SS: Our oldest cat died

[Jenny]

Scott hadn't seen Mac since last night and I couldn't remember if I had or not. He went down to change the cat litter and found Mac dead in the basement. He looks like he just died of natural causes. We got him before we got married, in umm, maybe March of 1996, from the animal shelter. You could tell he had been on the street for awhile, his ears were all torn (healed tho) from fights, etc. They estimated him at about 2 years old then. So assuming he was just 2 then, he was almost 11. He was a fantastic cat. When I would use lavendar shampoo & conditioner and sit on the couch, he loved to jump up on the back and would basically take my hair and run it through his mouth. Like flossing. It was the grossest thing but was so damn cute that we never stopped him. He would never play with anyone but me (whereas Ben plays mainly with Scott), and just 2 days ago, I spent about 10 minutes playing with him on the stairs as I was heading upstairs.

Josh is having a rough time of it. I'm having a rough time. He was my baby, the first thing Scott & I ever got with each other. I know we'll be ok, it's just tough atm. :(

[johnnymk]

It's a great loss losing a wonderful cat. They are gifts from God. I hope to see mine in heaven one day.

And I hope you see yours too.

[DarkFury]

Well... such is the circle of life.

Yes... I know the pain of losing a longtime pet. But now you have room in your heart to adopt another kitten and save another life from the street. :D

[ufcrusher]

I'm sorry that your kitty died. (I am sure you always referred to him as your kitty even though he was an adult, we all tend to do this with our pets.)

From the sound of it you had many wonderful years with a lovely pet that adored you. (Yes, cats can adore people...even if they pretend not to.)

I have unfortunately had to put down 2 of my pets in my lifetime (1 cat and 1 dog)......and then there were those that "left" on their own volition. I honestly cannot say that one way is better than the other. When you put them down, you at least get to say goodbye. When they go on their own, then it was definitely their time, which might be better, but you dont get to say goodbye which can be really tough.

Either way, you have a hole in your heart and tears in your eyes. Just remember your cat as the playful furball that he sounds like and time will make the loss more bearable. Personally, I always said that I couldnt replace that pet with another, thinking that I would compare the 2 forever, but frankly that didnt happen. The new pet is always different and you will inevitably find yourself comparing the two but you will grow to love the differences and the void will be filled a bit.

[ski]

I have only owned one cat at a time in my lifetime, which makes me ungrateful compared to people who have experienced a cat interacting with another of its own species, like in the latest
Something Awful video (if you don't know, google Something Awful... it's been banned by this forum)

basically, it's two cats playing/fighting with each other, and seeing something as simple as these two creatures teasing each other is something to warm your heart.... I've watched the video of these two cats several times and I feel just great after seeing it :)

http://videos.*******************/misc/catattack.wmv

in the link, replace (without a space) something awful .com

[Jenny]

Scott & I talked about it and found a great place online that is here in the Wichita area. a no-kill shelter. They have some great kittens and we're going to go look tomorrow. I fell in love with Flirt... http://www.petfinder.com/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=3567211

here's the site's link: http://www.countrycatsinc.org It looks so cool.

Thanks you guys for your kind words. Josh is taking it MUCH harder than we expected. He hasn't gotten to sleep yet. Spent several hours crying. And it's odd cause Mac really wasn't HIS cat. I mean, he loved him but... Eh, it's hitting us all hard, I know.

[Grubbie]

I am waiting for my bros cat to die. The thing must be almost 15years old. He is blind so he walks around bumping into things, but the best part is, he walks in circles and then meows when he gets lost. Even though he hasn't moved more then 3 feet in away from where he started his 2foot radius looping. Great cat though, loves people and loves to sit in front of the fire and just sleep all damn day.

I just gotta convince my gf that we should get a cat and not a dog when we move in together...

[nickel]

it is a life's lesson for Josh, albeit a hard one. he is learning how precious pets are, and how precious life is in general.

and soon he will learn that broken hearts can mend. :)

[Kim]

I'm sorry for your loss, Jenny.

[caribiner23]

Sorry about the kitty, Jenny.

When I was a kid, my sister (about 9 at the time) asked my mom if dogs were allowed in Heaven. My mom said she didn't know, at which point she grabbed the dog and said, "If Nicky's not going to be there, I don't wanna go!"

:)

[Jenny]

:)

I had no problems telling Josh that Mac was in heaven now. I said I thought there was a special place there for pets like him.

If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. But he can find that out when he is old enough to question things and search for answers himself. No need to dissolution a 6 year old, imo.

[DarkFury]

I just gotta convince my gf that we should get a cat and not a dog when we move in together...
Dogs are cool, but honestly cats are alot less hassle overall... plus, they require less overall maintenance than a dog does from my experience.

I just recently had my kitty, Frankie, spayed.... however she had an allergic reaction to the stitches that they used, so now she's back in the vet's office to get re-stitched. Pretty much this means that her healing time is gonna be another 10 days when she comes home tonight.

Poor Frankie... I can imagine the pain.. :eek:

[TofuNinja]

Sorry for your loss Jenny. Cats are wonderful pets.

[OC]

I'm sorry Jenny. :(

[oblongmelon]

Aww..sad. but that new kitty is cute as hell :)

[Grubbie]

I love cats, and kitties are darn cute. A lot less work then dogs, adn they burry their own crap

[Hypnotist]

Jenny,

I'm so sad to here about your loss. That was a fortunate kitty... you should be proud to have saved his life, not to mention providing him with a loving home. I'm sure he loved you and your family very much.

We lost our female Australian shepherd on 11/27/04 and it's still difficult at times. The first few days were very emotional for the whole family. No kids here but we all cried like babies... couldn't help it... just hurt too deeply. We miss her desperately.

I'd like to suggest a place where you might find some comfort. This individual provides a place to go and share your loss with the World... it's awesome.

http://www.petloss.com/ (http://)

"The Rainbow Bridge Story" and the Worldwide Candle Ceremony are wonderful healing tools. It's well worth a visit... I assure you.

Again... I'm so very sorry.

Brad