- Joined
- Jan 12, 2016
- Messages
- 153
- Purraise
- 105
I had to put my beloved cat Lamont to sleep yesterday. Yes, I am a train wreck. He was my baby, my best friend and the love of my life all rolled in one. My mom gave him to me 14 years ago; she passed away 8 years later. He was the last living connection to her which makes it even tougher.
Versus talking in detail about his horrible horrible last day on earth--I am VERY lucky, he wasn't in terrible pain for more than a couple of hours before the vet determined it was the best decision to put him down (he had been suffering for 14 months with inoperable bone cancer and was in diabetic remission)--I want to talk a little about the kind of cat he was.
He was a tough guy. From the Bronx, he originally belonged to the son of the super in a building down the block from where my mom lived. He came to live with me when he was a year old and the super's son couldn't keep him any more. If Lamont didn't like you, he not only remembered it but tried to kick you out of the apartment! Which was pretty amusing to me (though, admittedly, not to a lot of my guests--particularly those on Lamont's "D list". ) But he was incredibly loving to me. I never knew his exact date of birth, but knew it was sometime in late December so I always said he was born on Christmas Day because he was the greatest present anyone could get.
Every morning and every night he would jump into bed with me and snuggle. Even though he wasn't a lap cat, he would lay his body on top of mine and sleep and cuddle. It was the greatest. I talked to him and he "groused" or "talked" back. I would say, "Well, what do *you* think, Lamont?" and he would "talk" back. It was hilarious. Because he was a Maine Coon, hard to see in his last months after he lost a lot of hair, he would follow me everywhere and was incredibly curious. A real smarty pie. We were a real team.
He was just brimming with an outsized personality and it was wonderful.
Last night, the A Team (i.e., my two best friends) came over, brought dinner and alcohol and we told Lamont stories til after midnight and laughed and cried (ok, I cried; they were supportive.) I know I'll be grieving for a while. I'm taking the rest of the week off from work as I navigate life on earth without him.
This community has been great in Lamont's last months. I haven't posted a huge amount, but did a lot yesterday, particularly as he was dying and it incredibly helpful to me. To know people were there, every step of the way. This is something I'll always be grateful for. In particular, thank you thank you thank you @2Cats4everLoved and @MaggieMay . Your support during everything meant the world to me.
Here's a photo of Lamont taken last July when he was in better shape (14 1/2, his tumor was only the size of a garbanzo bean then and he hadn't been diagnosed with diabetes yet.)
Goodbye my sweet precious boy. I will never ever forget you. 12/25/2000 - 5/10/2016
Versus talking in detail about his horrible horrible last day on earth--I am VERY lucky, he wasn't in terrible pain for more than a couple of hours before the vet determined it was the best decision to put him down (he had been suffering for 14 months with inoperable bone cancer and was in diabetic remission)--I want to talk a little about the kind of cat he was.
He was a tough guy. From the Bronx, he originally belonged to the son of the super in a building down the block from where my mom lived. He came to live with me when he was a year old and the super's son couldn't keep him any more. If Lamont didn't like you, he not only remembered it but tried to kick you out of the apartment! Which was pretty amusing to me (though, admittedly, not to a lot of my guests--particularly those on Lamont's "D list". ) But he was incredibly loving to me. I never knew his exact date of birth, but knew it was sometime in late December so I always said he was born on Christmas Day because he was the greatest present anyone could get.
Every morning and every night he would jump into bed with me and snuggle. Even though he wasn't a lap cat, he would lay his body on top of mine and sleep and cuddle. It was the greatest. I talked to him and he "groused" or "talked" back. I would say, "Well, what do *you* think, Lamont?" and he would "talk" back. It was hilarious. Because he was a Maine Coon, hard to see in his last months after he lost a lot of hair, he would follow me everywhere and was incredibly curious. A real smarty pie. We were a real team.
He was just brimming with an outsized personality and it was wonderful.
Last night, the A Team (i.e., my two best friends) came over, brought dinner and alcohol and we told Lamont stories til after midnight and laughed and cried (ok, I cried; they were supportive.) I know I'll be grieving for a while. I'm taking the rest of the week off from work as I navigate life on earth without him.
This community has been great in Lamont's last months. I haven't posted a huge amount, but did a lot yesterday, particularly as he was dying and it incredibly helpful to me. To know people were there, every step of the way. This is something I'll always be grateful for. In particular, thank you thank you thank you @2Cats4everLoved and @MaggieMay . Your support during everything meant the world to me.
Here's a photo of Lamont taken last July when he was in better shape (14 1/2, his tumor was only the size of a garbanzo bean then and he hadn't been diagnosed with diabetes yet.)
Goodbye my sweet precious boy. I will never ever forget you. 12/25/2000 - 5/10/2016
