Cat check thread made me sad

[Beausoleil]

We had to have Ziggy put down on Saturday. He was a good cat, an orange tabby that we'd had since he was a kitten. He was almost 15.

Ziggy was goofy, kind of ragged looking. He was messy and had butt-dragging issues. Threw up a lot, too. But he was the most loyal cat that you could ever want. He was our "old man". He is survived by our remaining 4 cats.

Ziggy was a pain in the butt sometimes, but he just wanted to sit in your lap and let you pet him. He got to the point where he had to be with my wife all the time, he even slept on top of her. He never got mad or fought, he took abuse from the other cats and I never heard him hiss except maybe twice in his whole life.

Ziggy was well-travelled; he drove with us when we moved to Alaska, all the way from Texas and up the Alaska highway. He was with us the whole six years in Alaska and drove with us back down the Alaska Highway and back home to Texas.

In the last year, we started letting all of our cats go outside, since we had moved to an area in the exurbs where we felt safe letting them out. Ziggy loved his last year; he was a happy cat.

His kidneys had started to fail over the last few months. We tried to help him, gave him electrolytes by IV for the last month or so, but the vet told us he wasn't regaining any function. He was starting to lose muscle since his body couldn't get rid of the toxins. We decided that he was only going to get worse and would not have the quality of life he deserved.

We put him down and of course there's all this second-guessing that maybe we should have just kept him alive as long as we could, but we knew that it was not fair to Ziggy. It was very hard. I can still see him as the goofy little orange kitten in the cardboard box in front of the grocery store where we got him, almost 15 years ago.

We buried him under under his favorite clump of live oaks in our back yard on Saturday morning.

We'll miss you Zig-boy!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I'm sorry... RIP, Ziggy.

:hug:

[Beausoleil]

2. Thanks!

Ziggy just wanted to be friends with everyone (of course, after he'd overcome his initial terror upon seeing new people).

[BarenakedLady]

3. I'm so sorry

I had to have my Rocky put to sleep last year. He had cancer on his jaw. I still miss him.

:hug:

[Beausoleil]

5. I didn't realize it would be so hard!

I'm sure they're both in kitty-heaven now!

[WolverineDG]

4. I'm in the same boat you were

Sorry about your baby Ziggy. My baby Nellie (16 years old) gave me a scare last week & I'm supposed to do the IV thing as well. That hasn't worked too well, so I'm taking her to the vet for them to do it for me. I just don't want to hurt her. She still has some quality of life, but I don't know how long I can do that & I don't want her to suffer. I waver back & forth between putting her down now v. waiting until Thursday to see what happens (next blood draw). It sucks being a furbaby's mommy sometimes.

dg

[Beausoleil]

6. Hope Nellie pulls through

It's hard seeing them acting normal and happy, but when the vet gave us the numbers and we saw that he wasn't getting better and we knew he couldn't jump like he used to, wasn't eating well, we just didn't want to see him deteriorate and suffer.
I think we picked a beautiful spot for him.

[WolverineDG]

10. Thanks for telling me this

Nellie is about where Ziggy was. :hug:

dg

[Beausoleil]

12. The second-guessing is hard

But you have to keep telling yourself that you did right by them. Their suffering would be worse than your guilt.
My wife has been beating herself up all weekend. "If we'd just...", "But he was doing so well", you just have to accept that you did the right thing. And have a good resting place picked out.

All the best for you and Nellie.

:hug:

[BrklynLiberal]

7. RIP Ziggy. You sure sound l ike you were one of a kind...

:pals:

[Beausoleil]

9. I just hope he forgives us.

I always thought he was very non-descript and goofy-looking. But a lot of people that met him said, "What a pretty cat!" It's funny how you get used to a pet. But it is like losing a family member.

[BrklynLiberal]

19. I am sure he was grateful for the relief from the pain...and he knew you did it out of love.

[radfringe]

8. our Kudra

is going on 22years old.

has had the hyper-thyroid problem. meds not helping, but she still gets around the house, complains loudly about EVERYTHING, still the Grande Dame of the house, keeps the other 4 cats and 3 dogs in line.

won't be that much longer, so we give her all the food she wants, even make her favorite food - TURKEY... (we'll get a turkey leg, cook it and then shred it up in the food processor)

[Beausoleil]

11. It's all about making them happy and comfortable!

It comes back to you. Hang in there, Kudra!

[Brigid]

13. RIP, Ziggy.

Be sure to say "hello" to my Hamlet in kittycat heaven. He died a few years ago -- also of kidney failure. Seems that is what usually gets older cats. :hug:

[Beausoleil]

16. I'm sure he will.

Ziggy had no enemies.

[montanto]

14. Sorry to hear it.

Always makes me sad to think about lost friends. :hug:

[Beausoleil]

17. Thanks!

At least we can visit him whenever we want to. We have had cats in the past that just disappeared; that's tough too.

[montanto]

18. Yeah, I feel you.

As bad as it is, it's better to know what happened. Sorry for your loss.

[Arugula Latte]

15. Aw, Ziggy. Rest in Peace, sweet kitty.

I'm so sorry. :hug:

[Coyote_Bandit]

20. .

:hug:

[Sanity Claws]

21. You really loved Ziggy

It shows in how you wrote about him.
My condolences. :hug:

[Beausoleil]

28. Thanks! And he wasn't my favorite.

Just goes to show how much they all mean. It was very hard watching him go.

[BobMorr]

22. Peace to Ziggy

Safe passage for Ziggy.

[suninvited]

23. Ziggy sounds like he was a wonderful pet,

who lived a long and wonderful life. I have been through that and know how much it hurts !

[AndyA]

24. I'm so sorry to hear about Ziggy.

And I know all too well the pain you're feeling. I had to have a cat named Max put to sleep a few years back, he was an old timer as well, and everything was just shutting down on him. When he stopped eating, we knew it was time.

Ziggy sounds like he was a great guy, and lived a good life, a life that many cats never have the opportunity to experience.

Now he's happy and healthy again, waiting for you at Rainbow Bridge, anticipating the day he's reunited with the ones he loved here on Earth, when it's their time to move on.

http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm

How lucky you were to find Ziggy. He'll always be with you.

[Beausoleil]

31. I told my wife that he was frolicking around somewhere

probably chasing birds.

Thanks.

[Flaxbee]

25. I'm so sorry to hear about Ziggy --

we have an orange male tabby, about 14 (at least - showed up one day at my husband's place in 1993/4) and I fear he might be starting to have similar problems.

:hug: to you and Ziggy. It is so hard to decide what is best, when, especially when you love them so much.

[Beausoleil]

29. We have another orange male

whom Ziggy took under his wing as a kitten. I'm sure he'll miss Zig terribly, we're worried for him.

Orange male tabbies are the best!

[bluethruandthru]

26. I'm so sorry!

You and Ziggy were lucky to have had each other. RIP Ziggy! :hug:

[fizzgig]

27. i am so sorry about ziggy

he sounds like a sweet and wonderful cat and you guys gave him a wonderful life

:hug:

[bdamomma]

30. Sorry for your loss.

:hug:

[applegrove]

32. Sorry for Ziggy. Sounds like he had a happy life.