My Beloved Cleo Is Gone Options

[Cleo's Mom]

This is my first day visiting this site and I an awed by the empathy and sharing...

I lost my beloved 15 year old Siamese cat, Cleo, on Thanksgiving Day. While she had slowed down over the last several months, I had no idea how ill she was, so her death is a shock.

I had just taken her to the vet for her annual check up the Saturday before Thanksgiving and she appeared well to the vet. She had been diagnosed with borderline renal disease about a year ago, and was doing well on a special diet. On Sunday evening, the started having difficulty breathing, so I rushed her to an emergency center where they assumed she had a possible cardiac condition. In the morning, I took her to my vet who referred me to a regional animal center where they actually had cardiologists and other specialists. They diagnosed her with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but thought that they could treat her heart failure with diuretics and send her home in a couple of days. I was so relieved after having basically stayed up all night in the emergency center and then at home worrying about her. Unfortunatley, the diuretics led to acute kidney failure and she worsened suddenly over the next two days. They told me on Thanksgiving morning that I had no choice but to have her euthanized. I was able to stay with her and hold her, and, althought she was very drowsy due to the renal failure, I know that she knew I was with her.

What I wasn't prepared for is the devastaing grief that follows. I have lost family members, including my parents, and this is really just about as bad. The first few days were almost unbearable.......my other cat (also Siamese and her sister for the full 15 years) cries and looks for her...that is heartbreaking to watch.

While I do belive that I will see her again one day, that doesn't seem to help me much at all right now........

[Daisy's Mommy]

I read your posting and want to express my sympathy for your terrible loss. All of us on this site understand how you feel, having suffered similar losses ourselves. The pain is really unbearable. It helps me to think that the pain is the price for having known and loved my furbaby. As bad as it is, it is worth the price. I would not have missed a minute with my Daisy no matter how much I am suffering now. I am sure that you feel the same about your Cleo.

Your beloved cat had a long life, filled with happiness and love, because of you. Not only that - you were with her when she left this earth, so she left without pain or fear, supported by your love. And now, she is safe in God's care now, awaiting a happy reunion with you and her feline sister.

With great sympathy,

Daisy's Mommy

[Furry's mum]

Dear Cleo's mum,
I am so sorry to read that your Cleo died so suddenly. My best beloved Furry died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy on July 23rd. I suppose I was fortunate that she coped with all the medications so well for 21 months after the initial diagnosis & her kidneys didn't fail.
Like you, even though I knew she was very ill, it was such a shock when her health deteriorated so quickly on that last day. I always thought she would recover, as she had before. Having to make the decision to put them to sleep is terrible, & I know I should have done it a few hours sooner.
15 years is a long time, Furry was only 12. No matter if it had been 35 years I know that the time we had with them was never going to be long enough.
My feelings of grief have been far worse than any I felt for any family member, & that seems to be true for a lot of the people who post here.
The love we get from our fubabies is different & can be much more intense.
Give her sister lots of love & attention - she will help you to carry on & she needs it so much now. I did adopt another cat - an older lady. She has been a great comfort to me, as she is very loving. But I still miss my Furry everyday & think of her all the time.
Take care, Judith

[KimL]

Hi Cleo'sMom:

Oh, I think I know just how you feel!
My Little Girl passed on 11/21 -- that first week, I just didn't know what to do. Walked back in forth from her grave, to the computer looking at pics of her, to trying to find her fur all over the house, etc. It's getting a little better now, but suddenly it feels like she's been gone forever -- was she even really ever HERE?

But she got sick like your baby.
It's a long sad story and racks me horribly with guilt as I feel there's so much I could have done differently, but ultimately she was diagnosed with diabetes in earlyl November -- three weeks later, regardless of hospitalization for insulin regulation and quite a bit of money, she was gone.

My heart goes out to you -- Little Girl's death knocked me down completely.
I felt like I couldn't breathe.
You will never stop loving your baby but I think it will get better.
Hugs to you and we are here for you!

[ShermansMom]

Cleo's Mom, I am so sorry for your loss. I know exactly how you feel as do others.
I lost my little Sherman on Nov. 9th and it all seems so unreal. I held him in my arms and talked softly as he got his injection. He had a very rare autoimmune disease and I think it happened after he got his teeth cleaned at the end of June.
He was my little man for 10 years and my heart is still breaking so. I miss him so much BUT I would not wish him back to the pain he was in.

http://www.in-memory-of-pets.com/personalt...te.php?ID=62875

[tikkanen]

Cleo's Mom, I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my Tigerpaws in Sept and miss her dreadfully. Losing a beloved pet can be worse than a person, our animals love us unconditionally, with no expectation of return. Come back to the site as everyone here cares and understands. While we can't make the hurt go away we can make the hurting alone go away. Give Cleo's sis lots of lovins. It will help you both.

Be Well,

Mark

[ryancat]

I am so sorry you lost your beloved Cleo.I understand how you feel.I lost my boy Sox on Oct. 13th to renal failure just like you lost Cleo.It knocked me down for awhile but time has eased the pain somewhat.I still miss him like crazy and I think of him daily.The holidays have been hard for me already.I put up my tree today and I thought of all the years he had watched me put it up and it made me miss him terribly.He was 16 years old and for me it was just as hard as losing a family member,maybe even harder than that when I lost him.My husband and I grief for him daily but I do think that time does make it easier to accept.You are in the first stages of grief and they are the hardest....be easy on yourself and don't feel guilty for feeling the way you do.We all understand the pain you are in and we know how hard it is to move forward without them.The holidays just make it tougher because we all want our loved ones around us then.I'm so sorry for your loss and I hope you know that you are not alone and we are here for you.This forum has been such a blessing to me and I don't know what I would have done without it.Keep in touch and let us know how your doing.I care and so do many others.Sincerely,Renee (Sox's mom)

[anne]

To Cleo's Mom,

I feel your pain. On Friday, December 1,2006, we had to put our Jemima down. She was 15 years old. Her illness came on suddenly the 2 days previously. The most humane thing we could do for her was to make it so she didn't suffer anymore. And like you, I stayed with Jemima til the end.

Right now, the grief is hard to cope with. But somehow, I know the strength will come to carry on.

And like you, I have another cat, Checkers, who is 8 years old. He has been looking for his companion.

I think it's time I give him another hug.