We woke up to her curled up in her litterbox, comatose.
We brought her to the vet as soon as they opened, and they quickly determined that there were numerous problems. Her body temperature was low at 94, and her blood sugar was so low that it wouldn't register on their equipment. They administered a couple of different medications to stabilize her, which helped her out of the coma and made her semi-responsive, but it was obvious that she wasn't doing well.
The vet explained that he wasn't sure what caused the drastic drop in her blood sugar, but was fairly confident that the duration of time that she was in the coma had caused damage to her brain. A full work up to determine what the problem was would be fairly expensive, he continued, but even all of that might not find a solution, and either way there would be no treatment that would bring her back to normal. With The Boss crying uncontrollably, her face creased with pain and heartbreak, I made the unbelievably hard decision to put Noir down.
Our cat, rendered deaf and blind by her coma, lay crouched on a warming pad in front of us, barely aware of what was going on. Our cat, who was completely healthy and normal the night before. Our cat, who I'd be digging a hole for in the hours to come that day. Our cat, who was barely over two years old. Our cat, who had a flash of remembrance cross her face when she recognized the smell of myself and The Boss as we both hugged her and said goodbye.
It was over before we had much time to think. The doctor left with an empty syringe, and life soon passed from our cat. I held The Boss tightly as she cried, struggling to hold back tears myself.
We buried our cat just shy of four hours after we woke up yesterday. We said our final goodbye's, placed a flower on her grave, and forced ourselves to continue on with our day. We forced ourselves to move on, though there'd be no clatter of claws on the linoleum from our cat rushing to greet us as we came home, and no more excited scratching at the bedroom door, wanting to see us first thing in the morning when she hears our alarm clock. No more constant residence on my lap while I'm at work.
The house feels empty today, as I sit here at my desk, alone.
It has only been one day, and I'm missing her terribly.
Rest in peace, Noir, and know that you were loved.
18 Comments:
Im so sorry for your loss. Losing a pet is the worst. My thoughts are with you and The Boss.
BTW, Noir is a beautiful name for a cat. She was gorgous!
Oh so sorry Boss and Badass. I know how it feels to lose a loved pet. I still dream about my childhood black dog (Jet) many years after her death.
Beeootiful picture of her - and now she's immortalised on the internet.
Oh I'm sorry honey, that's terrible.
Oh, Michael, I'm so, so sorry for you and The Boss. Losing an animal is incredibly hard. They are a part of your family, and no matter how annoying they can be sometimes, they basically love us unconditionally and just want to be with us.
I feel your pain all too well, and I know the feeling of the house not being the same without them. It takes time to get used to them not running to greet you, that's for sure.
She was a pretty kitty indeed, and I knew you really loved her from the way you wrote about her, even when she was giving you fleas.
Take care, you guys.
I am so sorry Badass. I was very sad to read that. You made the right decision. She is in peace now.
So so sorry again!
I'm extremely sorry that this happened. I also know the feeling of losing what is honestly a furry family member. They are more than just pets. Take care of yourself as well as The Boss. Noir looks lovely in the photo.
Cape Cod Gal: She definately was a beautiful cat.
Scatterbrain: I'm sure we'll remember her for years to come.
Miss Grace: It sure feels terrible. I keep looking over my shoulder, expecting her to be laying in the sun.
Lola: Yeah, she was a pain at times, and no matter how many times I threatened that damn cat, I still loved her. Her final act of defiance? A nice puddle of piss on my sandals.
FIS: It was the right choice, but it was incredibly hard.
Aub: Thanks, man. She was as much family to us as anyone else.
I'm so sorry about the loss of your beautiful cat. My thoughts are with you and your wife.
I am so sorry badass. You did the right thing given the situation. Thoughts and prayers.
Doing the right thing is never easy, Badass. I'm so very sorry for your loss. Please give my love to The Boss as well.
Employee No 3699: Thank you.
Kat: It feels like I made the right choice, but its still painful.
Aunt Becky: Thanks, I'll be sure to.
So sorry to hear about that. It's always hard to lose a pet.
Oh you poor thing! And poor kitty. =( You know I love my cats deeply. I have also had seemingly healthy cats die suddenly and mysteriously. It's shocking. I'm sorry.
That is so tough. I'm sorry. {hugs}
Jen W: Yes, it has been hard.
Heather: Yeah, the mystery of it all makes it all the more difficult.
Jewels: Thank you, and thanks for the hug.
She knows. I'm so sorry for the loss of your beautiful girl.
My brother lost his cat a couple of months ago. Sproom was 19. He really liked other black cats. I bet he is courting your girl right now.
I've lost 8 cats during my adult life and as much as it sucks, I think God knows what he is doing by making their life spans shorter than ours. If He didn't, I wouldn't have the opportunity to love cats 9, 10, and 11 right now.
Dear Badass, hugs to you and the Boss for your pain. It's hard to lose a loved one, four legged or not. I am sure she knew it wasn't your fault and that she was loved....thanks for sharing the picture...
awwww that's so sad!!
I'm really sorry. :(
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