Puck

[pen_grunt]

Last night we came home to green cat vomit and a lethargic Puck. He was just laying on the bathroom floor, calm but not right. We took him into the ER vet at the U of M, where the vet immediately expressed dire concern. He was put on fluids to try to stabilize him.

We learned that he had gone into diabetic shock--his little kitty blood sugar was supposed to be at about 100 and it was at around 550. We did not know he was diabetic...the only signs we had--drinking more water and peeing more--coincided with the warmer summer weather.

The vet was not hopeful about getting him totally stabilized and expressed her realistic concerns: even if he made it through the night, he would have a fight...a minimal 2 day hospital stay, insulin for the rest of his life, and a likely reoccurrence of these episodes. It would have been about a 10k weekend with no guarantee of recovery.

She brought up euthanasia very gently.

We discussed more with her and cried and decided to go that route. At that point she looked relieved, slightly, and said that it was the kindest thing we could do for him. She said all the right things; that it was the right choice, that it was the loving thing to do.

They took us into a comfortable room and brought Puck in. I held him in my arms. He slumped against me and curled his paw under my arm like he does. We could take as much time as we needed, but he was scared and in pain. I didn't want to delay too much. I couldn't help but feel that he trusted me and I was doing THIS to him. I just wanted to save him and bring him home and have him be okay again.

The process was quick. An OD of barbiturates. He was gone in seconds. We took his body home in a little box. They gave us a clay paw print with his name. We drove out to my parents' farm and buried him in the orchard. My dad said it would be peaceful there for him and my mom said a prayer.

I miss him. He was my special little buddy. He ate frozen peas from my hand and cuddled up to me every single night on the couch. He sat on my lap and purred while i was working late hours into the night.

Someone said once that grief was the price you pay for love.

Comments

[sacramentalist.livejournal.com]

Awww! That is soo utterly sad, M. I'm very sorry for your sudden loss.

*hugs*

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[pork_chop]

I'm so sorry for your loss :( sending many, many hugs.

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much.

[bertine.livejournal.com]

<3

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

:)

I almost started him a FB page last weekend a la Xerxes. Then I didn't and now the world will never know the internal world domination dialog of Comrade Puck.

[tediousandbrief.livejournal.com]

* huge hugs *

I'm so very sorry for your loss. That is precious about his eating frozen peas! It is never an easy choice.

* more hugs ...and then I'll be hugging my own cats tonight, too. *

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

He was definitely *my* cat. D would get grossed out by us both eating peas. :)