Cats

[smll2]

I'm north of 50 years old...not by much. Point being I never thought I'd break down over a ***** cat . We (familia) had until earlier today a feline rescued at the age of 6 months. Her name was Oreo...a black and white beauty. She was one mtf smart cat as she survifed living in the mountainous area of Pasadena for the past 15 years. She brought an incredible amount of love and joy to my kids and family for all these years. Oreo was a lover. She loved all humans and jumped into all laps without predjudice.

I had to put her down today. It was tough. It was very tough. Thank God the Vet had a back door cuz I was a wreck

Just a note here on the internet to let her know she will never be forgotten and how much we appreciated being blessed by her energetic loving presence for all these years.

Oreo will be missed incredibly by our family. I hope there's a cat heaven.

[Buch0]

I'm sorry to hear about you loss mate, animal or human a friend is a friend. It sounds like you and the family gave the cat a great home, maybe you can go to the local pound and save another one from a life in a cage? I picked up a kitten for my girlfriend on valentines day just passed, said its the best present she has ever received..

[Guest rob]

Much to Ayala's disgust - I am a cat guy. I love 'em.

I am sincerely sympathetic to the loss of your pet.

My cats look forward to seeing me at the end of every day and are great companionship in the garden when I'm out having a cigar. Charlie and Leo are great friends.

Those people who don't like cats just havent met the nice ones in the world.

[First Lady]

Tom I love you even more to know you are cat lover.... as you get to know me better you will find I am one of the most massive cat lovers around and my dream job (besides this one) is to work with the big cats...

I have been in your situation with lossing a loved pet who is part of the family... still brings makes me cry and I lost two in on year about 5 years ago

Lisa

[Jimmy2]

Sorry for your loss its tuff when you lose a pet people who never had any dont relize how much they become part of a family..

[dizedean]

I am so sorry for the loss of your precious cat.

[rcsims]

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. Pets really are part of the family. I know she will truly be missed. Try to have some comfort in knowing that she would not have wanted to spend her life with any other family!

[brutusthebuckeye]

Sorry for your loss!!!!!

I'm not a cat guy(alergic)but i have 2 St.Bernards and my wife works at a Vets office....

She used to come home and tell me stories of grown men crying like babies(She no longer tells me stories cuz she knows it bums me out)....I dread the day when this grown man is ballin his eyes out over the loss of my 2 buddies.......

[bleedingshrimp]

I'm with ya brother. Sad thing indeed. Took in a stray tabby about 1/2 year ago and never though of myself as a cat person....that changed. My thoughts are with you.

[android]

Sorry for the loss of your cat...hey they are just as much of your family as anyone.

[Tampa1257]

I feel you for your loss. Last year, my father (81) lost his cat. The cat had been his only companion since my mother passed over. He was absolutely crushed. I waited a week before I took him to the Animal Shelter where we "Adopted" a three month kitten. The healing joy that the kitten brought to us was outstanding. I suggest that you give yourself time to grieve, then go to a Shelter and find a new member of the family.

[Kangaroo495]

Mate, I fully understand that! Lol! Also had to put down my cat about 2.5 years ago. As stupid as it sounds, I STILL can't get over it! So much so, that I can't even bring myself to get another cat till this day!

The thing that helped me, was that I kept thinking " well, it was gonna happen sooner or later anyway. No point getting too upset about the inevitable."

Anyway, sorry for your loss!

[Vetteman]

Condolences. It's always a tough decision even when it's obviously the right one.

[Colt45]

I'm another cat lover, and can only echo member sentiments. I'll add that getting another cat doesn't mean you'll ever forget this one.

[Warren]

So sorry to hear that Mate. As I read this my 18 year old Burmese is sitting at my feet and if I had to put him down I would be a wreck.

Actually My wife and I have two cats. The second one adopted us about 15 years ago and the pair of them are like family to us, we never had children.

They wait for me at the gate in the afternoon and they know when it's time I was home.

We did a video review at my house a while back and at the end of the video one of the cats jumps up on Rob's lap.

Rob is not a cat lover and it was one of the funniest things I have seen.

They get into our hearts because they give unconditional love, well as unconditional as a cat is capable of.

All the best.

Warren

[laficion]

I'm also a cat person, last year, our oldest cat, Caramel, passed away after 17

years of being part of the family. My youngest son really took it hard because

he grew up with her . We still have her little one, Vanille, who is herself 17 years old now

and we will be expecting her to leave us in the near future also.

Last year we got a kitten from a friend and she has grown up to be a real joy and one with

some funny acts to put it mild. all of this is just to say , Yes, they are part of the family

and it's always very painful when a pet passes away.

OH and by the way, the new cat's name is " L'Artiste" but I've always called her " Trou duc.. "

which in French is short for saying ,******* .

Everyone in the house is getting used to that name rather then the first. Sorry !!!!

[Hoops]

So sorry for your loss.

"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even

more temporary than our own, live within a fragile

circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its

awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish

memory as the only certain immortality,

never fully understanding the necessary plan.”

-Irving Townsend

[thechenman]

Sorry to hear about your loss. It truly is a tragic loss. While I am allergic to cats, I do have dogs. I remember losing our Cocker Spaniel as a kid, and that was truly sad. My wife and I lost another dog about 9 year ago. Corey...he was my wifes dog and amazingly lived almost 17 years. I remember scouring the city for him once when he got away from the dog walker. Ended up fining him in Brooklyn...believe it or not. Wonder which bridge he crossed. My dog Maximus is getting up there in age he is 12 and no where near as spry as he used to be. I dread the day that Max will leave us, but I try to make the most of the time we spend together now with him and the family. While our pets leave us...they are never forgotten...

[bigfunkyg]

I can fully agree. Anyone who thinks they are tougher than that watch the movie Marley and Me. Not a great movie but at least it has Jennifer Aniston. Its about a young couple and they get a dog and life goes from there, the get real jobs, have kids, and eventually they have to put the dog down. The scene at the end is heartbreaking. I saw it in a theater and people were crying everywhere. A little four year old girl behind me was screaming crying she was so upset.

I'm not a cat person, but a dog person. Regardless of the species the feeling are the same. People love their pets and thats a great thing. My dog (Sophie, a 6 year old Westie) brings me so much joy and is such a stress reliever for me. I dread the day I have to part with her.

The lenghts people go for the pets is crazy too. I knew a guy who spent $4000 on cataract surgery for his 13 year old pug, only to have it die in him six months later.

[PigFish]

First and foremost Tom, sorry about your loss. Losing a pet is often like losing a member of the family. Understandably there is a difference between animal and human kind, yet to us as pet owners there is a love and bond with some animals that exceeds that to our fellow man. I have often wondered if such emotions are "right." Whether it was correct of me to feed well an animal and let it live in my house while some humans are homeless and hungry. I still don't know the answer, I doubt I ever will... but I still have and love my pets.

Get yourself a new kitty Tom. There are thousands of pets that need a good home and a chance at being your best friend. Feel better Amigo. -Ray

[jacksfull]

It's definitely tough losing a pet. I'm very sorry for your loss.

I lost a very close long-time feline friend a few years back. Leon got hit by a car and was paralized and in great pain. With zero hope of recovery, and already in poor health, I had to put him down on-the-spot myself. Tough, tough, tough.

My wife was not a cat-lover when we got married, but Leon won her over. I'd already had him for a long time before we got married, and my wife had never had a cat growing up. She is now an avowed CCL (crazy cat lady).

It took a while before we got another after losing Leon, but we're now a steady 2 or 3 cat family. We had two going into last year, Tucker & Molly, added a new kitten, Beau, and then lost Molly. So, we're back down to two again for the time being, but having the new kitten certainly took some of the sting out of losing one of the older cats.

A new cat won't replace the lost one. They really do have such distinct personalities that my family has never found ourselves thinking in terms of one "replacing" another. But, getting to know a new cat comes to be sort of a memorial to the lost pet, as well as adding to the stock of family memories that my kids will carry with them their whole lives.

[samb]

Tom, Im sorry for your loss. I know how difficult it is to lose a beloved member of the family like that. I dont wanna think about how bad I will be when the day comes that my dog, my best friend, passes.

[Wiley]

I'm sorry man. I know it sucks. I'm always a wreck after losing a pet. I'm finally getting ready to get a new dog after my baby / smoking companion passed on last year. I'm sure my cat will be thrilled! ;p

[stargazer14]

Sorry to hear this, as a guy who digs his cat. Rescued mine from the middle of the highway, was turned inside out, put it in a plastic bag and dropped it off at the vets and told them to put it to sleep if it was still alive. Tiny thing, 7 oz. Shame.

They called me a week later and told me to come pick up the cat and pay the bill!

Now she's like a kid in the family 5 years later.

Probably the hardest thing I ever did was put a pet down that was just actin like his old self.

I couldnt even drive home, so i feel your sorrow.

Soon enuf the pain will go away and you will be left with fun memories.

[gfoster]

I'm much more of a dog person than a cat person, however I do have a cat as well as two dogs. Well, I had a cat for the last 9 years or so until this week when I gave it to my daughter who just moved out (the dogs are terrorizing her and her life will be calmer with my daughter). I miss her but I know she's having a lot better time sleeping on the bed and prowling the house without having to keep one eye open and looking over her shoulder for the dogs to come tearing around the corner after her.

That being said, I fully understand your loss and my heart goes out to you. My wife and I both lost our dogs (my chihuahua and her dalmatian) almost two years ago now and it hurts still every day. My chihuahua and my cat were raised together (the cat was abandoned in my front yard as a kitten) and they were fast friends and thick as thieves, the two of them against the world until I lost him. My wife's dalmatian never really bothered the cat, they'd curl up together on the end of the bed in a patch of sunlight and never had an issue. We have two wonderful chihuahuas now so the house isn't empty (one adult rescue and one puppy) and no matter how much we love them and they make us laugh, we will always have a spot in our hearts reserved for the ones we lost. Unfortunately the two dogs now have no bond at all to the cat and view her as a mobile self winding chase toy to be terrorized at will.

You definitely need to go find another cat to love and cherish, because it sounds to me like you gave the one you had a wonderful life and you can make room in your heart for another one, I'm sure. I know it hurts, though. People that don't have that special bond for animals don't understand, but that's ok because it sounds like there's a lot of us around here that do.

Just thank God you were there to give your cat the love you could when you did. Sorry for getting so touchy-feely, but animals of all sorts have a special place in my heart and animal-lovers go to the top of my "like" list immediately.

-- Gary F.