Silver Penguin
Silver Penguin
I realize that the passing of an older animal is a normal and natural thing but it's the first time I have experienced it, first hand. We promised the kids that they could have a cat when we moved into our own home, just over 15 years ago. Nine year old Louise called her 'KC' for Killer Cat. For many years, she was a one-owner cat and would cheerfully scratch anyone else's eyes out. We could rarely get near the cat, yet she was gentle and loving with her mistress and would snuggle and purr all night long.
Fast forward several years, and several more stray cats having moved in with us. Louise got married and moved out. KC changed her allegiance and started being nice to us. She would curl up in my lap while I read a book, then mark the spine of the book with her face.
When the other cats' presence got too much for her, she would somehow of other get the furnace cupboard open and hide in there, for hours on end.
This afternoon, our son noticed that the cat was breathing fast and seemed to have a swelling on her side. We took her to the vet right away. He felt around, and thought that she had a broken rib, and emphysema. She was in a lot of pain and would need major surgery. I asked if she was a good candidate for surgery and he shook his head. It took all the courage I had to ask him what he would do if it were his cat.
I held her while he shaved her little paw and injected the pentobarbital. How ironic is it that just a day ago, I was injecting that very same drug into a child's arm, with the intent of saving his life. KC went to sleep peacefully one last time. How many times have I told other people that time heals all wounds? I truly hope that is true because this hurts bad.
Fast forward several years, and several more stray cats having moved in with us. Louise got married and moved out. KC changed her allegiance and started being nice to us. She would curl up in my lap while I read a book, then mark the spine of the book with her face.
When the other cats' presence got too much for her, she would somehow of other get the furnace cupboard open and hide in there, for hours on end.
This afternoon, our son noticed that the cat was breathing fast and seemed to have a swelling on her side. We took her to the vet right away. He felt around, and thought that she had a broken rib, and emphysema. She was in a lot of pain and would need major surgery. I asked if she was a good candidate for surgery and he shook his head. It took all the courage I had to ask him what he would do if it were his cat.
I held her while he shaved her little paw and injected the pentobarbital. How ironic is it that just a day ago, I was injecting that very same drug into a child's arm, with the intent of saving his life. KC went to sleep peacefully one last time. How many times have I told other people that time heals all wounds? I truly hope that is true because this hurts bad.
