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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMy kitty died this morning
Ginny and I rescued Banjo right off the street in December 2008. She was my little friend, and she had this habit of climbing on my shoulder and giving me a kitty hug whenever I came home from a long day at work.
Sunday afternoon, it looked like Banjo had developed a tummy ache. Happens to all critters now and then. But yesterday she got worse when I came home, and I made arrangements to take her to the vet this morning. Unfortunately, Banjo died at the vet's office.
She was probably anywhere from 10-12 years of age, and most cats don't live past 14. She was my beloved little girl, and I will dearly miss her.
barbtries
(28,805 posts)i have a 14-year-old and a 13-year-old. they're getting on. the younger one especially i worry he may not last much longer.
So sorry
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)MineralMan
(146,318 posts)ceile
(8,692 posts)yellerpup
(12,253 posts)I know you'll miss her little hugs and all the love she gave you. You were a hero to rescue her and take good care of her right to the end.
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)Banjo had a much happier, and longer, life in your home than she would have had on the streets. I lost my 16 year old girl (shelter cat) 2 years ago. Her 22 year old "brother" (also shelter cat) passed six months after her. Like children? They were not much younger than my children who had grown up with them.
Again, my condolences.
teddy51
(3,491 posts)just a mater of time. It's no easier than a human loss as I see it.
tularetom
(23,664 posts)It's hard when you lose one of the little guys.
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)RIP, Banjo.
Richardo
(38,391 posts)What a cat.
CurtEastPoint
(18,652 posts)dembotoz
(16,810 posts)in the end that is all we can hope to do....
take comfort in your thoughts of her
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)I know you've been through a lot lately.
montanacowboy
(6,094 posts)Apr 19th is the first anniversary of our losing one of our dear little fellows; brings back the pain again.
joeybee12
(56,177 posts)Voice for Peace
(13,141 posts)till you meet again.
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)I'm so very sorry for your loss. I've been where you are and know how your heart breaks. I've got two 6 year old brothers I'm going to hug extra tight tonight.
arthritisR_US
(7,288 posts)last 5 years on this earth heaven
Lugnut
(9,791 posts)Losing a furry family member hurts like heck.
Hawkowl
(5,213 posts)I had a very similar experience with my cat Woody, a few years ago. Rescue kitties tend to hide their symptoms from their people until it is very late in the game. Often there is nothing anyone can do for mysterious kitty illnesses-- except love the kitty.
siligut
(12,272 posts)I know it hurts, but remember you gave her a good life and she knew she was loved.
Lucy Goosey
(2,940 posts)She sounds special, and it sounds like she knew you loved her.
raouldukelives
(5,178 posts)Roy Rolling
(6,925 posts)The 4 years since you rescued her off the street were the best years of her life. You added 4 years of quality life and we all share your grief and honor your good heart.
bart95
(488 posts)i had cats when i was a kid, that were truely part of the family
mopinko
(70,147 posts)pets are such a big part of my life, i can't imagine life without them. so faithful, so true. always there.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)japple
(9,833 posts)that you rescued her, loved and cared for her, and then helped to release her from her sick body. May you find comfort and peace in your beautiful memories of Banjo.
alittlelark
(18,890 posts)October
(3,363 posts)Peace.
SoCalDem
(103,856 posts)We took her to the vet recently when she was "off her food" a bit for a few days, and the vet had no suggestion for us other than a bunch of big-time expensive ultra sound-y tests. The blood panel came back normal, and with her age, we decided to just give her her favorite foods & cuddle her more for as long as we have her.. She's still as boisterously feisty as she always was, and we have come to the conclusion that she is just winding down.
October
(3,363 posts)Alice-cat is as feisty as they come! She rules all -- at 2.5 lbs -- and we have 2 female Borzoi. lol! When she "went off her feed" a few months ago, she started eating the dogs' food. Not kidding. We figured -- let her have it, she's old, deaf...
Well, darn if she didn't get stronger and start filling out. lol! We laugh, but she holds her own, and the dogs let her eat her fill.
Recently, we moved her into our private bath -- with a heating pad and cushioning in our tub. She has her own bowl of DOG FOOD (top quality) nearby, and visits downstairs when she wishes.
I didn't mean to hijack this tribute thread... but maybe talking about our cats' lives will bring some cheer to the OP's broken heart.
OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)Ohio Joe
(21,760 posts)My condolences.
blondie58
(2,570 posts)She is at rainbow bridge right now.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)There is nothing in the world that is harder than saying goodbye to our furry friends. She will live forever in your heart.
jimlup
(7,968 posts)Her name is Katrina - she is named after the 2005 storm for good reasons not bad ones. For some reason the name just fit her. She is my primary and most important companion so I understand how hard this loss is for you.
RIP Banjo
gordianot
(15,242 posts)Our kitty of 14 years passed away last Wednesday. She had a stroke and had lost control of her left front leg. When I took her to vet prognosis was not good she continued to be in severe distress passed away the next day. We have two abandoned stray cats (one is feral) who live outside and I swear they knew what going on. Both prefer to live outside and we care for them food and health needs. Cats are true marvels of understanding and their so called aloofness is a ruse. Even our feral cat wants to be close to people just not be touched. So sorry for your loss our animal companions both dogs and cats makes us who we are.
niyad
(113,466 posts)MrMickeysMom
(20,453 posts)Especially in light of loving as many kittens as I have. Mr. Mickey is in his 15th year, and we just lost his sister last month to lymphoma.... Your heart aches... I can only say, "I'm so sorry"
Every day is precious with them... I wish you comfort in the loss of your beloved little girl... Banjo.
Pool Hall Ace
(5,849 posts)It's never easy. May happy memories comfort you.
spooky3
(34,461 posts)She was lucky when you rescued her and obviously loved you very much.
Lizzie Poppet
(10,164 posts)Godspeed, Banjo...
=^..^=
Brigid
(17,621 posts)My kitty Patrick died of kidney failure on Friday. He will be there to greet Banjo at the Rainbow Bridge. They surely do have a way of capturing our hearts, don't they?
niyad
(113,466 posts)Ecumenist
(6,086 posts)We will all see them again some day.
tabbycat31
(6,336 posts)She'll join my Tabby across the Rainbow Bridge (Tabby's been gone for almost a year).
Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)May Banjo be waiting for you on the other side of The Bridge.
Coyote_Bandit
(6,783 posts)ellie
(6,929 posts)Poor kitty. I lost one of my cats and my dog last year. I think about them every day.
myrna minx
(22,772 posts)livetohike
(22,149 posts)niyad
(113,466 posts)my furbabies send hugs and deepest sympathies
Gregorian
(23,867 posts)I know the pain. It's very much what I experienced with two of my beloved friend cats.
There is so little one can do to help with the pain. The only thing I can do is to realize that I loved. And that I gave them a life most cats can only dream of. And it sounds like you did too.
The walks. And fun. And the look that says they really do know what you are thinking. Real beings.
Knowing that we also have felt what you feel might help you. It has been five years since I lost Bart, and two since I lost Farnsworth. Every day they're on my mind. Born in a forest under my cabin in the woods, we spent every hour of every day together. More than a dozen years of music and walking and playing in the barn. Climbing trees.
The memory doesn't die.
rfranklin
(13,200 posts)I was a big crybaby. Treasure the memories.
SoCalDem
(103,856 posts)BoWanZi
(558 posts)otohara
(24,135 posts)RIP Banjo
ProgressoDem
(221 posts)Cats are our best friends.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)Rest in peace, sweet Banjo.
Brettongarcia
(2,262 posts)derby378
(30,252 posts)He's a sniper currently on duty somewhere in Afghanistan. I'm just a big ol' civilian. But I appreciate your sentiments all the same.
snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)jsmirman
(4,507 posts)it's true - I'm sure she enjoyed the heck out of her years with you and it sounds as though she loved being loved.
sinkingfeeling
(51,464 posts)Mz Pip
(27,452 posts)It sounds like she had a wonderful life with you. RIP Banjo.
GoneOffShore
(17,340 posts)Our Katie cat died six weeks ago - she was 13 and a sweetie. They don't last long enough.
niyad
(113,466 posts)Rosa Luxemburg
(28,627 posts)Johnson20
(315 posts)Tikki
(14,559 posts)The Tikkis
bigmonkey
(1,798 posts)You loved your cat, and she loved you. You gave her a good home.
beemer27
(460 posts)I am sorry for you. A pet can form a special bond with their person that cannot be expressed in words. She will always live in your heart.
virgdem
(2,126 posts)you gave Banjo a very good life and she loved you very much. Those of us who frequent this group know of the pain of loss of our furry loved ones. You are in good company here-we understand what you are going through and feel your loss deeply. I wish you much peace in the coming days and weeks as you go through the grieving process.
PADemD
(4,482 posts)fizzgig
(24,146 posts)it's so hard when they go.
Ecumenist
(6,086 posts)cherished and clearly adored her for the last part of her life. God bless you Banjo, Safe passage Home. and Yes, I do believe that animals have souls.
WillParkinson
(16,862 posts)And Banjo knew it. My deepest sympathies for your family's loss.
goclark
(30,404 posts)TuxedoKat
(3,818 posts)for the loss of your beloved Banjo. (((HUGS)))
SnowCritter
(810 posts)It doesn't take but a moment for them to steal your heart away.
I've two myself, Chloe and Chuck. Chloe is eight and Chuck is 6. I'm not looking forward to the day when I have to say "goodbye" (makes me weepy just thinking about it).
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)It's like losing anyone else in your family.
I'm so, so sorry for your loss. Be well.
man4allcats
(4,026 posts)The last time I went through that, many here helped me with their kindness. My cat was 16 or 17 when it happened, but it doesn't matter. In my experience at least, it never gets any easier. My thoughts are with you and Ginny. Rest In Peace, Banjo.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)indepat
(20,899 posts)still miss her dearly.
redqueen
(115,103 posts)(hug)
Politicalboi
(15,189 posts)Beacool
(30,250 posts)Animals are wondeful and we all get so attached to them. At least Banjo had a loving home with you and didn't suffer a lingering death.
Hugs!!
get the red out
(13,467 posts)They are such wonderful beings in our lives.
Harriety
(298 posts)RIP Banjo.
derby378
(30,252 posts)I love you all - and I know Banjo would love you, too.
Rosco T.
(6,496 posts).. and they're all starting to show their age.
Your little girl will be back if you need her, and if she has unfinished business. The stories I could tell...
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)kudzu22
(1,273 posts)I know how it feels to lose a beloved pet.
warrior1
(12,325 posts)I'm so sorry for your loss.
Rest in peace sweet kitty.
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)You gave Banjo a wonderful last few years. She died loved and with a home. Can't ask for more than that.
I'm so sorry for your loss
ProfessionalLeftist
(4,982 posts)You obviously made sure the last years of her life were good - she had a safe, loving home.
gateley
(62,683 posts)And my heartfelt hug to you and Ginny, derby378.
aquart
(69,014 posts)From the day you met, she was never hungry or alone and she trusted you absolutely.
Grief is the last privilege of love.
How lucky you were that you found her.
countryjake
(8,554 posts)it always hurts so much to lose good friends.
liberalmike27
(2,479 posts)I've got one left, and I've been counting the years--lost four so far, and it was awful each time.
NICO9000
(970 posts)My little baby is almost 16 and my wife's two boys are 15. We lost our oldest one last November - she was 18 and seven months.
You gave Banjo a wonderful life and she obviously enriched yours as well. Please take care.
- Mike
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)In the ongoing disaster...
Hugs
derby378
(30,252 posts)My brother and sister-in-law made it through just fine with only a little hail and a lot of rain.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)I'm in california.
Glimmer of Hope
(5,823 posts)Chipper Chat
(9,682 posts)I know how hard this is. Like losing a human family member.
My cat, Rugrat, has been my constant companion for 12 years. When she was four I went to Florida for 2 weeks and boarded her at a kennel. When I returned she had been on a hunger strike. So now she goes to FLorida with me! But I know that day is coming.
BeHereNow
(17,162 posts)It is so hard to lose a fur person- especially when you
have established love rituals, like your Banjo climbing on your shoulder
to give you a hug.
Spider likes to lay beside me at night- I put my finger
inside his front paw and he squeezes it- I know I will miss that someday.
It's the little things, the personal things that are unique in each relationship
that makes each and everyone of them so precious.
I understand the sorrow, having lost so many fur babies over my life.
It's never easy, so sorry you are going through it...
BHN
Fla Dem
(23,699 posts)BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)I know how it feels. It's very very painful. They are such innocent, loving babies.
Give yourself time, cry as much as you need to....rest, cry, connect with those you love. You need to be as gentle with yourself as Banjo was with you.
You'll see her again....
*hug*
Raine
(30,540 posts)it really hurts to lose our beloved four legged family members.
mrs_p
(3,014 posts)I'm so sorry. I'm sure you were as love by her as she was by you.
Lone_Star_Dem
(28,158 posts)It's a such a loss when we lose our fur family. My heart hurts with you.
calimary
(81,350 posts)Our animals. They play such a critically important role in our lives, in our well-being, in our very spirit.
Skittles
(153,169 posts)Grieve not,
nor speak of me with tears,
but laugh and talk of me
as if I were beside you.....
I loved you so --
'twas Heaven here with you.
--by Ilsa Paschal Richardson
marlakay
(11,479 posts)for the loss of your kitty. My kitties are my babies so I understand.
Walk away
(9,494 posts)Banjo will always be with you in your heart.
crunch60
(1,412 posts)She will always be loved and missed. I am so sorry for your grief , I understand what it's like to loose a beloved pet.
FourScore
(9,704 posts)and cherish the beautiful memories. Banjo was loved.
vt_native
(484 posts)at this time of loss
TheKentuckian
(25,026 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,762 posts)GoCubsGo
(32,086 posts)WillowTree
(5,325 posts)daligirl519
(285 posts)but she is across the Rainbow Bridge now. Take some comfort in that. I have two males, Pitch and Tut, both around 14, my Humane Society Babies. They were both kind of freaky, and I adopted them for that reason. They both have major health problems that I can no longer afford to treat, and they will have to be put down soon. I can imagine the pain you are feeling, and that I will soon feel as well. God Bless!
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)I know it sounds silly. But it really helped. My heart had been torn out. I held out hope that he was waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge.
Know that Banjo was a very lucky kitty that you found her and gave her a happy life these last few years.
It's a sad reality that most of our pets leave before we do. Still, I keep getting them. There's always a dog or cat who could use a forever home, and I have one.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)I've got a couple of advanced age dogs. I can't help thinking about it. They're very healthy and act much younger than their years, but still, I think about it.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)So we are in the same boat!
Spock_is_Skeptical
(1,491 posts)I know it sucks to lose a kitty. My thoughts go out to you.
polmaven
(9,463 posts)Losing our sweet and loving furry children is very difficult. You are in my thoughts, derby.
polly7
(20,582 posts)It's so hard, they're family, aren't they?
benld74
(9,904 posts)Our 2 oldest are 14 this year. Boots(named because there was already a Socks at the time), was just discoverd with arthritis in 2 of her vertebra. She has lost 2 lbs since July, and now is getting prednisone for the inflammation. She is eating more, getting around better, but still,,, I will eventually know how you feel now.
Boots was and still is a character. Part beggar dog at the supper table, vocal until she gets what she wants, loves to venture out and has the scars to prove her ventures.
The Wizard
(12,545 posts)On January 4, 1993, the cat in this book and the books that preceded it was put to sleep in Kerrville, Texas, by DR. W.H. Hoegemeyer and myself. Cuddles was fourteen years old, a respectable age. She was as close to me as any human being I have ever known.
Cuddles and I spent many years together, both in New York, where I found her as a little kitten on the street in Chinatown, and later on the ranch in Texas. She was always with me, on the table, on the bed, by the fireplace, beside the typewriter, on top of my suitcase when I returned from a trip.
I dug Cuddles' grave with a silver spade, in the little garden by the stream behind the old green trailer where both of us lived in the summertime. Her burial shroud was my old New York sweatshirt and in the grave with her is a can of tuna and a cigar.
A few days ago I received a sympathy note from Bill Hoegemeyer, the veterinarian. It opened with a verse by Irving Townsend: "We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own live within a fragile circle
"
Now as I write this, on a gray winter day by the fireside, I can almost feel her light tread moving from my head and my heart down through my fingertips to the keys of the typewriter. People may surprise you with unexpected kindness. Dogs have a depth of loyalty that we often seem unworthy of. But the love of a cat is a blessing, a privilege in this world.
They say when you die and go to heaven all the dogs and cats you ever owned in your life come running to meet you.
Until that day, rest in peace Cuddles.
Kinky Friedman
Madina, Texas
February 5, 1993
roguevalley
(40,656 posts)keep an ear tuned in. Every so often I hear dog nails on the wood floors when my remaining dog is with me on the bed. They always stop at my door. Your kitty will always be near.
TrogL
(32,822 posts)All my cats are well over ten and get cranky when the weather changes. We've got vials of Medicam all over the place. One dog is getting cataracts and barks at everything because he can't see. His breathing sounds horrible so he may be the first to go which would be a shame because we got him from a rescue just over a year ago
1620rock
(2,218 posts)intheflow
(28,481 posts)Anything I could say now would be grossly inadequate to your loss, so here's the best I can offer: a heartfelt
NEOhiodemocrat
(912 posts)It is so hard when one of our furry friends die, but it would be harder getting through life without them.
silverweb
(16,402 posts)[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Have been there and know just how hard it is.
Granny M
(1,395 posts)May your memories of Banjo bring you comfort. Take care.
amuse bouche
(3,657 posts)We adore our kitty cats too
Our oldest recently died at 23. We got him as a baby from a shelter and had him all his life.
It truly was like losing a family member
tweeternik
(255 posts)we had to put our 14 year old cat, Mr. Chicken, down last week. such a heartbreak!
sonias
(18,063 posts)Banjo and Ginny are keeping each other company now.
racaulk
(11,550 posts)kpete
(71,998 posts)meanest, toughest little cat I ever knew
eaten by a coyote 3 years ago
miss her still...
derby 378,
damn you!
you made me cry..
peace, kpete
radical noodle
(8,003 posts)Pets become part of our family, and they love us unconditionally. Saying goodbye leaves a little hole in our hearts. I lost my 17 yr old cat last fall, and I still miss her. Rescue animals are the BEST. Bless you for giving her such a loving home.