# My little Cowboy Cody...



## Caspercowboy (Jul 30, 2008)

Hello everyone. I am a rodeo rider and fishing guide in Wyoming. I dont have anyone to talk to about this but I feel I need to say it somewhere. By the looks of me, you would never believe that my best friend for the past 10 years has been Cody - a little orange cat. I guess you could say that I have a rough, outdoors look. Growing up, I spent my time around dogs and horses mostly and never thought that I would ever have a cat. I never knew how he ended up on my property as a little kitten who could barely walk or make a whimper. My girlfriend at the time heard him crying behind my tool shed and brought him inside. She wanted to keep him so we took him to the vet to have him checked out. Besides being hungry, he was fine. To make a long story short, 2 weeks later my girlfriend left me and guess who was also left behind - Cody. My first thought was that there was no way I was keeping this little guy. I knew nothing about cats and to be honest with ya, I didnt want one. But I laughed at how crazy he was as a kitten. He would run sideways with his back up and he would carry a plastic bottle ring around with him everywhere. The little guy began to grow on me. Throughout the years, Cody never really grew that big and he loved sitting in the window on his back in the sun. Every time I sat in this big chair that I have to watch t.v. he would jump up on me. He felt that he had to always be by me when I was home. He always made these crazy noises and dropped his plastic bottle rings by me for a gift. I can barely type this but after 10 years of being a fun little guy, I noticed that he had slowed down a bit. It seems like it just happened one day without any signs but they were probably there. One day I saw him try to jump onto my chair on not make it. I looked into his eyes and thought - what's wrong boy? The next day he was at the vet. He had Feline Kidney Failure and seemed so weak. I could not believe that this is a terminal disease without any hope of actually curing him. I didnt know what to do and the vet informed me of my options. The entire thing was an absolute shock to me. It seemed like Cody was his normal self just little while ago and now he was week and I could see in his eyes that he was not the same. I feel that no animal should suffer in any way and I didnt want to see that happen with Cody. I felt like that was the most important thing. I took him home and gave him an IV drip for the past week so that he could get fluids to help his feline kidney failure problem. It didnt help. He didnt want to eat and stayed in one place the entire time. All I would do is walk over to him an pet him and tell him that I loved him. Once I saw that he couldnt walk to his litter box, I knew that was the end. I dont even have the strength to write about Codys final hours, but he went peacefully. I have been devastated since this happened and have had to keep my emotions to myself up here because nobody would understand and plus I cant talk to another man about this. I have actually been crying many times since Cody went away. My friends would not believe that my little orange boy Cody has brought this hardened cowboy to tears so many times. I will never forget him and he will always be in my heart. To anyone who is going through this now, all I can say is stay strong and dont let your little best friend suffer. You will always have the memories of the good times spent with them. Thank you all for letting me tell my story and get this off my chest.


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## melysion (Mar 12, 2007)

[[[[hugs]]]]


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## Pugzley (Mar 11, 2008)

I'm so sorry to hear about Cody. But you are right, letting them suffer when they can't be cured is a terrible injustice to them. It doesn't make it hurt any less after they are gone and those of us who love them will always remember their personalities, as many millions of cats that there are in the world, none are truly the same as another. That's what makes them so special.

I hope time heals your wounds and that soon, only the happy times you had with Cody will be what you think of when you remember him.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Cody sounds like he was the perfect little buddy for you. I'm so sorry for your loss. It's amazing how quickly they can sneak into your heart and settle in for a lifetime.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

My heart goes out to you. I know he'll remain in your heart and your memories until you see hime again. God bless.


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## deepsea (Jul 31, 2008)

Hey there. Small world. I am a deep sea fishing guide in the Florida Keys.  My wife and I just lost our little guy and also from Kidney Failure. I just happened to see your post so I set up an account to respond. I was just like you in the fact that I never had a cat but I grew to love him. It didn't take long. I am sorry for your loss. I am pretty much going through the same thing you are. Never could imaging that a cat would have so much effect on me. I swear my wife and I are crying like a baby every 5 minutes. Anyway, it sounds like you gave him a great life and stuck by him till the end. And you are right about the memories part. You will always have that and nothing can take that away from you. Good luck with everything and thanks for sharing your story. It shows that those of us dealing with this are all in it together.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

God bless, deepsea. I'm so sorry you lost your little friend.


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## catseyes (Feb 23, 2007)

I am so sorry for your loss  I also lost my cat(Sadie,i have already posted about this.)to Kidney failure she was diabetic as well.It seemed to come on very quick,one minute she was fit and active the next the next she did'nt want to eat,drinkor go out and she could'nt even make it to the litter tray.I had to have her put to sleep on June 11th 08 :sad 

I really do understand what you are going through.
[[[Lots of hugs to you]]]


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## chaoticborders (Nov 27, 2006)

((hugs)) Thank you for sharing his story with us.


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## seashell (Dec 5, 2003)

Thank you for telling us all about Cody - he must have been a very special cat. Please don't feel bad for crying. The only time I have seen my partner cry was when our Jimmy passed away. I overheard him telling a friend on the phone 'He was like my little ginger son'. I'm so glad you found this forum so that you could share your feelings with people who understand.

seashell


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## talullah (May 25, 2008)

Our Madison was 4 months shy of 18 when we lost him to renal failure. He was an "only cat" up until 2 months before he left us. Thanks to a wonderful vet, a new diet and a lot of prayer, he bounced back and together, we helped make his last 3 years happy and as healthy as we could. 

Nothing's wrong with crying. I'm crying along with you right now. Nothing's wrong with being empty and completely sad inside and out. I know this is your pain, but we all share it with you. Time heals a little, but you will always have those days.

I truly hope that you will open your heart to another kitty one day. Time makes room for them. * I know.*


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