sends his own love, translated and purified into Love, back to walk with you down through all of your days. Because Love abides. Always, forever, Love abides.

I have spoken with my Dad and Hekitty, and asked them to take Carleton under their wings until you meet again.

 

[neely]

Today is a week since Carleton passed away. We couldn't stop thinking about it so we had to leave the house. We see him in all his favorite spots and imagine he's sleeping in his special places. Even though we've been through this before it doesn't get any easier and still hurts immensely. With each of our pets that have gone to the Bridge it's left a void in my heart that can never be filled but I try to tell myself there's always room for one more.

 

[susanm9006]

There is, when you are ready. If I didn’t have Lola I would be at a shelter looking for the shyest and most terrified cat they had.

 

[Stormy accepts you]

I am so sorry, sweetie. I know how much it hurts to lose a family member, be it furry or human. Or even human and furry. But you gave Carleton the best nine final years of his life. You gave him the greatest gift of all- love. Before you, he didn’t have a good home. He didn’t have you. You did an amazing job with that beautiful cat. I promise, he remembers the love. He is watching over you from the other side of that bridge. He will run to meet you when it’s time. Until then, he will lead you to love many more.

 

[Margot Lane]

That cat left such an imprint on me…I think possibly on everyone who read about him here on TCS…I like to think cats make us better people than we were before. Let’s hope his innate “Carletoness” touched us all in some way—- like a domino effect. I hope time heals for you.

 

[tarasgirl06]

It is with a heavy heart and much sadness that I am writing this tribute to let you know Carleton passed away yesterday. He was slowing down but we attributed it to his senior age, approximately 14 years old. His appetite kept dwindling, he was lethargic, urinating more and had difficulty sitting in a comfortable position. I called the vet and brought him in for an exam and treatments. I had high hopes because he had always bounced back before and I didn’t want to face the inevitable. But when his labs indicated end stage renal disease I knew we had to make a decision for his sake. It was the most humane thing to do.

My husband and I are devastated. He meant so much to us and we would have moved heaven and earth to keep him here longer. I have written about his background before in other posts. He came from deplorable conditions at a hoarder. After receiving medical care he was adopted to a couple who returned him a year later for the only reason that they didn’t want a pet anymore. Our dog had passed away and shortly after Neely, our last cat. We were without a pet and the house felt empty. It was actually our oldest daughter who found a small shelter that was called in to rescue 23 Persians. The neighbors had called the police to report a horrific stench coming from the hoarder’s garage. Long story short, when we heard Carleton’s story I put in an application to adopt him and the rest is history. I later found out that the hoarder had to pay a fine up to $1,500 for each cat with the possibility of serving time.

The first night we brought Carleton home we set up the bathroom in our bedroom with a furry teepee, litter box, food water and toys. But he kept meowing so DH went in there and slept on the floor next to him. When my husband's back started hurting he said, “what the heck,” and let him out in the bedroom. Carleton jumped into bed, cuddled up with us and we knew adopting him was the best decision we ever made. He was our baby boy, the most loving and affectionate cat we could have hoped for, giving us almost nine years of complete joy and happiness.

As so many of you have sadly experienced, we can not stop crying since yesterday. Everything we did out of habit we cannot stop doing, e.g. looking for him resting on my slippers by the patio door, refreshing the food and water bowls, even checking the litter box. But the one habit that I miss most is when he kept me company on the family room couch while watching tv at night. He would curl up next to me and we’d fall asleep together. He was unable to jump up the past few weeks. But the night before we brought him to the vet to be PTS he somehow managed to jump up on the couch and with tears streaming down my face I told him this would be our last night together.

Rest in peace my baby boy. You will be missed beyond belief. If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever.
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I am so very sorry! Carleton was a magnificent, gorgeous, sweet and loving family member and I know your hearts must be broken. Thank you for giving him the love he deserved every day of his time as part of your family.
*Fly free, whole, healthy, and forever Loved, precious angel Carleton! Watch over your loved ones here on earth until reunited in due time.*

 

[marshmallow2013]

I’m so sorry for the late condolences Neely. My heart breaks for you. Carleton was so precious. I’m deeply sad to hear about his passing. Even my two college sons were so shocked and sad. They would always ask me if there was a picture of Carleton in thecatsite new photo contest. Although we only knew him from afar, we all adored your little Angel. He was truly a very special boy.