It has finally happened. I joined this thread to discover things about cats, even started a joke thread to spread happiness and cheer. My best buddy J.R. passed away this Friday, May 28. He had started to lose weight gradually, not unusual for him in the spring and summer months since he enjoyed hunting outdoors and would stay out all day. We started feeding him extra wet food out of the can. He started to put on weight, and then he started dropping weight where he was emaciated. Then he started vomiting what he had just eaten. I then told my wife Brenda to take him to the vet. We had to make an appointment so she made one for Tuesday after the holiday. I insisted she tried to get an appointment earlier so she got one for Friday at 3:00 PM. When I came home from work, I knew Brenda was at the vet's. I was on the computer and didn't hear the phone ring. Brenda left a message. It said that J.R. had passed away. I was devastated. How?
Brenda arrived home bearing his remains for burial. J.R. had a malignant liver tumor the size of a baseball. It had taken over his entire stomach cavity and pushed his stomach and intestines against his backbone. At the office, the vet picked him and felt a large lump in his stomach. She took him for an X-ray. Brenda went out to the truck to call me, but before she could make the call, she was called back into the office. J.R. had gone into shock. It appears that the tumor had burst, probably caused by the vet picking him up and the added trauma of being in the vet's office. He was terrified of that place. Brenda told the vet to operate. The vet replied that she was losing him. His temperature had dropped to 91, and he would never survive the surgery and that it was best to euthanize him because he was in great pain. We didn't have a very good holiday. Now I wish we had waited until today. At least we would have had him for the holiday, or would we? He could have died over the holiday in great pain. Yet, before his death, he was still playful, and went out often running full speed in our fields. He never acted sick. He just kept throwing up and losing weight. Cats are very resilient about hiding their sickness.
Yesterday, Memorial Day, Brenda went to look at a stallion with a possiblity of breeding to it. When she came home, she surprised me with a tiny little bundle, a little girl almost the same coloring as J.R. She wanted to call her J.J., but I refused since we had also called J.R. J.J. at times so we named her Ripley, for her fierceness, just like the fierce lady, Sigourney Weaver played in "Alien 2". She is a replacement for J.R. but not J.R. J.R. was only 9 years old and had bonded to me. He slept with me. When I awoke in the morning, he would race to the bathroom and would be sitting on top of the closed toilet seat before I got in there. He could open a door knob and let himself out, so we had to lock the doors at all times. All the things he did I miss so much, but I still feel his presence, even though he is gone. I will never forget him, but now I must give my love to a new baby and hope she can get along with my other kitties, who are none to thrilled at a new arrival. She has let on already that she won't take anything without giving out just as much. She is only 7 weeks, but she is definitely a Ripley.
Brenda arrived home bearing his remains for burial. J.R. had a malignant liver tumor the size of a baseball. It had taken over his entire stomach cavity and pushed his stomach and intestines against his backbone. At the office, the vet picked him and felt a large lump in his stomach. She took him for an X-ray. Brenda went out to the truck to call me, but before she could make the call, she was called back into the office. J.R. had gone into shock. It appears that the tumor had burst, probably caused by the vet picking him up and the added trauma of being in the vet's office. He was terrified of that place. Brenda told the vet to operate. The vet replied that she was losing him. His temperature had dropped to 91, and he would never survive the surgery and that it was best to euthanize him because he was in great pain. We didn't have a very good holiday. Now I wish we had waited until today. At least we would have had him for the holiday, or would we? He could have died over the holiday in great pain. Yet, before his death, he was still playful, and went out often running full speed in our fields. He never acted sick. He just kept throwing up and losing weight. Cats are very resilient about hiding their sickness.
Yesterday, Memorial Day, Brenda went to look at a stallion with a possiblity of breeding to it. When she came home, she surprised me with a tiny little bundle, a little girl almost the same coloring as J.R. She wanted to call her J.J., but I refused since we had also called J.R. J.J. at times so we named her Ripley, for her fierceness, just like the fierce lady, Sigourney Weaver played in "Alien 2". She is a replacement for J.R. but not J.R. J.R. was only 9 years old and had bonded to me. He slept with me. When I awoke in the morning, he would race to the bathroom and would be sitting on top of the closed toilet seat before I got in there. He could open a door knob and let himself out, so we had to lock the doors at all times. All the things he did I miss so much, but I still feel his presence, even though he is gone. I will never forget him, but now I must give my love to a new baby and hope she can get along with my other kitties, who are none to thrilled at a new arrival. She has let on already that she won't take anything without giving out just as much. She is only 7 weeks, but she is definitely a Ripley.
