R.I.P. "Charlie" our kitty

Sorry to hear of your friend dieing , i got my name on the list awaiting a mix lab puppy don't know when but on the list . Just had a chance to get a siberian husky $250 , couldn't do that .

I am sorry for your loss.

I don't know what we will do when our furball goes. He is a 16 year old black cat that looks just like all those at the top. Since he is an indoor only cat he may have another 15 years in him now that we figured out the skin problems. (diet and litter box) For a couple years he was getting steroids every couple months since his hair would fall out and his legs get raw.

Phil

Sorry to hear of your loss

I'm sorry for your loss. I know how you feel. The house will feel a little different for awhile. Your other kitties might not know what to think at first. I hope the death was natural, nothing worse than when a pet gets killed or gets sick because they got out of the yard or got into something they shouldn't have. Our last dog, Charley, a maltese/border terrier mix, had to go to the vet for an ear infection. Well, the veterinarian prescribed a drug with the dose for a 75lb dog, while he was under 20 lbs. We didn't know this until we had to take him in to the emergency vet a week or so later because he was throwing up and had no energy. They said he was in diabetic shock ( which he was not diabetic before) and his organs were shutting down. They suggested we put him down as he likely wouldn't make it through the night even with treatment started...

We now have a yorkie named Snickerdoodle "Snicker" for short. He is about a year and a half old now.


Snicker likes to ride along in my Jeep once in awhile.

So sorry roddie. I always enjoy the pictures that you post of your pets. I hope that Charlie did not suffer. I know that he left a spot in your heart that will be difficult to fill.

My best - Bob

Sorry for your loss Roddie. And Lieven and Jacob too. The biggest downside of having pets is that we tend to outlive them.

The picture of Bisquit and the chickens made me smile... That's what I especially like about cats, he's out there, observing, but no one can tell what he is thinking. Mysterious creatures. Too bad my sons and myself are allergic to cats.

Sorry to hear of the loss of your fur-baby. Our condolences from myself and my baby, Callie.

Sorry Roddie, I know the feeling.
I'm sure Lynne, Sally, Linus and Lucy
are feeling it too. Time will heal for
you all soon, I hope.
Bob

Hey Roddie, I'm sorry .... I also lost my bitch a few years ago, and for reasons of place, I can not have more in my house.
I entertained with some street dogs and some of the neighbors ... they are incredibly affectionate .... the ones on the street "without owner" are very tender.

Thanks so much everyone. Charlie suffered what we believe to be a heart attack. He was diagnosed with possible cardiac-myopathy as a kitten during his first check-up back in 2012. The Vet detected an irregular heartbeat which concerned her. She said that he could have been just nervous that day.. but she didn't think so. No more mention of the condition was made with future annual Veterinary visits though. Cardiac-myopathy is the leading cause of sudden-death in both felines and canines.

Charlie had an episode about one month ago when I took he and Linus to have their claws trimmed at the groomer. The two were born with "double-paws" (extra digits) on the front and hind feet. As a result, some of their claws don't wear-down naturally when scratching on a post. They'd been several times to the groomer.. but this last time, Charlie was noticeably agitated. When I brought them back home, he was "panting" and crying.. moving his head from side to side. Lynne and I were worried.. but this subsided after a little while.. and he was back to normal. Late on Tuesday night, I heard the crying while I was in bed. I checked on him to find him laying in one of his favorite spots on a cushioned-chair at the dining-room table. He'd lost control of his bladder and bowels.. and was exhibiting the same symptoms as he had a month earlier. I petted him a bit and tried to straighten the cushion so he wouldn't fall off the chair. He got up and jumped on the floor to lay on the rug in front of the sliding door to our deck.. still panting. While I was cleaning-up his accident, he got up and went downstairs to the basement. Having my first day at my new job in the morning, I went back to bed. Lynne was down with an intestinal-bug.. so she couldn't stay up to watch him. I just tossed and turned thinking about him.. and went downstairs to check on him at about 2am. He had passed.. and was laying on the cement-floor with the other kitties around him. It was awful.. because he was all dirty and laying in a puddle of mucous and his eyes and mouth were open. I stroked him and started to sob.. (I'm tearing-up now while writing). I spread a large bath-towel out on the floor, drew a bucket of warm water and proceeded to clean him up with a face-cloth, wrapped him in the towel and put him in a carrier in the spare-room.. away from the other kitties.. and woke Lynne to tell her. We were both a MESS..

I brought him to the Vet later that afternoon after I returned home from work. They're very good there.. and had me go directly into the room where you say goodbye.. where arrangements can be made in private. Charlie will be cremated and his ashes spread over the grounds of that facility.

The other kitties are noticeably grieving.. especially "Linus".. Lynne read that this can happen.. and that it's important to show the survivors extra attention for several weeks.. and not to change routines.. or show sadness.

Our kitties have been indoor-cats for the most part. We used to let them outside while we were out there.. but only for short periods. This year we seldom let them out because of the new kitten "Sally".. and not knowing if she'd run away. "Charlie" however LOVED to be outside.. and snuck-out as often as he could if we weren't watching closely when opening the door. He'd never leave the yard though.. and would come back to be let in before too long.

Sorry to have written such an account of the circumstances. It's helping me to grieve in my own way. God bless us all.

"Charlie" in his happy-place..

Roddie, when one of us grieves, most all of us grieve at least a little.
I don't think any of us are made of stone. I'm glad you shared, and
I think it'll help the long healing.
Teared up Bob.

dckrsn wrote:Roddie, when one of us grieves, most all of us grieve at least a little.
I don't think any of us are made of stone. I'm glad you shared, and
I think it'll help the long healing.
Teared up Bob.

Thanks so much Bob. When I met Lynne some 12 years ago.. I'd been "petless" for many years due to living arrangements.. following a divorce. I'd gotten used to not having a dog or cat like I had prior to those times. Lynne brought three aging cats (all females) into my life.. and I got very attached to them.. but one by one we had to put them down due to health issues. The oldest "Coconut" was almost twenty years old.. and was the last to go, late in 2011. The house felt empty.. and a few weeks later I told Lynne that I wanted to get her a kitty for Valentines Day. She was very excited and wanted to start looking for one right away. That's when we answered an ad for the "three" siblings.. and had them within a week. Rescued "feral" by a group in Southern Rhode Island; a woman who was a volunteer brought them to us one night in a large cage. The kittens were so small.. just old enough to have been spade/neutered. They had all their shots.. so we gave a $100.00 donation and became the parents of Charlie, Linus and Lucy.

Lucy was originally separated from her brothers and placed in a home that wanted just one female cat.. but she exhibited "wild" behavior.. and the people returned her. She would prove to be a "handful".... but I was between jobs at the time.. and worked patiently with her. She'd cower, hiss and slap when approached.. but I kept showing her a gentle-hand.. and within a few weeks she calmed down. Since then; I've been her "alpha-figure".. and she lets me know when she wants to be brushed. She's a "loner".. and wasn't particularly close with her brothers once I tamed her. Charlie and Linus were as inseparable as any two cats could be. Male cats that have been neutered usually become less active after a few years.. and "Linus" has packed on the pounds. He never misses a meal.. and will eat out of the others bowls after they've had a few bites and walk away. God love him.. he can eat.. and is a BIG boy. Charlie however was always the most finicky and stayed slim. He was hard to please with food.. and would protest by covering his "wet-food" with his dry food.. and making a mess on the floor in the process. He preferred the "kitty-treats" to anything.. and knew how to open the cupboard and take the container out. When we got young "Sally" last year.. (a spitting-image of Charlie..) She breathed "new-life" into the fold.. with her kitten antics.. and wonderful quirky personality. The other kitties accepted her.. and all play with her. Lucy "was" the loner.. but has adopted her and tolerates her unlike her brothers. Now "Linus" is alone without his brother.. and we are giving him all the attention that we can, to help him adjust.

We'll get through this.. because we've always been a loving "family".

I've never been a cat lover, or an in house animal lover for that matter. I've also viewed cat's as a woman's pet. However, after a 10 year + battle. I allowed my wife to have a cat. I was determined to hate the thing, but it was so affectionate that I folded. I love the thing and she loves me. It's been the perfect pet, quiet, playful and loving. She makes my wife happy and that's good.

Anywho, sorry your your loss, Charlie too sounds like he was the perfect pet.

Cribbs74 wrote:I've never been a cat lover, or an in house animal lover for that matter. I've also viewed cat's as a woman's pet. However, after a 10 year + battle. I allowed my wife to have a cat. I was determined to hate the thing, but it was so affectionate that I folded. I love the thing and she loves me. It's been the perfect pet, quiet, playful and loving. She makes my wife happy and that's good.

Anywho, sorry your your loss, Charlie too sounds like he was the perfect pet.

Ron.. I know that I'm in a miniscule percentile of people "in general" who get very attached to their pets. I understand why most people can deal more easily with the loss of one. Emotional-attachment to a pet comes with consequences.. being that we tend to "outlive" them. I found myself willing to take that emotional risk. Charlie had a LOT of character. We partook in a few "routines" of bonding. Unlike the other kitties; he would come to me.. and nuzzle me face-to-face at bedtime. During the day.. he'd come to me and want to climb-up over my shoulders.. and back down onto my lap.. or onto a "perch" if I was standing. I'd walk over to his "cat-tree" and he'd dis-mount. He knew that he could do that with me.. and did it often. I will miss those moments.

Roddie,

I am very sorry to hear of your loss. We, too have a very affetionate and loving kitty. There is no way in the world to not get attached. I hope you get some peace knowing that Charlie is enjoying a nice nap in the sunshine in kitty heaven.

Bob

fit90 wrote:Roddie,

I am very sorry to hear of your loss. We, too have a very affetionate and loving kitty. There is no way in the world to not get attached. I hope you get some peace knowing that Charlie is enjoying a nice nap in the sunshine in kitty heaven.

Bob

Thanks so much for your kind words Bob.

Three years almost exactly after his brother (Charlie) died; our kitty "Linus" was euthanized yesterday due to kidney failure. He was 9 years old and leaves his sister (Lucy) and one other younger female kitty (Sally) who herself; is being treated for severe inflammatory-intestinal disease.

Linus had lost weight.. and become a finicky eater since we had switched recently to grain-free foods for Sally's benefit. He'd been a 20 pound cat these last few years. Lynne thought that he might have a "bad tooth".. and brought him to our Vet. yesterday. Aside from a little tartar.. his teeth were fine. Blood-work revealed just how sick he really was. The Vet. said that cats often hide their illness.

Lynne had brought him and had to make the decision to say goodbye. Because of the pandemic, pet-owners are required to wait outside for all Veterinary services.. but the staff allowed her to come inside for his euthanizing.

Our big boy.. gone too soon.

I'm so sorry to hear that Roddie.  It is amazing the size of the hole in our hearts they fill, and you often don't realize how big it truly is until they're gone.  

Wishing you and Lynne sincere condolences.

Thanks so much for the kind words Dave.

Roddie, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. It is not easy to lose our Furry family members. Looks like you have some great photos and many happy memories of him and his siblings. May he rest in peace.

Sorry for your loss

R.I.P. Linus....go find your brother Charlie