# bittersweet day...



## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

today is january 14, 2015. it's my oldest son's 23rd birthday. you'd think that would be a reason for this to be a happy day...and it for 19 years it was. that is, until four years ago. four years ago, I lost one of the sweetest cats to have ever walked this planet. he wasn't even two years old when he died. he would have been two years old on march 23. he was felv/fiv+. he wasn't feeling too well a few days before he passed. we were finally able to take him to the vet on the morning of january 14, 2011. he got a couple of shots that seem to have perked him up...but it wasn't to be. he went into cardiac arrest under the dining room table while we were singing happy birthday to my son. i was serving the cake, my daughter was under the table with Smokey, and my other kids and their dad were waiting for me to serve the cake and ice cream. my son said to take care of Smokey first and we'd do the ice cream and cake when we got back from emergency vet. he had thought Smokey would be okay...we all did. but on the ride to the e-vet, i knew Smokey wasn't going to be coming home. he was in his carrier, thrashing and making this horrible, terrible sounding moan. he was still alive when we got to the e-vet and they rushed to the back. the vet tech came back out and told us that he was in cardiac arrest and that he could be brought out of it, but he'd be in pain the rest of his young life. i had already made the decision that if it wasn't going to be in Smokey's best interest, i'd have him put down. the vet tech went back and told the vet and they gave him an injection to set him free from his pain and his two strikes against him. the vet tech asked me if i wanted to see him. i had to…i had to say goodbye, to pet him one last time, to hold him one last time, to kiss him one last time. to tell him i loved him one last time. God only knows how long i held him in my arms before i could put him down, but while i held him, i let him know that he was the best cat in the world that anyone could ask for and that i was so happy he chose our house to hang out at before we brought him in. i told him that he was now free from felv and fiv and that he was running free, chasing butterflies and playing with the other cats i had befriended over the years. i told him to make sure to say hi to my dog, gigi, whom i lost as a little girl and to say hi to two special tortie kitten sisters that had broken my heart when i had the shelter pick them up. i told him to tell them i was sorry and that if i had known that they were going to be put down, i would have given them a home, too.

in the four years since losing Smokey, we have gained two wonder new additions to our family. momo joined us just three months after we lost Smokey and Mr. Noodles will have been here two years next month. so while it’s been hard, i know he sent me Momo and Mr. Noodles because he didn’t want the love that i still had to give to him to go to waste.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Oh Renee,
Reading this made me tear up...:'(
I'm so sorry about Smokey...how traumatic that must have been...
I'm glad Momo and Mr. Noodles were sent to you...
(((HUGS)))
Sharon


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Oh my goodness.  I'm so sorry Renée. It's always so hard to lose one of our kitties, especially when they're so young still. And to have it happen on what should have been a happy day...That must be so hard on everyone, including your son. 

Before I had my first cat, I had animal control pick up two kittens, probably feral. Like you, I didn't know that they would probably be euthanized at the shelter. But we've learned from our mistakes, and the most we can do to make it up to them is to do the best we can for other kitties who cross our paths. 

Hugs to you.


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## Mochas Mommy (Dec 9, 2013)

I am so sorry about Smokey! I know just how bittersweet and heartbreaking it is to lose a beloved pet on a day that was supposed to be special. It is so hard to celebrate that day the next year(s). May he be able to fulfill your requests.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

Thanks everyone. It's gotten easier, but I think it's why my son doesn't really want us to do much on his birthday. And for the past three years, his birthday is on a weekday, so we usually just waited until the weekend to celebrate.

Spirite, what made the sisters so hard was that they *may* have belonged to someone...but I wasn't sure. They had Hartz flea collars, were always outside and they were at least 3 months old. No one knew were they were coming from or where they were going after they would leave my house after eating. And since they were little, they were hard to follow to see where they went. When they were picked up, I cried. I even cried at work to the point that my boss had to take me to the back room to find out what was wrong. Thank goodness she was a cat lover like me.


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