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- Jul 25, 2007
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About 2 years ago my wife brought home a precious gift...a smokey grey cat we called Bella. My wife got her from a co-worker who found her limping and injured in a Taco Bell parking lot. The co-worker had her taken care of (broken hip, injury between right eye and ear) . My wife brought her home and Bella was immediately at home. She never hid or was skittish. She was on our laps watching TV and even slept with us. In fact, every night at 9:30 she goes to bed and waits for my wife to come in.
She's had a bad hip....occationally walking funny, but never acting like she was in pain.And the wound on her head never healed. She would be OK a while, but then hit a phase where she'd scatch it until it was busted open. Take her to the vet, get cortizon shot for the hip (which also made her head not itch), repeat...every 3-4 months.
We love Bella like our child. Since we can't have our own kids...she is our child. She goes to bed with us( she snores louder than me!), sits on our laps while we're on the computer, sits with us while we watch TV. When we come home after work we are greeted with her running up to us with a huge long "mmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwww www" (seriously, I didn't know they could do it for that long.) There is no doubt she misses us when were gone and happy we are home. We learned her favorite foods: cheese, mayonaise, and eggs. If either of us ate anything like that she would patiently wait, and when we finished we'd place the plate on the floor and she'd have her share. She's the most mellow, loving animal I've ever been around. She is one of those that we feel extremely lucky to have in our lives. She matches us perfect.
Over the last few months, her head wound has gotten bigger. To try to keep her from scatching, we put a lampshade collar on her. She never complained...took it in stride. She's also seemed to not jump as much. She just looks at you and mews to pick her up. We thought maybe the collar threw her balance off or something.
During the power outage because of the ice storm here in Kentucky, she would cuddle with me and my arm would be around her. We'd lay there all day until "momma's home!" lol
Right after the ice storm I took her to the vet. With all the cuddling we noticed the wound stank and was infected. We tried to clean it with paroxide but we knew she needed antibiotics. I took her while my wife was at work and heard the worse new at that point. "I'm sorry...that looks tumorish...there's nothing I can do."
Of course my wife and I hit denial. Nah...she's just messed with it so much there's scar tissue built up. We continued antibiotics and cleaning it twice a day.
Well, she messed herself up a while ago...not sure how with the collar on...there was blood all over her face. It looked like she ripped her eye out! Literally half her poor face was cover in blood. And of course we were freaking out more than her! lol We we're running around incoherently and she just sat there like "what?"
We rushed her to the vet with my wife holding a paper towel on her face to stop the bleeding...and of course it was rush hour and I got every stoplight...well, we get there and he looks at her. It looks like 1) she popped open a capillary 2)the cancer is spreading aggressively.
Even though we've been giving her antibiotics twice a day and cleaning it with peroxide, she has an infection deep in her ear where the cancer spread spread since I was there about 2 weeks ago.
The Dr. said if she were human she'd be on radiation.
There is a point a person has to reach with a pet. Eventually a scale needs to tip one way or another. Our selfishness out of love for her to be with us vs our compassion and wanting to end her pain out of love for her. Today the scale tipped. We brought her home to spend a few more days to say goodbye.
Typically Bella, she was being the cool cat...I've driving home with Camille holding her...both of us crying (me the big muscled tough guy and her the ice queen Brit)...and Bella is purring like crazy. It's weird. If her head wasn't messed up you wouldn't know she was sick, even though now in hindsight, about the time she wanted picked up instead of jumping and all started, she also started losing weight and sleeping more....but looking at her she's doesn't look in pain and seems really happy...maybe she's just the type to suck it up and not let it show.
We got home and took the lampshade collar she's had on the past few weeks off...we're gonna let her be as comfortable as possible the next few days. Tomorrow we're putting her on her leash (yes, she is a cat that wears a leash...quit happily in fact) and taking her to the park.
I can't imagine not having her around.
This is defintely the hardest thing I've ever done....I've never done it before...
I guess we're past denial and now at the second guessing..should we have/could we have/ect.
Keep us in your thought guys...we have a rough week ahead....
We love you Bella.
She's had a bad hip....occationally walking funny, but never acting like she was in pain.And the wound on her head never healed. She would be OK a while, but then hit a phase where she'd scatch it until it was busted open. Take her to the vet, get cortizon shot for the hip (which also made her head not itch), repeat...every 3-4 months.
We love Bella like our child. Since we can't have our own kids...she is our child. She goes to bed with us( she snores louder than me!), sits on our laps while we're on the computer, sits with us while we watch TV. When we come home after work we are greeted with her running up to us with a huge long "mmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwww www" (seriously, I didn't know they could do it for that long.) There is no doubt she misses us when were gone and happy we are home. We learned her favorite foods: cheese, mayonaise, and eggs. If either of us ate anything like that she would patiently wait, and when we finished we'd place the plate on the floor and she'd have her share. She's the most mellow, loving animal I've ever been around. She is one of those that we feel extremely lucky to have in our lives. She matches us perfect.
Over the last few months, her head wound has gotten bigger. To try to keep her from scatching, we put a lampshade collar on her. She never complained...took it in stride. She's also seemed to not jump as much. She just looks at you and mews to pick her up. We thought maybe the collar threw her balance off or something.
During the power outage because of the ice storm here in Kentucky, she would cuddle with me and my arm would be around her. We'd lay there all day until "momma's home!" lol
Right after the ice storm I took her to the vet. With all the cuddling we noticed the wound stank and was infected. We tried to clean it with paroxide but we knew she needed antibiotics. I took her while my wife was at work and heard the worse new at that point. "I'm sorry...that looks tumorish...there's nothing I can do."
Of course my wife and I hit denial. Nah...she's just messed with it so much there's scar tissue built up. We continued antibiotics and cleaning it twice a day.
Well, she messed herself up a while ago...not sure how with the collar on...there was blood all over her face. It looked like she ripped her eye out! Literally half her poor face was cover in blood. And of course we were freaking out more than her! lol We we're running around incoherently and she just sat there like "what?"
We rushed her to the vet with my wife holding a paper towel on her face to stop the bleeding...and of course it was rush hour and I got every stoplight...well, we get there and he looks at her. It looks like 1) she popped open a capillary 2)the cancer is spreading aggressively.
Even though we've been giving her antibiotics twice a day and cleaning it with peroxide, she has an infection deep in her ear where the cancer spread spread since I was there about 2 weeks ago.
The Dr. said if she were human she'd be on radiation.
There is a point a person has to reach with a pet. Eventually a scale needs to tip one way or another. Our selfishness out of love for her to be with us vs our compassion and wanting to end her pain out of love for her. Today the scale tipped. We brought her home to spend a few more days to say goodbye.
Typically Bella, she was being the cool cat...I've driving home with Camille holding her...both of us crying (me the big muscled tough guy and her the ice queen Brit)...and Bella is purring like crazy. It's weird. If her head wasn't messed up you wouldn't know she was sick, even though now in hindsight, about the time she wanted picked up instead of jumping and all started, she also started losing weight and sleeping more....but looking at her she's doesn't look in pain and seems really happy...maybe she's just the type to suck it up and not let it show.
We got home and took the lampshade collar she's had on the past few weeks off...we're gonna let her be as comfortable as possible the next few days. Tomorrow we're putting her on her leash (yes, she is a cat that wears a leash...quit happily in fact) and taking her to the park.
I can't imagine not having her around.
This is defintely the hardest thing I've ever done....I've never done it before...
I guess we're past denial and now at the second guessing..should we have/could we have/ect.
Keep us in your thought guys...we have a rough week ahead....
We love you Bella.