It's Been A Week Now...
It's been a week now, since our 'Little Man' Smokey the black cat, passed away.
He was 19 years old and had been dealing with kidney failure for over a year and a half. We had him on a prescription diet where his foods were adjusted to take the pressure off of his kidneys but since it is a progressive disease that you can't fix, like it or not, this day was coming.
I watched him change over the years from an active kitten to a geriatric old-man cat that hissed and growled when you picked him up or held him, and he preferred to sleep for most of the day. In his last week, I noticed that he had hidden himself away in the base of a cabinet and had stopped eating and was barely drinking any water. We tried to tempt him with his favorite, stinky-fish soft food, but he wasn't in any mood to deal with it.
With this recent development, I stopped by the veterinarian's office to ask for advice and they said that cats will hide themselves away like this as if they can sense their impending death. They told me to keep an eye on him, because he could start having seizures as the body is starved to nothing, which is really bad on the cat.
Well, I watched him closely and saw that he was becoming wobbly on his legs, so I brought his litter box over to his hidey-hole and put out a fresh 'pat' of food on a plate next to him (every day), just in case he wanted to eat. Unfortunately, it was easy to see that Smokey was losing the battle as I helped him into his litter box and positioned him for evacuation, and then over to his water bowl when he was licking his dry lips with thirst. By Thursday the 12th, he was barely able to lift his head, so Luann and I stopped by the vet's office and set an appointment for 'finalization'.
This was so damned hard to do, because you really don't want your family member of 19 years to die, but at the same time, you don't want the poor guy to continue falling apart while you try all kinds of measures to keep kitty going for just... one... more... day.
It sucked having to take him in that day, but as I was holding him in my arms, carefully swaddled in a towel, he had a small seizure as we pulled into the parking lot at the vet. At that point, I knew that the timing was right for this. I won't go into detail about the process, but it was tough on all of us that were present, to include the male nurse, who had to step away for a bit because even he began to tear up as I slipped Smokey's collar off his lifeless body and put it in my pocket.
We didn't realize it until we were home afterwards, that the date was Friday the 13th. A fitting day for a black cat to cross over, I guess...
Here is a poem I came across that was written for a dog, and I edited it so that it is more fitting for our situation.
We took a bunch of pictures of Smokey, and here are a few of them to share. As you can see, he was pretty much the 'Grumpy Old Man' for as long as he was with us.
To begin with, this was a picture taken immediately after he was released from his cat carrier, after coming back from the vet. He's pissed because I have the cone-of-shame in my hand and am about to put on him. After being shaved, then going through exploratory surgery (they found nothing and said maybe he had indigestion) and finally having stitches along his stomach, he was in no mood to negotiate ANYTHING!
This was taken in 2006, when we were re-fitting our sailboat. I was wondering if the small generator I bought would fit in the footwell of the passenger area (nope), and Luann brought Smokey out to inspect the sailboat. He had just finished checking out the salon and was coming back out. He also walked the rest of the boat and when he was finished, he perched on the rearmost edge of the deck, waiting to be taken back indoors. This is one cat that just couldn't stand the great outdoors.
I call this one: How Much For You To Go Away, Man?
I had dropped a gift card on the floor and he decided to park right there and put his paw on the card. I saw this and whipped out my cellphone to take the shot.
Oh, the look in his eyes...
A couple of years ago, Smokey would come into the Dragon Room and find places to hang out, like this. Every time I left the room for the day, I had to find the cat before closing the door.
What is it with cats and squares / rectangles on the floor?
Even wayward kitchen towels are fair game...
This is yet another of Smokey's eccentricities. If Mom was using her nail file, he just had grab it and put his teeth on it. You can see by the look on his face, he was serious about this!
Ha, Christmas is coming and we're trying some collar accessories on Smokey. He didn't seem mind this one.
On the other hand, with this ensemble, he just sat there and hung his head.
...so we took off the hat and he was quite willing to tolerate the red and white collar. It was a cold night, so I've covered Smokey with a blanket to keep him warm. The spots all over are from a laser light show I was testing to put out in the yard.
That's another funny thing about Smokey... He never cared much for chasing laser dots. You could flash one all around him while he's laying on the floor and he would look at it with "Meh!" on his face.
Obi-Wan The Smokey.
He was licking himself so much we had to wrap him in a T-shirt so he wouldn't make himself bald. At this moment, he is sitting in what we call 'Cat TV'. This is when we roll up the living room blinds so he can look out and see the Great Outdoors without actually being in it.
My Kong!
We got him this kitty toy and it says KONG on the label. As you can see, he really liked this thing (maybe because it was filled with catnip?) and wouldn't let us take it from him.
Cat TV, back door version.
For a cat that hates the outdoors, he sure enjoyed watching it.
We knew we could leave the doors open if we were going in and out and he wouldn't try to escape. Instead, he would retreat deeper into the house when the front or back doors were open.
Sleepy-Time on Cat TV.
He really liked hanging out on the back of the couch, especially the section
that faced the living room window (blinds opened or closed).
Many times, I would be working on this computer and lean my head back a little to take a small break, only to find that I had a purring kitty pillow curled up behind me.
If it should be that I grow frail and weak,
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
then you must do what must be done
For this, the last battle, can’t be won.
You will be sad, I understand,
Don’t let the grief then stay your hand,
For this day more than all the rest
Your love and friendship stand the test.
We’ve had so many happy years,
What is to come can hold no fears.
You’d not want me to suffer so;
When the time comes, please let me go.
Take me where my needs they’ll tend
And stay with me, if you can, to the end.
Hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time, you will see,
It is a kindness you do for me.
Although my purr is no longer heard,
Thanks for all the times that I purred.