we lost our cat friend of 20 years :(

#21
Sorry for your loss. A good kitty leaves a huge hole. Got quite a few of those, none too recent at the moment, and more to come. It's mostly worse than people, as people (at least most of the time, not always, of course) know what's coming.
 
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#22
Cody Cat 1994 to 3:22:2013.jpeg
So sorry for your loss. I too had a cat for 20 years. In the end my mom put him down on the vets recommendation. Losing weight, they get that old and are always hungry because their digestive systems simply don't work well. I see you had an orange kitty, they are known for their chill disposition and friendly nature.

Some may not believe this but for 5 years before my Cat's death I would occasionally whisper in his ear that he could come back after death in a new body and that his spirit guide would arrange everything if he wanted to come back. Even telling him he would understand my words when he passed on. He died in 2013 and in 3015 while I did not know it right away, he was part of a large group of kittens my wife brought home from the vets office she works for to foster..... we were set to give him away like all the other cats but decided almost too late that he was a keeper even tho we had too many cats already. I came to understand that Cheetos is Cody returned to me.

Baby Cheetos and Buster.jpg

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Back in his old home my room when I visit mom. When he died I was no longer living here. He was just as much my Mom's cat too but my mom is up in years. If you had a real connection with your cat I believe anyone can have them back just wish for it and be open to it.

Cheetos in the collection room.JPG
 
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#24
So sorry for your loss of Honeykat. We lost our cat, Tulip, maybe three years ago. I still miss her. She also lived into her 20's and was my husband's cat before we met.

All of our animal friends and companions are special and it's sad that their little lives are so much shorter than our own. But we love them as much as we can, and our love for them lives on forever.
 
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#25
Aww, sorry to hear @pcake. You seem to be handling it as well as anyone can be expected to. I don't recall ever seeing any posts about HoneyCat here in the THE ULTIMATE CAT THREAD, but do drop by if you get the urge to post some more pics, share stories, and/or just to say how much you miss him >^..^<

This is by far the most difficult part of having a wonderful animal come into your life and bringing you so much joy. You guys sound like the ideal pet parents... It's too bad you're planning on not adopting, as there's soooo many kitts and pups that need a good home. Take your time grieving, and never say never.

I'll likely go off the deep end when this 13yo bossy little tortie point Siamese princess finally passes. Her name is Chyna, and she's always been a daddy's girl ... she cautiously at first likes most people, but immediately despises all other animals including her own species :beaver::cautious: Yep, she's a problem child ... but she's my problem child until death do us part >
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#26
So sorry Pcake. I can't have cats because I'm deathly allergic. I do know the pain of losing a beloved animal family member. 20 years is a really good run, but probably makes it hurt even more.
Your dedicated care and love making sure HoneyKat was comfortable shows how much our animals are family. I went through a very similar experience with my little chorkie Junior Bubba Booger Bug after 14 years together.
We bring our animal family members into our lives knowing one day they'll break our hearts. Then we go and do it all over again.
May the pain be lifted from your heart, but still remember your beloved HoneyKat.
 
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#30
catcauphonic said:
Aww, sorry to hear @pcake. You seem to be handling it as well as anyone can be expected to. I don't recall ever seeing any posts about HoneyCat here in the THE ULTIMATE CAT THREAD, but do drop by if you get the urge to post some more pics, share stories, and/or just to say how much you miss him >^..^<

This is by far the most difficult part of having a wonderful animal come into your life and bringing you so much joy. You guys sound like the ideal pet parents... It's too bad you're planning on not adopting, as there's soooo many kitts and pups that need a good home. Take your time grieving, and never say never.

I'll likely go off the deep end when this 13yo bossy little tortie point Siamese princess finally passes. Her name is Chyna, and she's always been a daddy's girl ... she cautiously at first likes most people, but immediately despises all other animals including her own species :beaver::cautious: Yep, she's a problem child ... but she's my problem child until death do us part >
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i'm pretty sure i'm somewhere in the ultimate cat thread, but it's a long thread, so i probably posted about a billion posts ago.

hey, sometimes problem child cats are the best.
 
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#32
pcake said:
yesterday - friday april 26 - our dear friend honeykat closed his eyes for the last time. he was over 20 years old, and has been with my husband since just before our relationship began.

i had trouble writing this as i found i kept writing about all his health issues and all the care and medications we've been dealing with, but that's not what i want to tell about him. so let's start early.

arie got HK from a neighbor when he was a kitten, and he was quite the character and very loving. their first hour together, arie and honeykat lay down for a nap together with lots of purring and petting, and the bond was formed. by the time i moved in, HK was up to all sorts of mischief. he loved playing fetch - we'd throw toy mice down the indoor, carpeted stairs, and he'd rush down to get them and bring them back, letting us know he wanted to go again!

one day he was playing, running around the living room, banked off a wall, then another wall, then off the window screen, which opened and he fell through the second story window. luckily he was fine, but did we have a scare! my husband had a few guppies in a bowl, and he had started putting them up on top of the kitchen cabinet - one i couldn't reach on a stoole. but HK found his way up there, knocked the bowl over and watched the fish flex with interest.

i could go on all day, but obviously there were almost two decades between those stories and last night. honeykat was very loving, a very people-oriented cat. he used to love to figure out how to open things - i used to call him houdinicat. he worked his way past child locks, figured out how to turn the loose bedroom doorknob and anything he could open, he would. for 8 of his years, he had a buddy and they ran and fought, played, groomed and slept together. but HK's first love was always daddy.

honeykat was always a very vocal cat. he would talk to us with inflections, and if we answered, he and we would enjoy a running conversation. also if we didn't know what he was saying, he'd let us know. for example, he'd come over to my desk and place a hand on my leg, which meant he wanted to sit on my lap.

five and a half years ago, he was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease. we started giving him subcutaneous fluids, and his kidneys improved and stayed improved for years. then he developed IBS and hyperthyroidism. he was 15 or so. he's been on steroids, thyroid meds, lactated ringers solution, pepcid, an anti nausea med and so on. and in the last year and a half, his care became our life - that was okay, because we loved him. we dedicated ourselves to making him as happy and comfortable as possible. and he was very happy.

he was very picky and often nauseous, and at this point he was pretty underweight. he'd stand by the kitchen and give us loving looks and we'd feed him. flavor after flavor until he'd eat something. sometimes it would take 8 cans before we'd hit the flavor, but he was losing weight, so we were going through 20 to 25 cans a day, although once he found a flavor he wanted and ate some, he would make a circuit of the other plates he rejected and have a couple bites or more from each one. because of his IBS, he continued losing weight. he got weaker, so we got him an ottoman to jump on the bed and another for the couch.

three months ago, he started mostly staying on one side of the couch. he'd purr whenever we'd pet him, and he'd sometimes get down for food and water. i work in the livingroom, and he would chat with me. and mostly he had his spot, and we were fine with that. we'd come over and visit him, and he'd talk to us. he still purred, still would stand by the kitchen - or at that point, at any spot - and we'd feed him, where ever he was. he was no longer able to climb into the cat box, so we got an extra large dog kennel tray and filled it with litter. we were never away long. and he kept waking me up every night for petting and feeding. i haven't had a full night of sleep in years, and that was okay because i loved him.

a week ago last friday, HK couldn't walk. he had been to the vet recently and was put on potassium, which he loved because it had dessicated fish in it. he was half his healthy weight, but had been walking - not always steadily - and jumping onto the couch on his own. we thought "oh, no - this is it!" but oddly he started eating fiercely, put on some weight and on sunday was getting around on his own again. the next three days were a gift and we were so grateful. he needed a little help, but he was alert, engaged, eating and just as sweet as ever.

but thursday night, he stopped being able to walk and there's more stuff. he cried periodcally on friday early morning, so i stayed up with him, but he was uncomfortable and there was more going on, too. and on friday night, we called an at-home vet. after HK spent two hours on his daddy's lap purring as he was being petted, i gave him a final treat of fish juice with the potassium he loved, and the vet put him to sleep. it was quiet and gentle, HK was able to stay on his mat at home instead of going to an office, for which we're very grateful.

there's a hole in our lives that will never be altogether filled. but that's good, in a way. because it means that honeykat was not replaceable. in the past, i've had many cats and dogs, but i've never been as close to an animal as to HK nor has arie. his health problems and the time we spent taking care of him made our condo a hospital for a year and more - although we didn't notice at the time. but it made us more protective and closer to him.

he is so very missed and will always be loved.
So sorry for your loss :(
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