Astro Is Gone.

Hello all - It's been six years since I was here last. Thankfully, it has been awhile. I was dreading the day when I would need to post here again. Six years ago, after we lost Scooter to kidney disease at age six, our son, dropped off his two cats to our local shelter, for, whatever reason. My husband and I had already adopted our little Marcel, and we love him so. That brought our cats to four. We went to visit our sons cats at the shelter, not intending to adopt them. They look so sad and tiny in the cage together. We went back a few more times to visit them, and they said we could have them for free, because if no one took them, they were going to be euthanized. So, there was no choice but to bring them home and love them. So, that brought our home to a total of 6 loving cats. They managed to get along, but on their terms. Well, as time went by, we discovered that Astro was a diabetic, and his brother Dante, had hyperthyroidism. So, we gave Astro shots, and Dante pills. Both cats lost weight, and it was a struggle to keep them managed. But, Astro finally got under control, and needed dental work to remove a tooth. After the surgery, he just seemed to go downhill, started to become anemic, and lose weight. His blood sugar was under control, and he seemed to have low blood sugars. The doctor could never figure out why he was anemic, but he continued to lose weight. We finally agreed to have an ultrasound done, and discovered that Astro had cancer of the bowel. Being that he was 14-15 years old, and anemic and blood sugar issues, we decided it was time to keep him comfortable and love him until it was time. That was about two months ago. Astro started having trouble eating, and just did not seem interested in any food we offered him. The only thing he liked, was these little chicken treats, and the shrimp my husband would eat timetimes. He never ate much, just barely enough to stay alive. We could tell he was getting thinner, and yesterday morning, he was meowing while in the litter box, having trouble going, not acting right. And, he would just meow and look at us, as if asking, what is wrong with me, Help me please. He was even pawing at the bedspread as if wanted to use that as a litter box. He finally went in the litter box, but it was time. I told my husband, it was not fair to keep him here with us, because of the pain to let him go. So, I made an appointment at the vet that usually treated him . Thankfully, he was available, and spoke to us first. Astro was made comfortable on a nice blanket, and was given a sedative first. This would need to work for about five minutes. The only thing I regret now, was not calling the vet back in, when Astro's tongue was going in and out, as if he were licking the air. This went on for about a minute, then we settled him down, and he was resting comfortably, as if sleeping. Then the vet and the tech came in, and gave him the final injection. It did not take long. I cried my heart out, even though I know, we did what was right for him, not us. We gave him six years that he would not have had, but I still hurt so bad. I miss him, look at his picture that I took, before we left for the vet. His littermate, Dante, keeps looking for his brother. That breaks my heart. We are going to have Astro's ashes returned to us, so he will be back home with us, but always in our hearts.
We almost lost his brother Dante about two months go too. We came home, and Dante was in distress, he could not jump onto the bed, and his balance was way off. So we rushed him to the vet, and he had very high blood pressure, and we almost lost him. The bp medication worked fast, in a day or so, but we had two sleepless nights watching him. His blood pressure is now under control, and so is his hyperthroidism.
I'm not well either. I got sick around the same time as Dante. I had a procedure that shows that I have cells that can turn into uterine cancer, so I'm having surgery on June 7th, so the doctor can see if it has turned into cancer or not. (Having a D&C). Just a lot to deal with in such a short time.
Thank you so much for letting me talk, My husband is not the best listener, or comforter. Peace and love to you all.
Trisha

It's Been Two Years Today

Hello Everyone,

I've continued to read everyones stories about your losses, and I always feel your pain, and know exactly what you are going through. Reading about your losses,, always brings me back to losing Scooter two years ago today to kidney disease.

I feel kind of lost and numb at the same time today. I can't believe that two years have gone by so fast. I never thought that I would survive the pain and loss of our Scooter. Every morning when I get up, I say good morning to Scooter as I turn off his nightlight in our bathroom. Every morning, he used to come charging into the bathroom to drink from the sink as I turned the water on to brush my teeth. Without fail he was always there. He is always in our hearts, and some of you may remember that my husband and I built a memorial garden in one of our flower beds, complete with a bridge and various creatures from garden centers and angels were placed there. Kind of our own Rainbow Bridge. We completed it exactly one year ago. It's flowers change from year to year, depending on what we find or want to plant. That garden is our reminder as we look out on it all year long, that our Scooter is always with us. On the days when I feel as though he has left us completely, there will be a rainbow, or there will be a cat on TV that looks exactly like Scooter used to.

The other day, we dropped off some extra pet bowls and beds that we ha to our local animal shelter, and saw a kitten that looked so much like Scooter, that my husband had to drag me away before we adopted a 7th kittie.

Today has been difficult, and the week leading up to the second anniversary of our losing him. This morning, I had the most awful dreams before I woke up and I was crying in these dreams. I could not wake up, as much as I wanted to. I would kind of wake, then fall back to sleep, and into the same awful dream about loss and death of a loved one. It seemed so real, and my tears were real when I finally was able to wake up from my awful dream. I forced myself up out of bed, and eventually just started crying, a continuation from my awful dream. I've no idea where the dream came from, but it has stuck with me, and I will have to tell my husband about it when he gets home, or else, I will dream it again.

I guess I'm just rambling on and not making much sense, but today just doesn't feel normal at all, everything is out of sync and I am lost and alone. That's why I came here. When we lost Scooter, I found this site, and it helped me through so much of the pain, and helped me to vent at the indifference of those that thought I should be over Scooters loss. There was such sadness, that I didn't even want to get up, eat, or even function. I just wanted to pull the covers up over my head, and not exist anymore. Without this site, and the comfort and understanding of everyone here, I'd have probably gone crazy.

I have posted in new beginnings before, about the new additions to our family. Little Marel, and Astro and Dante all came along, and there is love enough for all of them. They get us through our days, and seem to know just when I need a cuddle from one of them (which is often).

Our two grandsons have been an added blessing that have added to our joy and keep us going. I guess what I am trying to say, is that, things do get better with time. You can expect setbacks from time to time, and that is normal. Today I have relived every moment of that awful day two years ago, not by choice, but by what choice we had to make for Scooter. He was only 5 years old, not quite 6.

We remember him with our pictures, and the video that we had unexpectedly found of him, on tape, a true treasure.

To all of you, I send you my hugs and best thoughts and prayers, that you get through one day at a time. This site will help you, as it help me.

Love to all of you,

Scooters Mom, Trish

Update On Our Family

After we lost Scooter at the age of 5 to kidney failure, without this site, I don't think I could have gotten through the awful pain we feel when we lose one of our furkids. We swore that we would never get another cat, and remain only a 3 cat home.

Those of you from about 17 months ago, may remember that I was volunteering at a shelter, and giving love to cats that had no homes. Well, a little kitten named Marcel came into our hearts, though gradually at first I suppose. I'd go to the shelter, and Marcel was the first little guy there in a huge cage to great everyone. I was surprised that he wasn't adopted out every time that I went. Little Marcel was still there, and he and I formed a bond, that just grew and grew. One day, I had my husband come with, but he just wasn't quite ready yet for another kitty.

Then, on a whim, I asked if we could bring Marcel home with us, and we almost literally ran to the shelter to bring him home with us. Just in the nick of time too, because someone one else was asking about him as we were filling out the paperwork. Marcel has been a little ball of fire, and has turned into my little guardian. When I am on the computer, he sits by my feet (or in front of the screen), just to be near. He seems to be the prince of the household now. He has grown to be quite a clown, and a handsome clown at that.

After Marcel, my son had to drop off his cats at the same shelter. We'd hoped that they could be adopted together. So, my husband and I visited them on a regular basis, because they just looked so forlorne on the adoption web site. And, they'd been sort of my grandkitties you could say. They just cuddled together in their cage, looking pathetic. Then they both got sick, and had to go into isolation. After they were well, we decided that no one was going to adopt them, so we rescued them. So, our household now consists of Boo, Fidget, Gabbie, Astro, Dante and Marcel. It is interesting with 6 cats, and all with different personalities. We know that Scooter is with us always in our hearts. I get teary at times and miss Scooter terribly, and I know that my husband when he hears a certain song, is tearful also. But, we were able to open our hearts to let more love in, and we are so grateful that God sent these kitties to us to love and care for. I'm going to try and attach a new picture of Marcel, and get pictures of Astro and Dante put on this site also.

My love to all (Fidget is the cat with his paw around Marcel)

Dangers Of Cocoa Mulch

My girlfriend send me an e-mail about Cocoa Mulch, manufactured by The Hershey Company. It is supposed to deter cats from going into your garden. Apparently, this mulch, if eaten can be toxic and cause death if eaten by a dog or cat. The site for more information is

http://www.snopes.com/Critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp

Concerns About Toxoplasmosis Diagnosis

Hello - I came here a little over a year ago when we lost our 6 year old cat Scooter to Kidney failure. Now, Fidget, only 4 had to go to the vet, for vomiting and weight loss issues. Gradually over time, he started losing weight, and we thought it was the weight loss food he was on. But, it became more pronounced with vomiting becoming more frequent. Fidget used to weigh close to 22 pounds, but is down to almost 15 pounds now. We had to wait for the test results to come back, and the diagnosis is Toxoplasmosis. Fidget is a totally indoor cat, and always has been,, from when we adopted him as a kitten. I have concerns because we adopted my sons two cats (indoor also), and wonder if Fidget may have gotten it from one of them. One of the cats, vomits up his food a few times a week, and always has since he was a kitten. He has thrived though, so far, and is 10 years old. So, his vomiting up his food, was just what he did and was considered normal (though probably not now).

We have 6 cats total now, and I'm so concerned because cats will use each others litter boxes. So, weekly cleaning with steaming hot water is recommended, from what I've read in articles about toxoplasmosis. My concern though is transmission to the other cats in the household. I don't see how I can just have Fidget using just one litter box. Has anyone else had this problem with their cat?

Another thing the test showed up was an abmormal Pancreas test. Not super high, but not in the normal range either.

The vet said we would start him on a certain medication, for about 4 weeks, and retest for toxoplasmosis, and his pancreas after 4 weeks of treatment.

My stomach is in knots, because Fidget is so sweet. Does anyone have any recomendations about how to keep this from being transmitted to our other cats? Or cleaning around the house/ shared food bowls, drinking water.? Any advice would be appreciated. I'm also concerned about the recovery and if it is possible.

My vet also said this could lead to chronic inflammatory disease of the bowels, and I'm just so upset right now. Need a shoulder to lean on please?