Sadly I had to have my #1 cat put to sleep this morning. He unfortunately was suffering from a "behavioral disorder". Max joined our family in 1986. Susequently another 11 cats have called my house home. One was given away as a kitten, three died naturally and another three were road kill. But having to euthanize poor old Maxie is making me feel like Dr. Kevorkian. His brothers Spike and Boris seem to be looking around for him but the other slugs don't seem to care. One of them has already claimed his favorite chair!

Sorry to hear about Max, Sue. Those folks who don't have pets never realize how they become a member of your family.

A friend inherited a cat from his parents after they were unable to care for it. Since then both parents have passed away. The cat outlived both of them by five years. The cat was 24 when she passed away early last fall.

Bob

Sue,

I am very sorry for your loss of Max. I know how hard it is to lose a beloved pet, especially when it's through euthanasia. When we know we have given our four-legged friends a wonderful, cared-for life, then it is time to only remember the good things we have done for them and the pleasure they have given us in return, and not the last loving decision we had to make for them.

Joanne

Sue
I am so sorry for your loss. We have had only one cat, Tiffany. Had to put her to sleep on my birthday in June. She was 16 and we had her for 13 years. It just about killed me. But watching her suffer with cancer was worse. I want another one so bad but, my husband says no. Sure miss her this Christmas. It won't be the same with out her in the middle of the wrapping paper drooling on her new catnip mouse. At least you have the others to love and to remember her with. Best to you and your family for the holidays.

Sheryl



[This message has been edited by Beaconfollower (edited 12-24-2000).]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your cat. I lost my beloved cat Kaysee on January 4, 2000. She was 21 years old. It has been almost a year now that she has been gone, but we still think we see her every now and then.

Many people think it is not that big of a loss since it is only a cat, but I know better. It is very difficult and even harder because others think it shouldn't affect you. My condolences.

Suzanne

[This message has been edited by Suzanne Murphy (edited 12-25-2000).]

I heard a cute story today about a stolen cat while at my niece's house for Christmas. She said that when they were living at their former house the next door neighbors had a bunch of stray kittens they had taken into their garage and were trying to find homes for them. My niece went over and saw that one of them was pretty nice looking, not scruffy like the rest so she took it. Sometime later a little boy who lived across the street came to her house, saw the kitten and said, "Gee, we used to have a kitten who looked just like that!"

Condolences on your loss of Max - its hard to lose a friend. We went through the same experience about a year ago with Bootsie. I still think about her. Lucy the red Persian is getting on in years but she's still there chirping to get a pet whenever I leave for work in the morning. Beemer and Inka enjoyed their catnip fish this Christmas. They're part of the family. Each has his/her own personality and funny little ways - I can't imagine our household without cats.

Im so sorry to hear about your loss.Bubba and Bugs Bunny,a tailless manx,are 2 that Ive adopted and are a year and 8 months old and they are my "children" and I would never know what Id do without them now.Theres nothing like waking up every morning with 4 beedy eyes looking you in the face waiting for you to get up.

Most people don't realize that cats are people too! Our cat showed up at our door and stayed 19 years. Originally We thought she belonged to someone else so we took her back three times, but she always beat us back to our house. Apparently she was adopting us !! Cats and dogs (we now have a mini-mini-dachshund) very quickly become "members of the family"!!!



[This message has been edited by pharologst (edited 12-26-2000).]

Sue,

We are very sorry for the loss of Max. Pets in our family are just that FAMILY. It is very hard to say goodbye to them. The memories you have will help you through this time. Remember they can't tell you when it is time to say goodbye and you have to rely on your judgement and that of your vet to know when the time has come.

The last cat we had lived for 19 years and the other one was over 10 when he died of diabetes. Our dogs didn't understand when the cats weren't there to terrorize them anymore.

We had to euthanize our dog, Frisbee, in October. He was just short of 16 years old. We had him longer than we have had our kids- he truly was part of the family. The vet was very kind and told us how blessed he was as a vet to be able to offer this to us and our pet. I am not a Dr. Kevorkian fan, but sometimes it truly is sad the things that we do to humans to keep them alive longer. I am grateful for veterinarians and the love and care they give our pets. We still miss old Frizzie very much, but we know that we gave him a comfortable and peaceful passing. Many condolences to you and your family.

chris g

Sue, Sorry to hear of your loss.Your pet like ours is a family member and will always hold a place in your heart.


terry

Thanks to everyone for their kind words. Maxie is now finally safe from being chased by Boris! No more hairballs and a little less cat hair is ok too!

Sue, I just today saw this post for the first time. I am soooooo sorry!!! It is so hard to lose a family member. I wish there was something we could all say...just know our thoughts & prayers are with you & yours.