Today was NOT a good Friday the 13th.

[Ken Garlock]

This afternoon we had to take our 17 year, 8 month old Abyssinian cat, Bob, into the vet for the last time. He had been going down hill for some time. He had been a diabetic for nearly 5 years, and received his twice a day injections. He would even stand still while it did them.

For some reason this spring, his pancreas decided it has a mind of its own, kicking out doses of insulin. One evening about 11 PM he was meowing and thrashing on the floor. Not having any idea of what to do, we jumped in the car and went to the emergency animal hospital about 6 miles away. The vet was able to get him going again just in the nick of time.

Then about a month ago we had another round of insulin run awry. We made it to our regular vet that only treats cats. She gave him some dextrose in IV form. Once again he was OK. Every time Bob had a "crash" you could tell that he was just not as good as he had been before it.

In the past week, he had real problems walking. The arthritis was taking it toll. He would try to jump up on a lounge chair and fall off because his rear legs couldn't summon the strength to make it. On Wednesday he had an accident with a runny BM on the carpet, something that had never happened before. Yesterday he seamed to have a great deal of pain when walking. This morning I prepared his favorite food, Ocean White Fish, but he was not interested in eating. I also found that he didn't make it to his sand box twice during the night. Thankfully, it was on the tile floor where clean up was relatively easy.

With those events happening so close together, I decided that it was time for Bob to "cross over the rainbow bridge." I spent part of the morning digging a hole in our 'kitty cemetery' big enough to hold the oak box I had made after his first 'crash.' So at 3 PM we arrived at the vet, and the entire process took only about 5 minutes, first a tranquilizer followed by an overdose of barbiturates. He passed on without a whimper. By 4 PM we were back home, Bob was in his oak box, braded shut, and and in the hole I had dug earlier today.

We knew the end was near for Bob, be it today or next week. That prompted us to visit a vet recommended Abyssinian breeder. The lady runs a class operation, breeding Abbys and Bengal cats. We found a 7 week old Abby kitten, and a 16 week old cross between a Bengal and an Abby, accidents do happen. We will be picking the two up in about 2 weeks after they have gotten accustomed to each other. Without these two in the wings, it would have been really hard to accept Bob's passing.

OK, I have bored you with my story, but at least I feel a tiny bit better.

Thanks for listening.

[Frank Guerin]

I have been there many times. My back yard holds five animal friends. Know that you gave yours a good home and a comfortable life. Things are as they are and we accept them to the best of our ability.

[Richard Wolf]

Ken, lot of us have been there recently. No words can help.
God Speed.

Richard

[Al Willits]

Not bored at all Ken, been there before with our dogs, defineitly not a good time.
Good luck with the new ones.

God speed to the passed one.

Al

[John Pollman]

My sincerest condolences. It is scary how attached we become to our pets. I know it's been said a million times but it's true, they ARE one of the family. It's been just over a year since I had to take my Springer Spaniel for that fateful visit to the vet. It was just about six weeks shy of his fifteenth birthday. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. But even though I was extremely sad I was a bit relieved on the way home because I knew that he wasn't in pain anymore. They give us their unconditional love 24/7 and we owe it to them when the time comes. Again I'm truly sorry for your loss. But I will say that I guarantee you that it does get better with time. Eventually the sadness is replaced by happy memories.

Take care,

John

[Ron Jones near Indy]

You did a kind act. My sympathy is with you.

[Jim Becker]

Ken, it's very sad to hear of your loss...our pets are not just animals, they are members of our families and despite the fact that this kind of decision/action is necessary and right, it's hard to let go. But you'll always enjoy the memories and as such, Bob will live on.

[Doug Shepard]

It's been about 1-1/2 years since I was in that position and I still miss both cats that I've had to put down over the years. Thankfully at the moment both current cats and the dog have no health issues. I'm glad to see you're jumping back into the deep end with the two new kittens. Getting both together while kittens is pretty smart. They're much more likely to get along as adults that way.

[Dennis Peacock]

Ken,

I'm sorry to hear of your loss. Pets are a very important part of our lives. Best of luck going forward.

[Gary Herrmann]

Ken, sorry to hear about Bob. I'm glad you have two new kittens that will be joining you shortly. We can never replace the pets we lose, but we can add to to our store of good memories. Please post some pics when the new kids arrive.

[Bryan Somers]

Ken
Sorry to here about your loss. Those two new kittens will worm their way into your heart real fast

[Bob Childress]

Ken,

I feel your pain. We've already lost one of our Manx pair and the other, though seemingly okay, is getting some age on her. Since we have moved around so much in recent year, we had the first one cremated and we carry the urn whenever we move. It is a painful loss.

[Jim O'Dell]

Ken, sorry I'm just now seeing this, not sure how I missed it Friday. Bob had a good long life with you. Reading through the post, I was going to say that there are cats in need that deserve a good home like yours, but you were way ahead of me.
I started to write about our last girl we lost, but this isn't the post for my sadness. The two new kittens will help you through your time of grieving for Bob. I'm guessing you've read my thoughts, in previous posts about pet losses, about writing down a list of the good times and funny things Bob has done in his life with you. It helps us celebrate the life of one of God's special creatures that we have been fortuanate enough to be owned by. I hope it will be the same for you. Jim

[Fred Voorhees]

Ken I can certainly sympathize with you and your plight. I, too, have been in your shoes. My wife and I have always had cats and they have been like our children. One particular cat we picked up while on vacation in Syracuse, NY. Actually, the town was called Geddes, and that is what we named her. She came running out to us near midnight one night while we were taking a walk. She was small enough to fit in my hand and we brought her home and took her to the vet, only to find out she had feline leukemia. The vet recommended we put her to sleep. We said absolutely not. If and when she showed signs of being in distress, we would then put her down. Well, we had eight great years with her and she was my baby. She slept with me curled up every night, laying her head on my right arm while it was folded underneath my head. I cried like a baby when we had to take her to the vets to be put to sleep. I'll never forget my "little girl"! I hope your new cats bring you some new found joy.

[Ken Garlock]

Thanks for your kind words of condolence. It is comforting to know that so many Creekers have passed this way themselves.

When I get up from my TV chair, I find myself looking over at the sofa where Bob liked to snooze; I am thinking is he going to come out and pester me for something to eat? Some times when I enter the kitchen, I check to see if he is lounging in the living room doorway.

Yes, I do missing the little fellow, but I know that we did the best we could for him in life and death.

Thanks again to everyone.