Today was a tough one. Phoebe, the kitty who (as our vet put it) was his "Timex kitty since she took a licking and kept on ticking," finally gave in to kidney failure after living 13 months longer than expected (we'd been told her kidney numbers were "off the charts" and we should "put her down today" last March!). She missed her 20th birthday by only a few months.
It wasn't an easy decision today, but she'd finally truly outlived her kidneys….and had, in the past few days, due to a quick change in her kidney status, sustained brain damage that suddenly caused her to lose most of her sight, and she was no longer was able to eat or urinate (although sweet girl still wandered to the litterbox to try!). We tried syringe feeding briefly, but she couldn't keep it down. So today my husband and I made the horribly difficult decision that it was the right time…while she still recognized us….recognized our touch….our scratches under her chin…while she still knew a little pleasure and comfort in this world.
And she went as she'd lived….with a few little grumbles under her breath…but with a quiet dignity, while lying on her favorite heating pad, closing her eyes in the comfort of my chin scratches and ear rubs, and my husband telling her she was the best old girl she could possibly be. And she was the best old girl…right up until the very end, slipping quietly away. My sleeping buddy…my gorgeous old girl…will be horribly missed. Sleep well tonight Phoebe.
It wasn't an easy decision today, but she'd finally truly outlived her kidneys….and had, in the past few days, due to a quick change in her kidney status, sustained brain damage that suddenly caused her to lose most of her sight, and she was no longer was able to eat or urinate (although sweet girl still wandered to the litterbox to try!). We tried syringe feeding briefly, but she couldn't keep it down. So today my husband and I made the horribly difficult decision that it was the right time…while she still recognized us….recognized our touch….our scratches under her chin…while she still knew a little pleasure and comfort in this world.
And she went as she'd lived….with a few little grumbles under her breath…but with a quiet dignity, while lying on her favorite heating pad, closing her eyes in the comfort of my chin scratches and ear rubs, and my husband telling her she was the best old girl she could possibly be. And she was the best old girl…right up until the very end, slipping quietly away. My sleeping buddy…my gorgeous old girl…will be horribly missed. Sleep well tonight Phoebe.