Pet Memorial Thread

[Benjamin Haines]

Edit:
This is now a thread for everyone to reminisce about our fallen friends of the non-human variety.

My original post when I made this thread is below. I am no longer seeking donations for my late cat's veterinary expenses. Thank you to anyone who was able to donate or spread the word during those trying last few days of KC's life.


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Hey everyone,

I in the Pet and Animal Thread about my longtime feline companion KC's cancer diagnosis.

Tabatha and I have been helping him fight gastrointestinal lymphoma and all that it entails for more than a year and he just had a very bad episode on Friday, March 29 and had to spend the night in the intensive care unit at the emergency animal hospital. He has been recuperating at home with us for the past two days as we explore our next options. We don't know what's going to happen next but the medical expenses are mounting fast and hitting us hard. We've been able to do this on our own for the past year but now we need help.


All of the details and lots of photos are available on our GoFundMe page:




With all of my heart, PLEASE DONATE to help us with KC's medical expenses! Every dollar and every cent will mean the world to us!

Even if you can't donate, PLEASE SHARE THIS PAGE! Just sharing this page would help us tremendously!


KC has been in my life since just a few months before I joined this message board in 2004. He has always been there for me and I'm doing the same for him. If you can help at all, even just by sharing this page around, it would mean everything to KC, to me, to Tabatha and to our whole family.

[lhb412]

Sorry to hear that! We had quite a few of our four-legged friends reach the end of their (thankfully) long lives in the last couple years. It's never easy.

[Benjamin Haines]

Thank you, lhb412. No, it's never easy. To Tab and I, KC is a part of our family just like the other two felines that we rescued. We've been five strong for five years now and it is pure bliss for me. I love my family. Helping KC fight cancer has been stressful and terrifying, especially this past weekend and the days since, but we know it's harder on KC than it is on us and we're sticking by him all the way. He doesn't know why this is happening to him but he knows that we're his family and that we're here for him.

We don't know how much time KC has left but it ain't over 'til it's over and we're not going to stop fighting for our family as long as there's hope. I'm taking KC to an oncologist today to discuss our next steps.

Even if you can't donate, PLEASE just share this GoFundMe page with other people! If you have a Facebook account, Twitter, anything, PLEASE help us just by spreading the word! We are desperate and we need all the help we can get.

[O.Supreme]

Greetings All,

Now more than ever, I am definitely sympathetic to this cause. I normally don't share like this, but my own wife was diagnosed with Breast Cancer at the end of January. Now this is definitely treatable, and things are going to get better for her. She has undergone 2 Chemotherapy treatments, and has 2 more still to come, then, hopefully, a less evasive surgery sometime around the end of May depending on what the results of the chemo produce. While my employer does provide medical, its not the greatest, with a very high deductible (and lord I cannot believe how expensive these treatments are!). However, we had the miracle of an unknown benefactor (a family member or friend, who chose to remain anonymous), pay our expense for this year. This is no joke, we were blessed, but not everyone has such circumstances. Now, while I would never equate the life of a human, to that of an animal, I love pets, and to see them suffer is immensely troubling.

I'm definitely not in a position to donate much, but if I can, I certainly will.

[Benjamin Haines]

Thank you, O.Supreme. Whether you're able to donate or not, just sharing this GoFundMe page would be a huge help.

I'm so sorry about your wife's diagnosis. I can't imagine how difficult and scary this process must be for you and for her but I'm glad that it's definitely treatable.

It's amazing that you and your wife were blessed with an anonymous benefactor who covered all of her medical expenses for this year. I'm really hoping that a hero like that will see KC's GoFundMe page and help us out too. So far, six people have donated $95 which I'm just blown away by. The medical expenses are still a lot more than that but just the fact that we have friends, family and two anonymous donors who have chipped in that much already just means the world to me.

PLEASE, everybody, SHARE THIS GOFUNDME PAGE even if you can't donate! I know I'm a broken record here but this is critically important to me and to my family. We need more people to see this GoFundMe page! Every little bit helps!

[tbeasley]

Hey Ben, I would suggest sharing the link over at these subreddits if you haven't already -

https://www.reddit.com/r/care/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Assistance/

I haven't posted yet incase you wanted to do it yourself, but I can definitely do so!

[mbozzo]

From his pictures, I can see that he's a cute cat. I wish you all the luck in the world, even if I can't give you money.

[Benjamin Haines]

Thanks for the tip, tbeasley.

Thank you for the well wishes, mbozzo.


KC's battle with cancer is over now and he is resting in peace. After spending the night in the hospital on Friday, he got to have four more nights at home with Tab and I. Having had catheters in two of his legs and multiple injections in another, his legs were sore and walking was a strain on him so we helped him get around as much as possible. He was resting a lot but he seemed to be slowly improving each day, gradually regaining his strength and his appetite, lying on our laps, purring when we pet him as recently as yesterday at 3 PM. We knew that he didn't have much time left, his prognosis was just a few months, and we knew we would have to decide when it would be better for him to be set free. We just wanted and hoped to help him recover enough from this past weekend to be able to walk around normally, eat as much as he used to and do the things he loved again one more time.

However, KC took a turn for the worse later in the afternoon yesterday. His energy was depleting rapidly so I made the call. I had arranged with his vet to have them come out to our home today at 12:30, but after their office was closed, KC vomited what he had eaten for lunch. Although there was no blood in his vomit, I knew that he wouldn't make it through the night and this morning. I called a vet who does after-hours house calls and she got here around 9 PM. With KC lying on a comfortable quilt in our living room and Tab and I soothing him, the vet administered a sedative that eased his pain, calmed his nerves and slowly made him fall asleep, then she administered the euthanasia after he fell asleep. Tab and I were the last thing that KC saw, our voices were the last thing he heard, and our hands petting and holding him were the last thing he felt. It was the right exit for KC and I'm so thankful that we were able to give that to him before it was too late. One of my co-workers allowed us to bury KC on his property, a remote wooded area up high on a windy hill. Tab and I dug his grave early this afternoon, buried him with his favorite robe wrapped around him, and planted catnip over him.

[lhb412]

Man, I'm so sorry. That crap is always difficult, no matter how long you live and how many times you go through the same thing with subsequent pets.

[jellydonut25]

Sorry Ben. Losing a pet is terrible.

[O.Supreme]

Oh My...I'm so sorry..... . I've always been partial to cats, and losing them is never easy. Take Care of yourself. Keep close with family and friends. My best wishes to you...and yours.

[The Shadow]

Sorry to hear about KC's death, you and your family have my deepest sympathies. Watching a pet die is always very difficult -- I'm certain that KC appreciated you and Tabatha being there with him in the end.

[Jinzo Ningen]

God.. I am so very sorry to hear about your cat's passing. I sympathize whole-heartedly. Between my wife & I we have dogs, cats and ferrets. We are unable to have children and so each and everyone of our little fur kids mean the world to us and we become so attached. It kills you with every loss. My big guy, Zeus, was diagnosed with bone cancer almost 2 years ago, and in less than 6 months he was gone. We had to have him put down when the cancer hit his lymphatic system and it went to his throat and his neck swelled up to the size of a wash bucket, literally overnight. The day we had to have him released was, ironically, the same date that my father passed away when I was 16. I can assure you that THAT was NOT a good day. I never thought I would miss that big goofy stinky dog, but I was practically a zombie for weeks afterwards. We still have my wife's little dog so that helps. Some day I will get another, when the time is right. I am more of a cat guy however, as that was my first pet as a child. I have one old gal whom I have owned since discovering her, abandoned, as nothing more than a tiny fluff of fur I could hold in one hand. She is heading towards 13 and her health has really gone down hill recently. It is going to devastate me when her time comes - and I am terrified at the prospect.

Their love is complete and unconditional and 100% real. They don't care if you're rich or poor, old or young, tall or short, thin or fat... just that you love them and make them feel safe, and loved. And that love is returned to you a thousandfold ...and they never truly disappoint you, until they leave you. The pain is so very hard... but those few weeks of sorrow are totally offset by the years of joy (and yes, frustration - LOL) that they bring you.

You both fought the good fight, along with KC, but when the time came did the right thing. The expenses can be astronomical and, even if you can afford the cost of treatments & medication, in the end you really must put your own feelings aside and determine what is best for your beloved pet. Quality of life is everything. If they're not enjoying life and your efforts are honestly more to make yourself feel better that you're doing all you can (and because YOU don't want them to die) then you must step back and reevaluate. You guys did the right thing. Not the easy thing, certainly, but the right thing. He's out of pain and you can both begin the healing process now. Thoughts now can be happy memories of past joys & love and all the good times, rather than the anguish & stress that were there every day as you struggled to deal with KC's pain.

Ben, our very deepest sympathies to you & Tabatha. Godspeed to you both.

[Benjamin Haines]

[Jinzo Ningen]

It was heartbreaking to read your posts, but so enriching at the same time. It's so awesome & wonderful that you rescued KC from the hollow life he had been leading before you came along. Rescue animals know inside that they were saved and they never forget that - nor the one who saved them. Zeus was a sort of rescue in that he was this huge 110lb Dobie/hound mix that had been cooped up in an tinyass apartment with two other, bigger(!) dogs who did not appreciate his presence. The "owners" just wanted basically to be rid of him and yet when they brought him out to me they were concerned that he would be scared and not like it at my place. I have 10 acres in the country and I can tell you that is EXACTLY where he belonged. We had an uneasy first few days, feeling each other out, so to speak. Soon though he was loving all this space to just run and run (and play!!!) and he stuck to me like glue afterwards. I had a rescue cat (Harley) at the time and despite my initial concerns, the two of them got along just fine. Miss Priss (my old lady kitty) was found abandoned near my house mere weeks after Zeus came into my life. She brought out the kitten in old Harley - in spite of himself - and enriched his last few years, I know.

When my wife moved in a short time before we married she brought along her two dogs, cat and three ferrets! It has been a regular Noah's Ark here every since and while it can be overwhelming and chaotic at times, I wouldn't trade any of it. This house would be one sorry hollow shell without all of our critters racing, playing and snoozing together in one cohesive mixed 'foster' pack. They come in and add immeasurably to our lives and unfortunately leave much too soon, but the rewards have outweighed the downsides beyond measure. I truly pity those who don't know (or want) the amazing, unconditional love of a dog(s) or cat(s). Speaking of... keep an eye on your other two cats. They are undoubtedly dealing with the sudden absence and loss, in their own way. Animals do grieve but are also more 'accepting' of death; it's just nature to them and they soldier through. They'll likely be fine. Just be sure to give them attention (and space, too) and you'll all sail through this rough weather in due time. Remember the good times when you feel down, and cling to each other through it all.

Your thread made me decide to change my avatar to something a little more personal. Thus... Zeus & Me

[Benjamin Haines]

^ Yeah, Zeus was most definitely better off living with you than being confined to an apartment with people who didn't even want him. Look at how happy he is in that photo! The animals we care for have such a limited number of days compared to us and all we can do is try to make it a time worth living.

It's always great when dogs and cats grow to love each other. KC grew up around dogs for the first half of his life so he was always very calm whenever he met new dogs. I am glad that Tab and I were able to give him a family with two other cats for the entire last third of his life. Hershey had previously belonged to one of my roommates when I was in college so he and KC had already lived together before. Mercury was just a kitten when Tab rescued her so we had three cats of vastly different ages under one roof for five years. KC was the senior, Hershey the middle-aged and Mercury the youngster. They really brought out the best in each other. Before we all moved in together, KC had spent the previous year losing a lot of weight, so the other two cats encouraged him to run around and play in ways he hadn't since he was very young. He tended to run by either trotting quickly or bounding like a bear.

I didn't want to perceive just how old KC was while he was alive and part of what made that easy was that he still showed so much vitality and enthusiasm to play with us and the other cats between all of his regular sleep sessions, medicines and meals, even during what ended up being his final year. Even after his lymphoma diagnosis, he was handling the chemo/steroid treatment so well and he was still acting so much like himself that I really thought he had several more years ahead of him, and maybe he would have if he hadn't also developed pancreatic cancer. I know I should have seen this coming given his history of diabetes. I just really wanted to believe that his history of resilience pointed toward longevity, but again, 15 years and 4 months was already so long of a life for a cat that got dealt so many bad cards health-wise that I really should have anticipated this happening around this time.

I went ahead and re-titled this the Pet Memorial Thread. It's such an awful experience to lose a longtime friend, like a nightmare that can't end, but reminiscing about them does help. Also, for me personally, Metalocalypse helps:

[Benjamin Haines]

We had to put our senior cat Hershey to sleep this past Tuesday, August 2. He was 14 and a half.

https://i.imgur.com/FyMUYc1.jpg

Hershey originally belonged to one of our mutual friends, then he got moved around and ended up in a bad location, so we jumped at the opportunity to offer him a new home and he was with us since the Spring of 2014.

https://i.imgur.com/oF0XR6B.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/qiSvWAV.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/x1dMA8c.jpg

Hershey was a character. Whenever he tilted his head upward or rubbed his face on anything while purring, his mouth would hang open slightly and he would purr loudly out of his open mouth.

https://i.imgur.com/8IIhQrh.jpg

Whenever Hershey was hungry and I was asleep, he would place his paw on my face and gently flex his claws until I woke up. Then when we moved to a new apartment last year and he discovered that he could make noise by banging his paw on the bedroom closet's sliding-mirror-door, he banged on that closet door with gusto. I had to start leaning big pillows against that closet door at night to stop him because he was so loud about it.

https://i.imgur.com/4FSBuu4.jpg

^ That was Hershey back in September 2019 when we brought him home after he was lost for four days and three nights. He had escaped from the car in the parking lot at the vet's office in the middle of town after what was supposed to be a quick appointment. Instead he panic-ran into a woodland thicket and we spent the rest of the week scouring the town for him, posting lost cat fliers and knocking on doors. The caller who eventually spotted him was someone who saw one of the very first fliers that I had posted nearby. Rather than being traumatized by the experience, it only took Hershey about ten minutes to get his bearings once we brought him home. He just needed to walk around the whole apartment and recognize everything, and then he was eating and lounging about in his home like he always did.

https://i.imgur.com/0mWRKtz.jpg

^ That plush Dragon Ball was Hershey's chosen accessory. From the moment he first saw it, he claimed it as his. He never tried to rip it up or bat it around. He would use it as a pillow for his head, or he would rest with one paw touching it, or he would just lie down next to it. It was just his thing that he liked to have.

https://i.imgur.com/zhIYEPN.jpg

Hershey was the middle-aged member of our trio of cats from 2014 to 2019, with the short-haired snowshoe KC being the senior and the long-haired nebelung Mercury the youngin'.

https://i.imgur.com/bnktvXN.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ro4Cplc.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Gdwt0Bn.jpg

Hershey and KC previously lived in the same apartment from 2011 to 2012 and they shared a brotherly bond.

https://i.imgur.com/2bRPomn.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/MTsR1m3.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/6DTsDki.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/kGuUcEy.jpg

KC would frequently groom Hershey's head, which Hershey always appreciated.

https://i.imgur.com/GujNY0U.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/9heEvOF.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/R3sV1a1.jpg

The little lady cat Mercury was only about 1 and a half when Hershey came to live with us, so he has been a fixture of her adult life these past eight years. Hershey and Mercury always loved to wrestle and chase each other. Whenever he noticed her hiding under the cover of a box or a blanket or something, he couldn't resist the urge to stick his paw in and bop her repeatedly until she gave chase. When she went through a phase of hunting lizards and bringing them into our home still alive, Hershey had to one-up her by catching a big frog at the pond and happily trotting up the porch steps with it still wiggling in his jaws. After we had to euthanize KC in 2019, Hershey and Mercury were our only two cats for two years.

https://i.imgur.com/iCZCRxf.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/UDttHjh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/B7Gd9I4.jpg

We adopted Casper, a stray neutered male cat, this past September and he and Hershey quickly became friends.

https://i.imgur.com/7UHYAV1.jpg

When Hershey was young, he lived with an older male cat who taught him to hunt, and then he and KC lived together for much of their adult lives, so it was nice that Hershey got to form another bond like that with Casper during the last year of his life.

https://i.imgur.com/hROk2Os.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/TlP1fXh.jpg

Hershey also acted as a stabilizing force between Casper and Mercury, as she had hated Casper's guts through the window since he first showed up outside as a stray and she didn't want us to adopt him at all. I think that Hershey being friendly with both of them has gone a long way toward getting Mercury to accept Casper over the past year.

https://i.imgur.com/DV4jZuc.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/KnjkrjD.jpg

Hershey was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in May of last year. We switched him to a special low-protein, low-phosphorus diet food and we got his blood checked every six weeks. His blood values mostly remained stable and he really didn't show any outward signs of illness for most of the past year. Whenever we took the cats outside, he and Casper would race to be the first out the door, and the two of them loved to roughhouse indoors. Hershey was still running around playfully a month ago. The first sign that his health was declining was in the last week of May, when he ate noticeably less, but his behavior was otherwise unchanged, his blood values were stable at that time, and his appetite returned to normal in June. It was in the middle of July when his appetite dropped again, and this time his blood values had doubled since June. We tried everything to help him eat more, feeding him liquid food by syringe to keep him eating, injecting him with subcutaneous fluids to keep him nourished and hydrated, hoping he could bounce back again. Even though he was more tired and less active than before, he was still enjoying his daily life during the last two weeks of July, hanging around the apartment with us and the other cats and basking in the fresh air and sunshine when we went outside together. Sadly, on Sunday the 31st, he took a turn for the worse. He no longer wanted to walk around much at all and he couldn't seem to even get comfortable lying down. He was clearly in pain and he didn't sleep much at all that day. It eventually became clear that he was badly constipated, which was the last thing he needed on top of everything else. I took him to the vet on Monday, August 1 and they tried to clear his constipation but they couldn't get much out. I brought him back home that afternoon but he just didn't show any improvement. Hershey was at the point where the only way to prolong his life any longer would have been by keeping him at the hospital 24/7 hooked up to intravenous fluids, and we weren't going to put him through that. We stayed with him all night and then spent that Tuesday trying to make him as comfortable as possible while we said goodbye. The vet arrived at our apartment around 3:30 in the afternoon. Lying on a blanket in the middle of the bedroom floor, Hershey fell asleep with his head rested in my hand as we petted and spoke to him. We buried his body that evening on the property of our friend's grandparents, where Hershey was born and where his mother still lives today.

https://i.imgur.com/tEozd6u.jpg

^ That's the last photo of Hershey that I ever took, on July 27. I'm glad that it's a photo of the three of them together. I will always miss Hershey, and I regret that he experienced such a sudden and rapid decline in health in his final days, but I'm thankful that we got to share so many years with him, that we got to give him a home for the rest of his life. He made a deep and lasting difference in all of our lives.

[lhb412]

^ Sorry I to here that, man. Hershey seems like my kind of cat (I have a mostly black tortoise shell cat).