I Miss My Puck Options

[PucksMom]

Hi... It will be a week ago tomorrow morning that I lost my furry little soulmate. It was completely unexpected and I just can't seem to get a grip.
Puck was my first kitty that I chose. He was born to a feral momma that we took in to spay. I was supposed to rehome him like I did with his brothers and sisters, but when he was the last little kitty left of his litter and I was completely alone- my mom had gone with my big sister on her move across the country, and I took a look at my teeny little monkey cat and knew that he was my baby.
He was very timid. Pretty much scared of everything- even my mom, whose house he lived in for the first 3 years of his life- but he was never scared of me for me.
We would play fetch until he was bright pink and panting and he would still beg for more. Most nights he laid on my chest, his head under my chin, his front legs around my neck, kneading and purring until he fell asleep, and if he wasn't there, he was laying on his back tucked between my arm and my side.
When he was only a few months old, we took in two orphaned kittens. Puck loved them. He would clean them after their bottles, sleep curled up with him, even though he was just a baby himself. They found new homes, but after about a year, one of the babies had to come back from his adoptive home. It was like Puck and Batman had never been apart. They napped curled up together and would groom each other.
I moved to my first apartment a month and a half ago, and he moved with me.
Late last thursday night, he started acting very different... He was very very crabby, very vocal, and was sitting strangely, and running in and out of the littterbox. Right away I knew that he was having urinary tract issues. I wanted to take him to the vet on friday, but couldn't get off work. Saturday morning, I bundled him up and drove the 45 minutes to our vet.
My sister has a kitty who is on medication and prescription diet, and I was expecting to drop a bundle of money on various medications and more on prescription diet. But the vet felt his little belly and told me he was totally blocked...
they ran a quote for me, and I just broke down. It was more than I could afford. If everything went perfectly, it was more than I had in my account to pay because I recently had car repairs, student loan repayments, and if it went like they expected, it was going to be over a thousand dollars, with more bills coming down the . So I had to sit there and put a dollar sign against my best little friend's life.
I stayed with him until the end, petted him and told him how much I loved him. I thought I would have years with him. He wasn't even four years old.
I feel so guilty. I failed him because I didn't have enough money for that vet bill. I look at the things in my apartment and think that if I hadn't gotten all these things, I could have saved him.
I also failed him by missing some of the signs that he was getting sick..... there was fewer pee spots in the litter box, and I had attributed a little bit of lethargy to him being mad about some stray cats sitting outside my apartment window, or maybe he was mad that I had gone back to work after being home on vacation for a week.... Or he did have a paw condition called Plasma Cell Pododermatitis, which made his feet ouchy sometimes...
I was so busy with work coming back from my vacation that I didn't even put them all together.
I miss him so much, and so does Batman. He didn't eat for a couple of days. today he finally started playing again.
My mother wants me to take one of her cats, but Batman and Steve didn't really get along when they were at my mom's. I tried him for a day, but ended up taking him back. Batman was miserable, and it just reminded me that he was with me because I had failed my baby.
I have his collar and his favorite toy in a little box. It is my constant companion.
My sister thinks I should get a new cat to distract me, but I don't think I'm ready. Puck was more than a cat to me. I don't know if I can take in another cat- what if something happens to Batman? I'd have to sit there and say goodbye to another one. But I think that Puck would want me to give somebody else a home. There are so many that need it... I can't afford heroics, and I generally don't believe in them, but I could give somebody else a chance...
As I was driving to work on tuesday, I came around a curve and there was the prettiest, brightest half rainbow I had ever seen. I think maybe that was my little boy letting me know that he's ok. He was just a little guy... no way could he reach to make a whole rainbow...

[janika]

Hi Pucksmom

Thanks for posting the beautiful photos.

Puck looks adorable as does your Batman, They were so very close by the looks of it, so I think you have done the right thing by bringing the new baby home, especially if Batman has taken to him already. I hope all goes well there for you all.
Thats a good idea about the savings plan. Our pet insurance premiums just spiralled to the ridiculous after our Tasha was diagnosed with Diabetes, and as the girls were getting older, so we did the same thing, made sure we had a savings account for any pet emergencies.
You're vet probably realised how poorly little Puck was, otherwise, especially knowing you as well as he does, he would probably have done something if he could. A friend of ours whose niece is a vet, said , that the most heartbreaking thing is when people try to keep their beloved pets longer than they should. They spend thousands when , yes it might gain a little extra time for them to be here with us, but the suffering and treatments and then inevitably a poor life quality, make it so hard for the poor dear pet and also their owners.
It's so hard for us to accept the fact they have such short lives, but as Sharon said in her posting to you, we all have our time. We are so blessed that we get to share that time with our darling pets and the quality of life is the all important thing.
It's plain to see that your kitties are very well loved and cared for and that you are such a good Mom to them.
Please give Batman and new baby kitty a big hug from me.
Sending love to you and your Angel Puck and your kitties.
Jan and my Angels Tasha and Noushka xx