Goodbye To Munchkin Options

[featherz]

I just put my kitty munchkin to sleep.. I feel guilty (doesn't everyone?) because she was still eating and alert, but I could tell the end was approaching. She had multiple medical problems and has been incontinent for about 5 years and wore a diaper. She was emaciated and had eye ulcers that medication were not helping. Everyday I woke up and thought that that this cat is NOT enjoying life except for mealtime.. And she was getting worse although her appet*ite was still hanging in there.

I discussed it with my husband and we decided to let her go. The euthanasia was very very well done, she just went to sleep on her favorite blankie in a nice room with murals, not on a cold exam table. I still feel awful, but I didn't want her to die in agony like another of our cats did when we waited too long out of hope she'd improve.

/sniff.. Goodbye little kitty, we miss you already..

http://munchkin.critters.com/

Heather

[LoveThem]

I'm so sorry about Munchkin. I followed your link and saw your Memorial and picture. It is truly a beautiful tribute. I tried to leave a message but couldn't read the bottom code and couldn't tell if one letter was a v or a y or whatever so they wouldn't accept my note there but I did visit.

From your memorial it appears she was just past 12 years old. I don't know if you had her all those years but I'm sure whatever time you had with her was very precious.

You recognized the quality was missing and helped her. I notice you thanked the Berdoo Humane Society. I grew up there years ago and am glad you were helped there.

I'm sorry it was her time. We do miss them forever but they added something very special to our lives and for that, we will always be grateful we knew them.

I wish you peace and hugs. It is not easy to lose a baby. Not at any time.

[goliath]

Whatever we do with our loved pet loves, they know and trust that the decisions we make for them are made out of love. I hope and pray I never have to make a decision to put one of my babies to sleep. That had to be very hard on you.

Remember the great and happy memories you and munchkin shared together. Hold them in your heart and bask in the beauty of your relationship with her.

As you find yourself grieving and missing little munchkin may you be blessed with the comfort and peace you seek.

The precious memories I have of my Goliath will stay in my mind and heart forever. He taught me so many of lifes lessons of love while he was here and after he passed away he continued to make a difference in who I am today. His love touches me so deeply every single day of my life and I am richer in spirit and my faith because of it. Our hearts were joined together forever the moment we met. One day he and I will meet again and spend eternity together.

May you find a calm and peacefulness in your heart as you begin your way in coping with the passing of your beloved munchkin. You too will grow in a way you never thought imaginable. As you cherish your little munchkin's memories and keep her close to your heart, she will be all around you in spirit for the rest of your life until you and she also meet again.

Peace, love, and comfort from the bottom of my heart is what I send you this day.

[Jon730]

I still feel awful, but I didn't want her to die in agony like another of our cats did when we waited too long out of hope she'd improve

For all the joy we get paid for the responsibility we accept, the emotional bill comes due at the end. I always feel like a Dr. Mengele, and think, "This is the part that sucks".

I console myself by recognizing it as our duty:

''Animals are more than ever a test of our character, of mankind's capacity for empathy and for decent, honorable conduct and faithful stewardship.... We are called to treat them with kindness, not because they have rights or power or some claim to equality, but in a sense because they don't; because they all stand unequal and powerless before us.''
-- Matthew Scully, from "Dominion"

And:
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Whether secularly or Scripturally, it is simply our job to Be Boss, whether we want it or not. And like a Boss, some of the things we are required to do, we do reluctantly and with no pleasure.

[featherz]

Thank you for your kind words. I think there is no 'right time' when to PTS a beloved pet unless it's obvious they were suffering. My munch didn't do any 'cat ' things anymore, no playing or rolling around and she didn't even clean herself. However, I kept putting it off since she did not appear to be in pain and had a good appet*ite. Finally we came to the decision that she was probably in a lot more discomfort than she let on - she never sat comfortably, she didn't groom and of course she had to endure frequent baths due to the bowel and bladder incontinence (r/t megacolon, hyperthyroid and a long ago hernia surgery that left her with a stricture). . My friends think I'm a saint for keeping a cat in diapers for so long but I just feel like I let her down.

San Berdoo was wonderful. I highly recommend them if the time ever comes for another. They have a special room with a rainbow bridge mural that made me cry.

[Jon730]

They have a special room with a rainbow bridge mural that made me cry. 

I know I could not handle that room. The site of it would make me fold up and completely lose it, as the original Rainbow Bridge writing did,
I went to pieces when I had posted this shot of the late Pepper The Yorkie, gone nearly ten years now, in another thread.
My wife took the picture. You can imagine what we call it:



I love it, but cannot look at it for long.

[goliath]

QUOTE=Jon730,Mar 18 2008, 08:01 PM]
For all the joy we get paid for the responsibility we accept, the emotional bill comes due at the end. I always feel like a Dr. Mengele, and think, "This is the part that sucks".

How well said Jon. I wouldn't trade the complete happiness and blissful joy my Goliath brought into my life for anything in this world. The emotional bill that does come due at the end really does suck. Even though we know when we bring these furry loves into our lives that one day we will have to part, we do it willingly anyway because of the deep love and compassion we have to share. The true connection and relationship we establish with these loves make it absolutely worthwhile.

[featherz]

What's even worse is I have another cat that may need to be PTS soon, and I had one also posted on here from last year that had a bad end from kidney failure and CHF. Bad things come in threes. I think it's because these three were very close in age (all around 13-14). I do everything I'm supposed to, but I don't get the luxury of a 20+ year old kitty. My sister in law hardly ever sees her cat and lets it run around outside and her kitty made it to 20. /sigh.

Good thing I have a bouncy kitten in the house as well..

That's a gorgeous picture, Jon.

[toonie]

My heart goes out to you Heather, this is a very hard time for you.

I think it's because these three were very close in age (all around 13-14). I do everything I'm supposed to, but I don't get the luxury of a 20+ year old kitty. My sister in law hardly ever sees her cat and lets it run around outside and her kitty made it to 20. /sigh.

I know how frustrating this must be for you. I can relate to this too, I was getting a bit too secure with my two forever healthy twelve year old cats, the winter they had turned 12 years old they both looked like they would be with us until their late teens or early twenties. I kept hoping for the same as what an old lady I had talked to told me about, that her cat who never had his teeth cleaned or went for vet check ups lived to be 22 and died in his sleep!So I thought that in the future the two sons would have gone to live their own lives and old toonie mom and toonie pop would be there for them when they would come visit, still there with old Yukon and Felix on their laps. Just a year later, both cats were gone, before the boys ever left...it all seemed so contrary to my dreams...

As for your sister in law's cat, let me give you the classic example. My father, who quit smoking in his early thirties, never drank much at all and only when socializing, who was a health freak and would count how many eggs he ate to make sure he had less than 4/week, watched his blood pressure and took pills for this, still suffered a debilitating stroke at 62, then his life went on with a series of other illnesses and ended up dying from cancer at 75. My in laws, same age, same background, ate fast food all their lives, took an extraordinary amount of pills to sleep, wake up, de stress, etc., ...and now in their mid eighties they're still hanging on. Go figure, they say the exceptions make the rules....they're the happy exceptions, never were well but still going strong!

You take care and know you are just beautiful the way you are going about a very hard time in your life. Hugs.

[LoveThem]

Hi..just wanted you to know I saw your posting in the Disease Section of the forum where you are talking about Pixie...your baby with CRF. Even though I posted to you there I also wanted to post here to anyone who reads about this beautiful baby, Munchkin, that they may want to follow the rest of what is going on cause you do need to vent, as you said. I'm pointing them to the topic of Sick Pixel in that section.

Your babies are lucky to have you and I know you feel lucky to have known them...because isn't that part of what we all feel about our special ones, past and present?

I saw in the other topic you said you had a psycho kitten to distract you and here you do mention a bouncy kitten. I'm glad you have this new special one. When you referred to the kitten as psycho...I did think about the shelter young one I just adopted in December, Lucky, cause "psycho" fits him also and he IS a huge distraction. He is one cat but instead of having 9 lives...I think he is 9 cats! Yes, it helps and it is a wonderful distraction to have at a time when it is important.

Take Care and I will follow your updates and venting should you feel like posting again soon in Pixie's topic in the Sickness section. I pray Pixie starts gaining weight.