Pet Portraits

Braineack · Nov 19, 2015

new camera means new cat pics.

and just sad vet cat:

limr · Nov 19, 2015

Pookie appears to be quite over your shenanigans.

Braineack · Nov 19, 2015

he's mad i cropped his ear like a noob.

W.Fovall · Nov 19, 2015

jcdeboever · Nov 19, 2015

W.Fovall said:
View attachment 111655

Tired baby...or mouthy[emoji4]

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Dillard · Nov 19, 2015

This is our girl now!

Braineack · Nov 23, 2015

Braineack said:
new camera means new cat pics.

...

and just sad vet cat:

My wife and I had to say goodbye to Belle over the weekend. Even though on her follow-up visit, shown above, she was seen to be in great health -- she suddenly became very ill and was unable to continue to breathe on her own. We were absolutely not ready for this, and Belle did a great job hiding the fact that she was shutting down for good. We take a lot of comfor to the fact that we were home and able to rush her to be treated so her suffering was at the bare minimum -- but we are left with a huge hole in hearts and puzzlement from the seemingly random plunge into illness.

I've had her 13 years and 2 months, and she was an integral part of lives. My other two kitties have tiny little paws to fill -- problem is, the two combined aren't even half the cat Belle was.

Here's the eariest image I have of her, this was 2 months after I adobted her in Nov of 2002:

and this is how I spent most of my evenings for the last 13 years:

jcdeboever · Nov 23, 2015

Sorry for your loss.

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limr · Nov 23, 2015

Oh no, I'm so sorry

It's amazing how these small creatures can have such a large presence, and leave such a large emptiness when they leave us. It's heartbreaking when the illness is sudden like that, though I think ultimately it's better, perhaps not for us, but for the cat who didn't have to suffer a long illness.

My Gomer Pyle left me in a similar way. He started showing signs of illness on a Friday (hiding in unusual places, no appetite for his regular food, but would nibble at a treat) but then was doing much better by Sunday - eating and playing. On Monday, he didn't have an appetite again but was still drinking tuna juice, so I made an appointment for Tuesday afternoon. By the time he got to the vet, he wasn't breathing very well and refused all food. A few hours later, I had to put him to sleep. It was almost 6 years ago and I still miss him.

It's very clear that Belle was loved as much as a cat could possibly be loved, so also take comfort in knowing that you gave her a wonderful life while she was here.

Braineack · Nov 23, 2015

Yep, it's always how the story seems to go with cats. We just we not ready for it.

there were some signs we misinterupted in last week prior to her first trip to the hosiptal, but even had they know then, there was nothing they could have done. There simply wasn't any treatment.

My wife worked from home Friday and was mentioning to me how Belle was hanging out with her all day and seemed perfectly normal, but we noticed she developed a sneeze/cold that day. When I got home her breathing was getting labored and I could she her swallowing a lot, so I thought she was congested and caught an illness from the vet trip. That night she started hanging out in hiding spots after a full day of hanging out with my wife, so we planned to take her back in saturday to get something to treat that as it was obviously worse than a minor cold.

We left her alone, but she still came up and cuddled up against me like she did every night before going to bed.

Saturday morning her breathing wasn't sounding any better, but she still followed me downstairs and got some treats so I could make sure she was eating. I tried to have her sit with me but she went back to a hiding place, so I left her alone. I got on my computer to fool around before my wife got up, and she actually came in to hang out with me. I opened the blinds for her so she could look out, and get sunlight directly on her. Maybe 10 minutes laters she started coughing and having trouble breathing.

I'm just so glad we were home and not at work or something. She was never able to get air on her own the rest of the day so I was able to keep her suffering at a low. The doctors ran so many tests and tried so many drugs. But all-in-all nothing she was never going to be able to breathe on her own again (despite perfectly functioning lungs), and she actually became borderline amemic in one week's time comparing the blood works.

Everything is reminding me of her, we did I lot around the house for Belle, and we had such a routine with her. (I was actually 5minutes early into work today because I lost my built time Belle attention tine). I almost feel awkward around my other two because of the bond I had with Belle. The last two nights were the first time both the boys slept against me, and it was just an odd feeling. They both have been searching the house for her too since we've been home and it's just adding another layer of sadness.

She was always the runt of the litter, but put up one hell of a good fight and gave us so many pleasant memories. I just hope she felt the same way and had a great life -- she certainlly gave us one.