Over the past couple of years, I've come to this board with a few questions about our elderly family cat, Gus. Thanks to the support and good advice of many of you (and a special shout-out to Dana K from Pittsburgh for her vet knowledge!) we were given some ideas and insights as to our old Gus's needs. I really appreciate the time people took in relating their experiences to me, or their advice and encouragement.
Sad to say, Kitty had what was probably a series of strokes on Friday and we had the vet come to our home on Saturday to help him leave us peacefully. It was a good death, and a sad loss which our family will take some time to heal from. He is buried in the backyard; the big cedar round he used to sun himself on was moved there to stand as a monument. Our boy wants to make a 'kitty garden' to honor our beloved furry fellow. A beautiful ceramic cat candle holder is filled with flowers for now. Indoors, we have a special place where pictures and letters to Gus are placed-- his cat toys are there as well and Kiddo is attempting to construct a written celebration of kitty out of Legos.
Because we must have a question (and this is really a thank you post), I suppose my question would be:
When have you found peace and goodness in something that was challenging or difficult for you? I know that,within our situation, it was such a blessing to see Gus relaxed and sleeping contentedly before we let him go. While I miss my buddy, that is what I hold onto-- so many good moments in his life, and that one very treasured good memory at the end.
Warm wishes to so many of you~
Thank you all for the well-wishes.
My heart goes out to those of you who are remembering your beloved pets as well.:)
Suzanne-- I know your kitty will recover. Years ago, we found a very weak and disoriented cat wandering around by a busy street. Fortunately, it was tagged. We brought her home, took care of her while the owner returned from out of town. Turns out Maisie had been gone for 40 days... it was a miracle we found her. The owner was a cafe owner, who gave us a free breakfast and wrote a first person singular about the whole situation which ended up getting published in the paper! Once the cat was rehydrated and out of the woods, so to speak, she was her usual self-- except she never wandered that far off again.
I just saw this, sweetie. So sorry about Gus, but I know that you gave him a wonderful life. And that's what you can feel so good about.
I'm sorry Gus is gone.
I've found peace at a lot of different times. One was after my grandfather died. The last time I saw him he was doing well, was alert and responsive (as much as a 92 yr old with Alzheimer's is). I will hold that memory forever.
I am so sorry for your loss. Our pets are such a part of our lives and adored.
We lost our 14.5 yr old Cocker in December and we still go through tough days, especially when we see the other Cocker or Toy Poodle seeming to be looking for Fluffy.
We did feel peace when Fluffy when we realized he was pain free.
I encourage you to read the poem.. Rainbow Bridge.... I've read it hundreds of times but each time, you get some meaning from it.
Again, I am so sorry for your loss. You and your family will be in my thoughts.
First off I am so sorry for your loss.
We had a rott/lab mix named Bodie, we adopted him when he was 7 years old, we were told he had mild epliepsy. He had been taken to the shelter by his previous owner because the owner did not want to deal with it. We brought him home and for three years he was our joy. He was our first family dog. We had many nights of seizures that we had to deal with, we had to find the right mix of medicines. In the end he went into a seizure and never came out. Our friend buried him on her property and our hearts were broken. However a week later (easter week about 2 years ago to be exact) I was checking the mail and had left my car door open, when i got into my car in the passenger seat was this little thin, broken ear pit bull wagging her tail. I took her home and hubby and I called animal control the next day to see if she was micro chipped. (our kids were out of town at grandmas) well the animal control guy came over and of course no chip, we told him that we were keeping her and would put up missing notes. he said that was fine. We took her to vet (determined she was about a year old) got her fixed and got her shots and she has been with us ever since. She has been our joy, the kids love her and we as a family believe that our precious Bodie sent her to us for taking care of him in his final years. She is healthy and happy and we are grateful.
I loved Bodie with all my heart and i get to love my Roxy girl because of him.
many blessings to you
What a sad and beautiful story.
Thank you. ;)
One of our pet birds died recently too. It was a "Mejiro" bird. Raised since it was a baby. It was so human like and affectionate and responsive. But it was not well, we were tending to it to help it along and he was such a fighter. So sad.
But we now have a Zebra Finch! It is so cute and a great bird too... sorta reminds us of our Mejiro that passed. Same cute personality and responsive to us. The kids love it. It warms our hearts. A mere bird. But so grand on warming a person's heart.
It is so beautiful, how you are all "celebrating" your dear kitty's life... even now.
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your Kitty! It is always hard.
I know what you mean about finding peace in a difficult situation. Our first dog as a family (meaning as an adult, rather than faamily pets as a child) was a rescued mastiff who had a hard life before she came to us. She was the best dog, I just adored her. It was also the first time I ever had a creature in my life who I knew would die for me- her guardian instincts and love were that strong. She developed cancer. One morning, I woke to her gasping and knew it was the end. I lay down with as much of her 150lb body in my lap as possible and held her until the end, petting her and telling her I loved her. I found peace in knowing that even though she had a rough life, her last two years were full of love and she wasn't alone when she died.
I'm so sorry for your loss of Gus. I just went through this with my beloved kitty two weeks ago, so I feel your pain. It is never easy to lose a pet.
For me, I am finding peace about losing my kitty by planting a few plants in the garden in spots where she loved to play and hide. Also, I have just started making a scrapbook, using pictures of her, her tags, feathers off her toys, her foster care assessment sheet and anything else I might find. See, I am a doer, I have to do something active in order to come to terms with a loss, and to deal with emotions, otherwise they just sit there and fester. I don't know if that makes sense, but it is what it is.
Again, I am so sorry for your loss. Take the time you need to grieve. Hugs to you and your kiddo.
I am so sorry. It is good your son is helping to memorialize Gus.
I'm so sorry for your loss! I think of the Rainbow Bridge when I hear of a beloved pet dying.
We had to put our dog down a few years ago. My younger boys were told the dog was sick and we were taking him to the vet. My two older ones wanted to go, as they understood we were not killing our dog, but helping him die with dignity.
We have an urn in our home with a picture next to it. We have an album dedicated to our beloved boy as well. All of my boys look through the album.
I'm so sorry to hear of the passing of sweet Gus. My sympathy to you and your family.
aaww man!! I'm ssssooo sorry!!
I know what it's like to lose my fur-baby!! I've had many dogs over the years...several died without me next to them - that was sad and hard. I'm sooo glad you got to "walk" with him to the Rainbow Bridge! When we put Obi down in 2008 - my kids were 8 and 6 - so they didn't understand what the vet was going to do. They just knew Obi was really sick and the Vet couldn't make him better.
My Grady - my fur-baby now? Oh my word!!! When I had walking pneumonia last month - he was by my side ALL THE TIME...when I was finally able to get up and take a shower - he was in the bathroom with me. When I had my hysterectomy in 2011 - he was right there beside me when I got home...I would be lost without him!! Thank God he's still young!! I hope to have him for many, many years!!
My girlfriend asked me to be there when her dog, Harley, whom we had dog-sat on many occasions, died. I was there and loved her to the end.
I'm sooo glad you were able to be there, H.! I love what your son is doing for Kitty!! You've done good, mama! HUGS to you!
Ugh, I'm so sorry about your kitty.
Everyone here was AWESOME when I posted a few times about having to put my first Golden down.
Here's one of them:
http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/16108853612318490625
Thinking about you, girly.
<3
So sad when our pets have to leave us. No matter how long we have them it's just never long enough. I love that your boys want to make a kitty garden to remember their friend.
Very sorry to hear about your kitty. My family has had to put down many of our dogs. I still am not over my one dog Solomon and it's been 3 1/2 years now. He was very special to me.
I knew it was time because each of them had cancer. I know each of them also had a very good life. Our animals are very spoiled.
Hugs go out to your family! :)
I'm so sorry for the loss of your fur baby. :( Thinking of you today!
Edit: Nervy Girl, thanks for the encouragement. Seems like Sumi is coming around and being her old self. She really stays away from the door now and wants to be hugged and cuddled.
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Sorry for the loss of Gus, RIP.
I had a mix "pound puppy" Sidney lived about 10 years with me. I called her the 2 kids I never had. She was smart, lovable, and always in my thoughts. We would run around the backyard and she loved baths and rides in the car. It hurts a lot and I still think and have a few tears now and then and it is almost 10 years. The song, "You have a Friend," is her theme song.
So take your glass of preferred beverage and have a toast to old Guss for me.
You are not alone with your loss.
the other S.
PS I thought I lost my kitty this weekend as she spent the night out side (a house cat) in the bush in the front yard. I had a few tears of sorrow the night I discovered her "missing". We are all getting back together as a family again and the scared kitty is becoming the old kitty of the past.
Sorry to hear about your Gus. I love the memorial you have created for him and all that your kiddo is doing. It's very sweet.
We had to put our yellow lab, Daisy, down December 2012. I still cry. She was an amazing dog. My boys loved her and she adored them. My husband got us a puppy for Christmas this year, Lily, and she is wonderful and filling our hearts with so much love. We miss Daisy every day and we take Lily out to where she is buried and talk to her and thank her for sharing her life with us and teaching us about the unconditional love a pet has for their people. We love our Lily Girl, but we will never forget Daisy.
RIP Gus.
i am so happy your vet was willing to come to you to let the old guy roam free! i wish we had someone like that around here. the worst thing (other than the grief, of course) about coming to that sad decision here is how upset our beloveds become at being taken to the vet. it adds a big layer of trauma to an already hard experience, one we want to be as peaceful and full of love as possible.
i'm SO glad gus went so gently.
{{{{{{}}}}}}
khairete
S.
Sorry about the loss of your sweet little Gus.
For me, personally, I never find peace and goodness in the loss of a loved one. It just hurts,and it's something I have to endure.
Ohhh, your post hits home. I also have an very old kitty named Gus! He's still with us, but I'm not really sure for how much longer. He will be 18 in June. He's weak and tired, and you can feel every bone in his body. But he's not in pain and just appears to be living out his final days. Who knows, maybe he has another year or two in him. But every once in awhile I think about when he'll leave us. It makes me so incredibly sad! He was with us before we got married and before we had our girls (ages 12 and 10). He was with us through 5 moves. He's always just been with us. I feel for you, and I'm sorry for your loss. I know I'll be living it soon too :(
I'm so sorry for your loss. I enjoyed your Gus stories.
Hugs to you. It's a difficult thing, letting go of a beloved family member.
I love that you moved his sunning spot to use as a memorial.
Blessings to you.
