Hello. This is the saddest post I've ever written here. I've come here for years with worries and just to check out other folks posts about health, behavior and fun stuff. Your advice has been uplifting and amazing and I'm grateful. Thank you all!
The Orange Pimp, Punkass, the Pimpster, The Orange Jerk, Mr. Stinkalicious (IE Pumpkin) will be helped to the bridge in a few days. He has been battling the autoimmune disease Pemphigus and the resulting diabetes now for nearly 2 years. He's almost 16. He's skin and bones, can't jump up on most things now and has lost interest in play and catnip. He has become increasingly cuddly as opposed to his usual friendly but not affectionate self. He has two paws that have become hard and cracked and painful because of his disease (s) and today he had a seizure as he lay next to me on the couch.
We met at West End Shelter for Animals, a no kill place in Ontario Calif. in 2004 1 year after my beloved Dad died. I had spiraled into depression and was nearly suicidal. Adopting him would eventually be the push I needed to decide to get treatment instead of deciding to jump in front of a commuter train. He saved my life. I had a large dog background and he was very outgoing and friendly. So it was an easy transition. But he's all feline at the heart. He charmed everyone he ever met, cat lover or not. He will leave behind fans and friends in three different states. He followed me to Northern VA in 2013 as I quit journalism and tried to make a new life. After that didn't work out, he followed me to Houston, TX where we lived for 3 years. Finally, he followed me back home to beautiful and sunny, progressive southern CA.
He's done much more for me than I ever could for him, but I tried my best. Over the next few days, I will be with him. My job assignment recently ended this week and that's when he started to show signs of much more physical degradation than I noticed before. It may have been I just didn't have the time to notice between work and school. I intend to make these final days and hours the best I can for him. He will still get his insulin, but he will eat whatever the hell he wants to eat. He may even have a few visitors.
Thanks so much again everybody. I will post a final update in a few days.
The Orange Pimp, Punkass, the Pimpster, The Orange Jerk, Mr. Stinkalicious (IE Pumpkin) will be helped to the bridge in a few days. He has been battling the autoimmune disease Pemphigus and the resulting diabetes now for nearly 2 years. He's almost 16. He's skin and bones, can't jump up on most things now and has lost interest in play and catnip. He has become increasingly cuddly as opposed to his usual friendly but not affectionate self. He has two paws that have become hard and cracked and painful because of his disease (s) and today he had a seizure as he lay next to me on the couch.
We met at West End Shelter for Animals, a no kill place in Ontario Calif. in 2004 1 year after my beloved Dad died. I had spiraled into depression and was nearly suicidal. Adopting him would eventually be the push I needed to decide to get treatment instead of deciding to jump in front of a commuter train. He saved my life. I had a large dog background and he was very outgoing and friendly. So it was an easy transition. But he's all feline at the heart. He charmed everyone he ever met, cat lover or not. He will leave behind fans and friends in three different states. He followed me to Northern VA in 2013 as I quit journalism and tried to make a new life. After that didn't work out, he followed me to Houston, TX where we lived for 3 years. Finally, he followed me back home to beautiful and sunny, progressive southern CA.
He's done much more for me than I ever could for him, but I tried my best. Over the next few days, I will be with him. My job assignment recently ended this week and that's when he started to show signs of much more physical degradation than I noticed before. It may have been I just didn't have the time to notice between work and school. I intend to make these final days and hours the best I can for him. He will still get his insulin, but he will eat whatever the hell he wants to eat. He may even have a few visitors.
Thanks so much again everybody. I will post a final update in a few days.
My heart goes out to you both. Pumpkin and you found each other when you needed each other. May the memory of the warm wonderful times sustain you in the coming trying times. By making sure he doesn't suffer with lingering deterioration you are showing the great love the two of you share and giving the greatest gift you can. Many, many years ago I was in the same position with my beloved pony Dusty when he was 22. Not letting him suffer through another winter with kidney failure was both the greatest gift I could give him and the most heartbreaking thing I had ever done. My dad and our dear vet stood at the top of the ramp crying on each others shoulders while I was down in his final resting place with him as he went to sleep with his head in my lap
