My cat.

absentgrana, thankyou. We've looked on the Cat's Protection website and there are so many cats that need lots of love - there'll be one who picks us out for sure! (And Annobel your poem will flow off your pen - glad to be of help!!)

greenmossgiel I hope you and DH have a lovely holiday that will help you get over the death of your cat. I hope, too, that you find a new wee cat with just the right personality when you return. Clearly, it will be one that falls on its paws if it comes to live with such caring people.

Smitten - rhymes with kitten! Now you've given me an idea for a poem for our U3a writers' group!

Annobel you will be surely smitten!

I've been there, GMG, and it is heartbreaking. I haven't taken on new cats but am going to meet my new 'grandkittens' at the weekend. Can't wait!

What lovely and sensitive comments have been made by all of you. I've read some out to DH and we both so appreciate what you've all said. I'm so glad I was there for the wee lad at the end. I don't know if he knew his time was at its end, but he rubbed his face against mine as I held him and spoke silly words to him. We've decided that we WILL have another cat...we go on holiday in the middle of October, and when we come back our plan is to visit Cat's Protection's local shelter and find another wee cat.

Green......Had to do this for last three cats, one at 13, one at 15 and the last at 19. The first was a pedigree and the last two rescue cats. I was never going to have another cat and go through the pain but I have because he needed a home! It broke my heart every time I had to make the decision but in hindsight knew it was the right thing to do. If only we could make the same choice when aged relatives get to the stage in life when life as we know it does not exist anymore. I have a father-in-law in a dementia care home and my mother-in-law is going into respite care following a fall tomorrow. They are 90 and 91. Obviously I cannot compare my in-laws to the cats but a big part of me thinks that pets have the painless and quickest way out at times of serious illness including being held by the person that loved them most in this world.

all this has made me cry - i had to leave my cat behind when we left the UK.I know she is well looked after living with our gardener but still miss her.
I have been trying to tame a feral cat here -it now comes to the door and meows for food but will not let me within 10feet. Still, maybe with time . .

You did theright thing for your beloved cat and ensured he didn't suffer. You were there with him at the end and made sure he knew he was loved. It was so very hard for you to lose your furry friend but the best way to go for him. I wish that so many people could have such a good end to their lives.

Their lives are so short compared with ours that grief at their deaths is the price we pay for all the joy they bring us. I have said goodbye to so many pets and know that my six cats have only a few years left, but I would rather have had them all and cried when they went, than not have had them at all. My beloved dog died in my arms on New Year's Day a few years ago and my husband reckoned that he'd only hung on through an illness that had developed over Christmas so that he could be there on New Year's Eve – an occasion I hate and when I always ended up cuddling my dog and weeping. But most of the memories are full of laughter and fun, strokings and cuddling, loyalty and love. I know just how you feel greenmossgiel.

Thank you, numberplease. Nice to see you back, but how could you bear to leave Kintyre?

So, so sorry greenmossgiel, xxx

Everywhere in my house are 'cat things', whether they be paintings, ornaments or cushions. My cat had developed acute kidney failure, so that would have accounted for his change in eating habits. He was a happy boy, that I can be sure of. It's good to talk to others about how they feel (or felt) at these times.

I am so sorry to hear about your cat - I seem to remember you were worried about him on another thread. We have had to have two put to sleep, one just a youngster, and it is so awful. I sat up nights with my last cat before it all got too much for her, and I said I would never have another one, but we did and now she is old and not in the best of health. But I expect when she goes, we will welcome yet another, as I am sure you will in time - if cats are in your blood, you can't give them up easily....

apricot - thank you so, so much. You've no idea how helpful your post has been to me. Someone else told me that, as well - that animals live in the present. It makes sense I suppose, that that would be the case. I know I did everything right for him, and I was just so glad that I did what the vet had advised and was there, holding him when he was put to sleep. My DH is very against having another cat, because of all this pain, but time will tell. We'll see. Bless you.

Hugs from me too. Remember that our pets live always in the present and it's quality of life, not quantity, which matters. Your cat died gently with you there and though you'll miss him desperately you did everything right for him.
Getting a new pet isn't disloyal, you won't forget the old one but a new one will just distract you and make you smile again.
I used to work for a vet and was always pleased to talk to bereaved owners, often grieving alone after being told "it was only a cat (or dog)" by friends and family.
apricot

Bless you, nanapug. xx

How sad for you. Love and hugs to you. Remember you will never get over loosing your lovely cat, but it will get easier. When it does, also remember that there are some very lonely cats out there waiting for a wonderful home with someone like you. You could adopt one in his memory.

At the moment all I can think of, is that I just couldn't go through this again. Each cat we've ever had has been a rescue one - and I think that within a short time, I'll very likely be contacting Cats' Protection League to see if they know of any wee moggies needing a new home....

Oh green what a sad day for you I know how you are feeling it is a terrible
loss to the family when a loved pet goes from you,I held my old bulldog of 13
yrs when she was put to sleep she was so poorly and my darling girl was not
going to get better,I cried for day's and still miss the snoring to this day,
maybe when you feel stronger you may think about giving a rescue cat the benefit of your family's love and affection.xx

Your cat was obviously very much loved. Pets - big and small - are part of our lives and their death is bound to cause distress. I've cried buckets over our animals and it's so comforting to know that others do too.

Jacey, thank you. The hug helps a lot, it really does. And christineH, that was the first smile I've had today - I have visions of you standing there in your kitchen holding a lamb bone! Each cat we've had had their own personality as, of course, they do. Each one is still missed for himself and his little idiosyncrasies.

Crumbs, this has brought it all back when our ginger cat was knocked down in the road. After a week of being at the vet's we took the huge decision to have him put to sleep. We all caught each other crying for days (if not weeks).. He used to scrounge the lamb bone after a Sunday roast, and I thought What will I do with the lamb bone? I just didn't cook lamb for months on end. I still miss him, and that was about five years ago.

Thank you, christineH. These posts actually are helping a wee bit. I just had to fold up his blanket and put it away. Oh my goodness.....

So sorry to hear your news greenmossgiel ...the grieving process will take time ...you've lost a family member and friend. Perhaps the process is harder as one gets older ...as there is less to fill our days...but the first few days will be very raw. hug