My cat died today. he was my studio buddy. I am tore up.

[donreynolds]

My cat just died a little while ago. His name was Tyson because he used to box when we played. I had him 13 years. He was a stray who was never weaned. Very good natured and was a big baby. I even had to cover his crap in the litter box up for him. He never quite got the hang of it. He was an indoor cat, then went outdoors. Then he would always get sick every year so finally I just kept him in my studio as I figured he would not live long outdoors.
I noticed about 3 weeks ago he became very lethargic and did not move around much. I thought he just did not feel good. he got better after a couple days, but a few days ago, he did the same thing. I had noticed very little litterbox activity and he did not come to his food dish as usual. Also he used to follow me around. He would not move much at all. I had to hold his water dish up to his face for him to drink and then he drank for several minutes.
I took him to the vet and he was having congestive heart failure. They said he was dehydrated causing his kidneys not to function correctly and then fluid was congesting around his heart and in his lungs.

I spent a lot of money trying to help him but he died while me an my daughter was trying to get him to eat. I was putting some special cat food on my finger and trying to get him to swallow a little bit. He did get some down a little earlier. I don't know if His heart gave out or I stressed him by trying to feed him. maybe he could not swallow the last bit of food, I don't know. I figured he had to have some nutrition or he would die anyway. The food was very soft and I was only giving him just a finger tip of it at a time.

i feel terrible. I hope I did not cause him to choke and die. He seem to struggle a little bit and then he just died. He is just a cat. I don't why this bothers me so bad. Stupid huh? I just buried him. i miss him even though he would leave cat hair every where and puke when he ate too much. I liked having him around.

[BradLyons]

As someone who has (4) cats and (2) dogs....I totally understand, I'm so sorry!

[donreynolds]

I have another cat who stays outside, and a beautiful dog but Tyson was special.
I was just trying to get some closure by writing my thoughts.
Thanks Brad.

Hey I am really sorry about what happened. When doors close other ones open. That's the way He works.

Your in my prayers bro'

[shtidrummer]

donreynolds,

Sorry for your loss dude. Don't blame yourself for anything though. It sounds like you gave him a wonderful life. You should be proud.

When you're ready, perhaps head to an animal shelter and rescue another cat. No doubt you'd give him/her a wonderful life just like you did for Tyson.

Take care mate.

[BradLyons]

I have another cat who stays outside, and a beautiful dog but Tyson was special.
I was just trying to get some closure by writing my thoughts.
Thanks Brad.

Hey I am really sorry about what happened. When doors close other ones open. That's the way He works.

Your in my prayers bro'

animals ARE family! as to my situation.....ONE door closed, but MANY are opening.

[donreynolds]

Awesome and Amen!

[kassonica]

I love cats, so I'm sorry to hear this.. Maybe write a song for the little feller.

[James Steele]

Hey Don... I'm so sorry, man. I have a cat named Jet who has been with me for well over a decade now and he's a wonderful companion-- I'm lucky to have the little guy. He's 13 years old. You can't blame yourself. These heart issues can be congenital, and it was going to come up at some point and what you did or didn't do wouldn't have mattered. A friend of mine had a cat she was very attached to die of the same sort of thing. I know the loss is still painful, but you shouldn't be blaming yourself.

Think of it this way. Tyson was living on the street when a loving and kind person like you took him in. Because of YOU, Tyson enjoyed 13 good years of life with a family who not only fed him and gave him shelter, but gave him love and affection as well. You saved Tyson from a lonely, tragic death from disease or starvation which would most likely been inevitable if he had not had a home. Don... I don't mean to be melodramatic, but because of your love and generosity that sweet animal died in the arms of someone who loved him, instead of in a gutter after being hit by a car or attacked by wild animals. I can tell you Tyson knew that too.

Hang in there, man.

[Frodo]

My best friend as a kid was my cat. His name was Ravi. If the name Ravi means anything to anyone around here, then you know what a special cat he was. I'd practice the piano and Ravi would hop up on it and go to sleep. Under normal circumstances, anyone going to sleep during a performance would be an insult. In Ravi's case, it was a testament of trust.

Ravi was cool. I mean, he wasn't just "there". We had a genuine fellowship of communication.

Our second cat had some form of feline tourettes, and I personally longed for a beagle at that point. That aside, there is a such thing as special animals- and certain pets enrich our lives in ways which cannot be verbalized, imho. Ravi acted more like a dog than a cat in any case.

Don, I mourn with you and lack the verbiage to express how much I chime with your situation. I'm woefully sorry for the lost of your cat. Pets leave such huge spaces in our lives which can only be filled with fond memories.

[Shooshie]

Don, that is unfortunately a story many of us have lived all too often. The little guys just don't live as long as we normally do, so part of the equation of loving most of the other species of animals besides ourselves is to be their custodian to the death. I've got two little friends over there right now looking at me with big expectant eyes -- a dog and a cat -- for they want me to take them outside before I go to bed, and I'm dragging! Really tired. (helped my niece and her husband and dog move into a house here in Dallas today, and it sapped all my strength) So, I'll probably do it, but I sure don't feel like it. That's just part of being their friend and caretaker. To look into their eyes and know that I'll probably watch them close for the last time someday is something I have to accept philosophically. Emotionally I can't even go there.

You did a wonderful thing for Tyson, and he loved you for it. One thing the scientists have never gotten right, or even close to it, is animals' capacity to love, understand, empathize, and share with us. My dog saw me fall asleep at my keyboard one night, and I fell over and on to the floor with a clatter, bringing various things down to the floor as I caught them along the way. Since that event, she watches me closely when I am tired, and if i start nodding she trots over here and nudges me with her muzzle, even barks, until I wake up and sit up straight. I didn't teach her to do that. She just knows. Imagine; she reasons that if I fall over, I'll hurt myself. She doesn't want me to hurt myself, and she realizes that the trouble is about being sleepy. Someone who is sleepy can be awakened, and she knows how to do that.

But despite all the amazing reasoning that goes into that thought (amazing by the low standards of those who underestimate animals), there is one thing that humbles me and almost brings me to tears. It's that she's over there watching me. When I get sleepy she gets vigilant. She's watching like a guardian angel. Animals worry about us, because they love us!

Don, Tyson was probably not thinking about how bad he felt. He was probably sad for you to have to watch. I've had two or three animals who waited until we were all out of the house. I can't explain in a short space how we knew this, but it was obvious. The two I'm thinking of right now were completely of the "guardian angel" variety. So, my bet is that Tyson was doing his best to please you right up to the end, and at that point he just couldn't hang on any longer. It wasn't your fault at all. You probably prolonged his life much longer than you ever really thought about. First of all, you brought that cat in after his 9 lives were already used up. He knew that. You gave him a 10th, 11th… and he knew that, too.

So sorry he had to go, Don. But Tyson would advise you, if he could talk, to go find another cat to bring in, but to be careful to get a kitty who can be a guardian angel. Tyson may not realize that all that caring he felt for you is a result of the way YOU think about animals in general, the love you give without conditions or expectations, and that it's the love you give them that turns them into GA's. Then again, maybe it's the other way around. Well, it works out either way. Cats (and dogs, too) are sure wonderful people.

My condolences, friend,

Shooshie

[donreynolds]

Thanks

[AnthonyS]

My cat just died a little while ago. His name was Tyson because he used to box when we played. I had him 13 years. He was a stray who was never weaned. Very good natured and was a big baby. I even had to cover his crap in the litter box up for him. He never quite got the hang of it. He was an indoor cat, then went outdoors. Then he would always get sick every year so finally I just kept him in my studio as I figured he would not live long outdoors.
I noticed about 3 weeks ago he became very lethargic and did not move around much. I thought he just did not feel good. he got better after a couple days, but a few days ago, he did the same thing. I had noticed very little litterbox activity and he did not come to his food dish as usual. Also he used to follow me around. He would not move much at all. I had to hold his water dish up to his face for him to drink and then he drank for several minutes.
I took him to the vet and he was having congestive heart failure. They said he was dehydrated causing his kidneys not to function correctly and then fluid was congesting around his heart and in his lungs.

I spent a lot of money trying to help him but he died while me an my daughter was trying to get him to eat. I was putting some special cat food on my finger and trying to get him to swallow a little bit. He did get some down a little earlier. I don't know if His heart gave out or I stressed him by trying to feed him. maybe he could not swallow the last bit of food, I don't know. I figured he had to have some nutrition or he would die anyway. The food was very soft and I was only giving him just a finger tip of it at a time.

i feel terrible. I hope I did not cause him to choke and die. He seem to struggle a little bit and then he just died. He is just a cat. I don't why this bothers me so bad. Stupid huh? I just buried him. i miss him even though he would leave cat hair every where and puke when he ate too much. I liked having him around.

My heart goes out to you, buddy. I have had cats and dogs over the years, and it just tears your heart out when they pass.And it's not just a cat, it's a family member.I used to have a cat that would sit right smack in the middle of the mixing board, across the faders. Maybe it was warm there.Wasn't great for the faders, but I tolerated it. Kind of like having a kid stuff waffles into a VCR. You just deal....

Nowadays I always have a dog in the room when I am playing or recording. They always want to be by your side.No matter what. they love you unconditionally. My wife insists they love hearing me play the piano and acoustic.Not so much the heavy distorted electric. And way more than the neighbors! I can't imagine life without them......

[wylie1]

I know how you feel Don.
Soon I will be experiencing the same as my dog (Wylie) just turned 18 in March,he still manages to get around but hes not long for this world.

[billf]

Don, I know how you feel, I just lost my cat of 16 years two weeks ago. I know the exact feeling of "what if I had done this or that, maybe he would still be here" that you describe. But try not to blame yourself because we do the best we can, and beyond that is it out of our control. Unfortunately there is never a good time or way to say goodbye, and only time will help to make the loss a little less painful.

[n2mpujack]

I told myself I wasn't going to weigh in on this thread but I just couldn't stay away. My wife and I have shared a lot of cats in our life (there was a point we had 6 at one time) and it's never easy when one passes. They are all different, just like children. Had one cat that would sit outside the room in the basement where I have my ham radio equipment and she would listen to the voices coming out of the room. Occasionally she'd come in the room and I'd say to the person on the other end of the radio that my second op(erator) just came in. That cat idolized me. She'd also sit in my lap while we watched TV - she loved the Pet Psychic Sonya Fitzpatrick. After a while she wouldn't sit with me but would with my wife. You know how they say animals can sense things in humans that we can't? Well this cat sensed my intestinal cancer years before I or the doctors had. Very sad day when we had to put her down because of physical problems. Snowflake was 18 years old which is old for a cat.

There's many more stories I could tell that come to mind but as somebody earlier in the thread said that because of people like you or I a cat off the street had many good years they wouldn't have had otherwise.

If you don't know about it there's a poem called The Rainbow Bridge (Google it) that talks about the little ones and how they are awaiting their owners on the other side of life.