Astro Is Gone., I know we did the right thing, but it hurts Options

[Shortrish]

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