I Miss My Sweet Zilla So Much, I had to put my sweet boy to sleep Options

[LoveMyMickey]

Hi Cat Mom....We had a peaceful Labor Day weekend with rain and now has turned unseasonably cool for this time of year......I'm glad Munch did okay while at the vets and was eating. Looks like they would have something to give him at home for his appetite.

Oh no, you taped over a $10,000 video! That sure sounded like it would have won. He sure was an acrobat. I bet he is keeping all our little angel pets entertained.

The last pic you posted showed up as a red X, at least on my computer. I look forward to more of your stories.......I hope you have a peaceful evening.

LoveMyMickey

[Gretta's Mom]

Hello Zilla's mom

Just adding my best wishes for Munch's return to health and a piece of my heart to you on the angel-versary of him going to the Promised Land. Kitties are WONDERFUL - your pictures of your kitty family are so precious. They all look SO loved!

Please keep us posted on Mr Munch.

Gretta's mom

[leejaye]

Dear cat mom, That is, indeed, a smug look! Thanks for another great photo, I can't believe you taped over that video either, going on Zilla's exploits so far, it would have been a sure winner! Hope Munch is staying on track, sending you huge smiles for the ones you gave me today, Leejaye

[cat mom]

Hi LoveMyMickey, Gretta's Mom and leejaye,

Thanks for the kind words and the concerns about Munch. I did try to continue with the appetite stimulants when he came home from the vet - what a disaster! I guess those pills taste really foul. The first attempt at giving him, one he tasted it and spit it out, but with his saliva on the pill it started to dissolve. I picked it up and tried to give it to him again - big mistake. Some of the pill smeared in his mouth, and absolute RIVERS of saliva started to flow. Great streaming gobs of it everywhere! I called and asked the vet about this, thinking he was having some kind of adverse reaction to the medication. She said it was a common reaction cats have when they taste something they don't like. She suggested I try to use a "pill popper", which I purchased. When I got home I tried again, but the problem was that the pills were tiny to begin with, and he was only suppose to have a half pill a day and the half pill just didn't stay in the pill popper very well. It fell out on his tongue before I could get it placed properly in his mouth, and the gobs of saliva started again. By this time, Munch was truly angry with me, and wouldn't let me near him for the rest of the day. I gave up on the pills, the syringe feedings were soooo much less stressful on him. I don't know how the vets got the pills in him, but I think I remember them saying that they were giving him medication by injection.

About that video of Zilla that I accidentally taped over - I was SO angry with myself when I realized what I had done. I still mentally kick myself over that one. My husband and I said we should mount video cameras throughout the house, because we never seem to have a camera ready when one of the cats has a "Kodak Moment". Case in point:

Zilla and the Monsters


Zilla use to love exploring, snooping, and sneaking into rooms he was not suppose to be in. He would go nosing around in cupboards and closets, finding all kinds of interesting things and getting into mischief. One evening, Gary and I were watching TV, and Zilla came slinking slowly into the room. His eyes were as big as saucers. We saw that there was something on his back like a cape and trailing behind him but couldn’t make out what it was. He started to walk a little faster, and the thing rustled - he walked even faster and the thing started to billow up...it's was a plastic grocery bag. Then he started to flat out run, and the bag fully opened like a parachute. He was in full panic mode - the "monster" was after
him... and gaining! We were laughing so hard we almost wet our pants! I finally grabbed hold of Zilla and took the bag off of him. I couldn't imagine how he did it, but he had one front leg through each of the handles and the bag draped over him just like a cape. From that day on, Zilla was scared of any plastic bag - a self induced phobia.

Another time, we were again watching TV in the evening, and Zilla was playing in his cat tunnel. Zoom! Run through from the left! Zoom! Run through from the right! Zoom!
And then he hit the brakes - the tunnel had snagged on the tags on his collar, and now it was following him like a giant multicolored worm. He started to run and that thing looked like it was something alive and was trying to swallow him. He raced through the kitchen and did a bank shot off the fridge, and I grabbed him as he was headed for the second lap.
Pants almost got wet again.....I would have thought that he would also be afraid of his tunnel after that, but he continued to play in it like nothing had happened.

Thank you all again for taking the time to read about Zilla. I am glad you can get a few smiles from his adventures. If it helps even one of you to ease your pain from your own loss, I know Zilla would be happy.

Have a peaceful evening and warm hugs to you all.

Cat Mom

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[moon_beam]

Hi, cat mom, thank you so much for sharing with us more of your treasured memories of your beloved Zilla, and for the wonderful picture of him in his tunnel. Those pill poppers require developing a technique in using them, for sure. I'm chuckling at your Zilla's response to the taste of his medication. My Eli was "anit-pill" - - in any form or fashion of disguising it - - including "yummy" pill pockets. And it wasn't just a matter of spitting out the pill - - he had to see HOW FAR he could spit it. Even the vet commented on this. Once he got "wise" that I was trying to give him medication disguised in peanut butter or pill pockets or chicken - - he would have nothing to do with it. It would have been easier being a lion tamer than trying to give him his medication.

I do thank you so very much for sharing your beloved Zilla with us. I so enjoy reading through your treasured memories. I hope today is being kind to you, cat mom. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers, and am looking forward to sharing your cherished memories of your beloved Zilla whenever possible.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

[LoveMyMickey]

Oh, Cat Mom, I have tears again tonight, not from sadness, but from laughing, almost spit water on my keyboard. .....I could just picture Zilla with that paper bag and also the tunnel. More winners for you....The tunnel picture was cute.

I know what you mean about the pills. We always had to trick Mickey into taking his. And if it was a bitter pill, forget it. Good thing his antibiotics came in liquid form and tasted better.

Cat Mom, again, thank you for sharing your Zilla stories.....I bet Zilla is up there keeping all our angel-pets smiling.........I hope you have a pleasant evening.

Hugs,

LoveMyMickey

[leejaye]

Hi cat mom, Thanks again for the great Zilla stories - they make my day start with a smile! We had to give my Mischief cat appetite stimulants, if I didn't get them down on the first go (and she got really good at hiding them in her cheek and spitting them out when I wasn't looking) they turned into this horrible crumbling paste that obviously didn't taste too good smeared on her tongue, some days I just felt it was too stressful for her and didn't worry about them, instead i concentrated on finding something yummy that she would feel like eating (towards the end she took a fancy to some imported French duck terrine I had bought for myself as a treat - I think she ate most of it! By this stage the vet agreed whatever she wanted to eat she could have...so long as it wasn't chocolate!)...hope you can find something that works for Munch, sending you hugs Leejaye

[cat mom]

A Day Of Remembrance

Hi Moon Beam, LoveMyMickey and leejaye, and all of you who who have graciously read about my memories of my sweet boy, Zilla....

Today is a day for remembering all of those who have gone on before us, all of those whose lives were cut tragically short on this day 10 years ago, and all of our companion animals whose lives ended way before we were ready to let them go and just remembering all of our loved ones who have left this world ahead of us.

I know so many of you are struggling with your own losses, and for so many of you, remembering our loved ones still is so painful. To you who are dealing with the grief, I can only offer my sincere wishes that you find comfort in knowing that only the physical bodies of our fur kids are gone, their bright spirits still live in us and around us and in our memories - as long as they are in our thoughts and hearts, they will always be with us.

I will share just a few more memories of Zilla, today, maybe the pictures will bring a smile to you and lighten your hearts...

Zilla - A Big Boy...

As Zilla got older, he started to put on weight. He loved to eat, and at the time of his passing, he weighed 18 pounds!
He seemed to have the need to compete for food with Munch and Tank, even though they all had their own bowls and were given the same amount of food. The result of this was he pretty much outgrew his cat beds. He would sleep in all sorts of contorted positions, trying to fit as much of himself in the bed as possible - sometimes the positions he got into were not the most modest or flattering ones...... (picture 1)

As a kitten, he loved to crawl under the legs of an end table that we have - as he grew larger, he still tried to crawl under it, but he would get stuck and we had to come over and lift the table off of him to free him. He would try his best to push himself through, but when he realized that we was good and truly stuck, he would start to meow softly, like he was embarrassed and saying quietly "a little help, please....!! " Thank goodness he never did that while we were away from home! (picture 2)

Thank you all for taking the time to share my memories of Zilla, he was such a bright, happy, fun loving soul and I still miss him so very much.

I hope you have a peaceful day and I send warm thoughts and hugs to you all.

Cat Mom

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[moon_beam]

Hi, cat mom, thank you so much for sharing your beloved Zilla with us, and how you are doing. The pictures of your beloved Zilla are tremendous - - wish you could see me smiling - - thank you so very much for sharing these treasured memories with us.

I hope today is being kind to you, cat mom. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers, and always look forward to sharing your cherished memories of your beloved Zilla whenever possible.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

[leejaye]

Dear cat mom, Your thread is my regular stop for a smile to start off the day, you've even hooked my partner, he loves your photos and stories too - I think you need to write an adventures of Zilla book!! I hope the world sends you as many smiles as you have sent me, and that it is easier for you today, hugest hugs from Leejaye

[cat mom]

Hi Leejaye and Moon Beam and all of you who have been reading about my kitty, Zilla

Thank you all for continuing to read about Zilla's antics. I'll tell a few more memories about him today, but I think this posting will pretty much wrap it up. I don't want to get boring, blathering on and on about "Zilla the Wonder Cat"

You may remember the posting where I mentioned getting Zilla's "Great Escape" on video, only to later accidentally tape over it. One of his quirks was always wanting to go where he shouldn't. His biggest goal was to try to sneak out to the front yard. We would use this to sometimes tease him. Our house is set up to where you can see from the back yard through the French doors and see through the house to the front door. Zilla would often sit outside at the French doors, waiting to be let in, even though he had a cat door of his own that he could go in and out to the back yard as he pleased. Sometimes, when we would see him at the French doors, we would go and open the front door widely, so Zilla could get a good look. His eyes would get big, and he would get all excited and race around through his cat door and try to make it out the front door. Of course, we would always close the door just before he got there, and he would just glare at us and give a big, disgusted huff and walk off. As many times as we would do this he always came racing in, thinking that THIS TIME would be the time that he made it out to the front yard. Such an optimist!

He loved the snow, especially when it was fresh and fluffy. He would go out on the deck and "snow plow" through it, pushing up little snow berms all over the deck. One time he came running in all the way from the back fence through the snow. It was about a foot deep, so he didn't quite see where the edge of the deck was, and he tripped on it and did a huge face-plant and slid about two feet. He got up, shook himself off and gave me one of those "I meant to do that" looks, and walked the rest of the way into the house.

Zilla was my little shadow, where ever I was, he was there. He seemed to know when I was having a bad day or not feeling well, he would crawl up into my lap and start purring like a race car, and it would make me feel better almost instantly. When I would be typing at my computer, he would jump up on my desk and sit just to the left of my keyboard. He would sit patiently for a few minutes, and I would purposely ignore him to see what he would do. He would start huffing, and shifting his weight from side to side, then finally reach out and very gently touch my face with his paw, begging for attention. Of course, I gave it to him in bucket-loads!

Zilla was my once-in-a-lifetime cat, and I thank all you again for reading about him and sharing his memories with me, and keeping him alive through these writings. I will always love him and miss him. I hope these stories of Zilla have brought you a few smiles and I also hope that when you feel it is right and the pain of your loss has eased enough, maybe you will want to share some of your memories of your own fur-kids with us.

Bless you all, Moon Beam, Leejaye, LoveMyMickey, Gretta's Mom and all of you who are here to grieve and heal. I'll check back from time to time to see how you all are doing.
Big Hugs and Warm Thoughts to you all.

Cat Mom

PS Attaching one final picture of Zilla in his deck hammock - instead of "Barcaloungers" I called them "Meowaloungers"

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[LoveMyMickey]

Hi Cat Mom....Zilla's pictures are so funny and cute. I have truly enjoyed Zilla's stories, they made me smile on days that I wanted to cry.........I hope you come back with more stories and pics when you can.

I hope you find some peace on your grief journey. You and family are always in my thoughts and prayers.

Hugs,

LoveMyMickey

[leejaye]

Hi cat mom, Just adding my thanks to LoveMyMickey - none of your Zilla tales are boring, and you are certainly not blathering! (He IS a wonder cat!). Please make sure you check back in when you feel like it!! Sending my best wishes and hugs to you and yours, Leejaye

[moon_beam]

Hi, cat mom, I read your most thoughtful and touching response to Tom's Dad, and wish to offer you my sincerest sympathies in the loss of your husband. Although I have never been married I do know what it is like to lose someone deeply loved. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers, cat mom, and please do let us know how you're doing whenever possible.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

[LoveMyMickey]

Dear Cat Mom.....Like moon_beam I also read your thoughtful response to Tom's Dad.....Please accept my sympathy in the loss of your dear husband. You are in my thoughts and prayers. God Bless You.....

Hugs,

LoveMyMickey

[cat mom]

Hi Moon-Beam and LoveMyMickey
Thank you for the caring thoughts and good wishes. I know this is going to be an ordeal for a while, but my Mom taught me well. She always hammered into me a sense of self-reliance. She told me "Always be able to take care of yourself, because you never know when you might have to." So, I know I have a rough journey ahead of me, but I will make it out the other side just fine.
I wish you both a peaceful Thanksgiving tomorrow.
Cat Mom

[moon_beam]

Hi, Cat Mom, thank you so very much for sharing with us how you're doing. I am so very sorry about what happened with your husband. Cancer is a horrible and cruel illness. My mom had non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and endured a year of total hell with the treatments (both radiation and chemo) all of which nearly killed her. She had a very long and painful recovery, but she "survived", and 5 years later was just beginning to feel like a human being again when we were hit head on by a driver who lost control of his car due to excessive speed. Six weeks later she died from her injuries - - and I physically survived. I share your feelings when you shared with Tom's Dad, "I feel like my whole world is crumbling". It has been 26 years now since that horrible August morning, and it is still one day at a time for me. Like you, I would not have gotten through the years of surgery and rehab without my precious furkids who were with me during that very dark time. They were my purpose for trying, they were my earthly guardian angels.

I wish you peace in your heart, Cat Mom. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers, and look forward to knowing how you're doing whenever possible.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

[LoveMyMickey]

Dear Cat Mom...I just want you to know I am thinking about you and saying prayers for you. I know this will be a long and hard journey, but I hope each day will be more peaceful........Try to relax and enjoy your furbabies today.....Hugs..

LoveMyMickey

[Tom's Dad]

cat mom

I also wanted to drop by and let you know that you and your fur babies are in my thoughts and prayers. I hope you had a peacful Thanksgiving. Take care.


TTT

[Kristina]

Hi Catmom

I thought I had posted in here before but apparently had not. I really enjoyed looking through your pictures, what a happy baby you had! Some made me laugh out loud. I want to add my sincere condolences for your loss. I won't say that I know what you are going through, because I don't, but I will say that if you need someone to talk to I am here and more than willing to listen. I hope you have a good night, and a better day tomorrow. Sending lots of prayers your way.