My Callie is gone now

Talien

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She had been drinking a lot of water for quite a while but tests didn't come back with anything, other than elevated Kidney levels one time that were cleared up on the next test. Then her last checkup 2 months ago suddenly showed her Kidneys were 40% gone. I've had experience with Kidney failure and it can usually be managed with fluids so I started preparing myself for only another year, maybe 2 instead of the 5 or so I had hoped.`

Last Thursday she suddenly stopped eating completely. There was no period of her gradually eating less, she just hardly ate anything in the morning and nothing at all that night. Friday she ate nothing so I made an appointment for Saturday, she had a urine test that showed bacterial infection and elevated red blood cell count so I got sent home with Cerenia and antibiotics. I gave her a dose of Cerenia and she threw it up, I waited a bit and gave her another and she kept it down. She still wouldn't eat, so I gave her a dose of Mirtazapene but still no good. She ate nothing Sunday either, so I emailed my Vet and she said bring her in first thing Monday. She gave Callie an antibiotic injection, and one of Cerenia, and told me to call her and let her know how Callie was doing.

She still didn't eat anything so I syringe fed her, but only managed to get one syringe of food in her before she struggled free and that was the end of that. Tuesday she showed some interest in food but didn't actually eat anything, so Wednesday morning I took her back in and she got xrays and a blood test. Her Kidneys were almost totally shut down and she was anemic. The Vet told me she had a couple days at most before it started getting to the point where she couldn't function so she recommended euthanasia right away. I sat with Callie in one of the rooms for a while but couldn't go through with it, there were too many things I needed to do with her yet. She had wanted to go for a walk a few days before but I didn't take her out on her harness because it was still too cold. She loved laying on my Cot infront of the wood stove, but I had taken it down and put it away because it wasn't getting below 55 in the house at night. Even though none of my other Cats were exactly friends with her they still needed to know, and she had at the very least accepted Patch and they would lay together on my Cot. That and I just needed to spend one more day with her. Plus, she was telling me that she wasn't ready to go. Every other time I had her at the Vet she would either stay in the carrier or get out and walk around the room, but she kept moving toward the front of the carrier and looking at me then moving back inside, and when I had to use the bathroom she came out and was watching the door, then went right back in the carrier as soon as I was back in the room.
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I took her home and she got her walk, it was a good day for it. It was warm but not hot, the ground wasn't wet, and there was no wind which is unusual for where I live.
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I remembered the other Vet I go to does house calls, so I set it up for him to come out Thursday (today) to do her euthanasia here. They told me it would be $170 but I decided it was worth it, Callie always hated car trips and didn't like being at the Vet so it saved her from being stressed out in her last minutes.

She knew it was our last day together. She didn't normally sleep next to me but that night she did, she got up a couple times but came back and kept resting her head on my shoulder and rubbing against my face.
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Thursday she got her second wind, she was alert and active, and seemed interested in food when I was feeding my other Cats so I gave her some of one of her favorites and she ate a bit of it.
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I wanted to take her for another walk today since she was feeling better, but the weather had other ideas. Freaking hail off and on all day. I did take her out during one of the calm spots but it started again almost as soon as we got outside and she wanted to go back in right away. I couldn't blame her.
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She decided to spend most of the day upstairs on the tower looking out the window, so I also spent most of the day upstairs near the window too.
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I was upset that the Catnip had not started growing in yet, she really loved fresh Catnip leaves.....but then I remembered I had frozen some from last year, so I took a bag out and she got to have some afterall. I gave some to my other Cats too and they all got to have some fun with it, then they all sat down to relax.
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Her second wind started to wane and she began looking lethargic again, so I knew I'd made the right choice to have the Vet come out that afternoon instead of waiting until Friday.
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I dragged my cot back out, set it up, and got the wood stove going in preparation for the Vet arriving, then went back upstairs to spend what time was left with her. After he arrived I brought her downstairs and set her on the pillow on the cot, and the Vet administered the injection then went outside so I could spend her last few minutes alone with her. She was already weak from her Kidneys being almost completely gone and lack of food so it didn't take long, she became unsteady almost right away and flopped on her side the pillow. She gave my hand one last cheek rub, and she was gone.
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After she had stopped breathing I decided to give Patch a chance to see that she was gone since they had spent time together over the winter, and brought her downstairs. She sniffed Callie and laid down near her for a few minutes before going back upstairs.
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RIP Callie. ?/2005 - 4/9/2020
 

Mamanyt1953

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

What a lovely end you gave your girl! It was filled with the things she loved the most, and the best of those things was you. I have to tell you, I was so struck by that last cheek rub she gave you. She was telling you, "Thank you. It is time. I'm stepping through the Gate between This Adventure and my Next Great Adventure. I'll take your love with me to light my way, then send mine back to you when, someday in the fullness of time, it is your turn to make this journey."
 

Mia6

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I am so very sorry about Callie. I can see how much you loved her.She was such a beauty!
The grieving is difficult but you'll get through it. She is now at the bridge, my Vincie girl is
probably teaching her he ropes and how to attract men. :hugs: :redheartpump::hearthrob::rbheart:
 
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Talien

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I am so very sorry about Callie. I can see how much you loved her.She was such a beauty!
The grieving is difficult but you'll get through it. She is now at the bridge, my Vincie girl is
probably teaching her he ropes and how to attract men. :hugs: :redheartpump::hearthrob::rbheart:
That's actually kinda funny to imagine, she was always the type of Cat that wanted to be left alone by other Cats. Even sick and weak as she was toward the end she still terrified everyone but Patch just by looking at them, it was almost scary to watch. She'd look at Fresca, who would immediately stop moving then run away growling. Alana would stop and put her ears back and crouch down, and stay like that until Callie either moved away or gave her a swat, then she'd run for her life.
 

di and bob

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I'm so sorry.... I know how much this hurts. You had a lovely last few days with her, she left this world knowing she was so very loved and was comforted by your presence at the end. You gave her her world, and in return, she loved you as only she can. Your soul will forever be bound to hers by the chain of love you built over those years. Nothing can break that chain, not even death. 'Death cannot take that which never dies', and you know that to be true.
She will forever be as close as your thoughts and prayers, I know that sweet girl would never want you to be so sad because of her, she loved life too much for you to waste time on sadness. Just as you would want for her if you were the first to go. Time is the only thing that helps heal a broken heart, and only time will bring a softening of the sharp edges of grief. There will always be a scar, but to be loved and remembered as she is, is the greatest honor you could ever give her. Take care, my friend. I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers. May you be blessed for giving so much to her as she blessed you with her sharing your life......RIP beautiful Callie. You will always be beautiful in your loved one's eyes, forever held securely in a loving heart. May the good Lord bless and keep you, until you meet again!
 

les26

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What a heartfelt story this was with great pictures, we all could feel the love and this truly was a "love story". She had a wonderful life thanks to you, and the time unfortunately came that she had to move on, but you made it as calm and peaceful as you could for her, and yes that final hand rub was her saying "thank you for what you did for me these years, I must go now and I love you and we will meet again someday" and that day will be wonderful.....

"Their last breath on Earth is their first breath in Heaven" :rbheart:

I am so sorry for your loss of that sweetheart, I hope that your heart heals a bit more each day, God Bless.....:alright: :grouphug2: :rbheart:
 
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Talien

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I had gotten her ashes back a while ago but just never got around to taking pictures. I got the pawprints in clay and it was bigger than I thought it would be, and her name on the disc was nice. The tin has her ashes in it, I don't feel like opening it, probably never will. I ordered a memory glass but they said it would be around 12 weeks.

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Talien

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Found this picture going through my phone yesterday, it's from this winter when I had my cot next to the wood stove. She apparently wanted to lay on the pillow but Patch was on one half and my head was on the other half so she decided to lay on my head. Not sure if she was trying to get me to move or what, but she laid like that for about 10 minutes before she got up and went onto the chair nearby.
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Talien

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I finally got the memory glass a while back, but it's been busy here so I kept forgetting to take a picture.

This is what it looks like. It's held between 2 sheets of clear, flexible plastic that keep it in place.
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