I'm losing my baby kit, Jessica soon

[hyphenate]

She's 15. She's a good baby. She's diabetic, and between a herpes infection and the diabetes, it's making her blind in her right eye. :cry:

She's lost so much weight. And while she'd managed to put a few pounds after losing half her size to the diabetes, she has lost them, too, and is about 5 lbs. She hasn't properly groomed herself in a very long time, and has mats all over. I think she's also got arthritis, because she doesn't like to be picked up, and she stretches one of her back legs out when she lies down. :(

I haven't given her insulin in awhile, because when I have given it to her, she goes hypo very quickly. Twice I thought I was going to lose her already.

I feel like a louse. I'm so upset about her eye, because I believed I had it covered, but then when it wasn't healing, it was too late. :cry:

I'm going on a camping trip next week, and I'm taking her with us, because I think it will be the last time I have with her. I think I might have to let her go when I get back.

The trouble is, she's still a hellcat when it comes to food and begging! She can smell milk a mile away and knows when I have cereal, and she comes running. I give her a small can a day and she will practically jump hoops to eat! All the cats have dry food free choice, and of course water, so the canned food is just for her. She eats as though I've starved her to death! She gets such--gusto--from eating, that I'm not sure if it's a joy or if her body just thinks it's starving.

She still manages to jump on the bed at night to sleep with the rest of us, though, and is happily sleeping most of the rest of the time.

Anyhow, here's a picture of my baby, from about four years ago, I think. I haven't taken any of her recently, because I'm going to cry every time I see them.





This one is from about a year ago.






Jessie is a patriot. She was born on June 19, 1991--Flag Day. :)

[hyphenate]

1. I felt so miserable

last night after I posted this, and now it's morning, and nobody cared enough to reply. :cry:

People are mean.

[mikeytherat]

2. So sorry about your kitty - I just logged on and saw your thread

Sorry about your impending loss, and sorry that no one responded. Take your kitty camping with you and make her last days fun and special.

Hugs to you.

mikey_the_rat

[LaurenG]

3. Oh I never saw it until just now

I am so very sorry. I hope that you guys have fun on your camping trip. I know I'd do the same thing. I care very much. I have two kitties that I love with all my heart. I am sorry no one saw this but happy that you kicked it. I know hugs won't fix it but I send love and hugs to you both.:loveya: :hug: :grouphug:

[auntAgonist]

14. I just now saw this thread, I'm so sorry I didn't see it sooner.

I hope you have many good times left with your furbaby. She is gorgeous. I'm sure she knows she's loved.

:hug:

I truly hope you don't think we're mean.

:loveya: I know you're hurting, enjoy your camping trip with your family and kitty.


aA
kesha

[MissHoneychurch]

4. So sorry to hear

she is a beauty.

Losing a cat after she stayed with you for such a long time is tough. I lost my cat last year, she was 16. Make her comfy as long as you can and enjoy every minute with her. I am sure she does with you

:hug:

[NewWaveChick1981]

5. I didn't see it until this morning.

:hug: Having lost pets myself, I know exactly how you feel. :hug: I'm really sorry she's going through this and that you are suffering just as much. :pals:

[xchrom]

6. for jessica

Poem For Cats

And God asked the feline spirit
Are you ready to come home?
Oh, yes, quite so, replied the precious soul
And, as a cat, you know I am most able
To decide anything for myself.

Are you coming then? asked God.
Soon, replied the whiskered angel
But I must come slowly
For my human friends are troubled
For you see, they need me, quite certainly.

But don't they understand? asked God
That you'll never leave them?
That your souls are intertwined. For all eternity?
That nothing is created or destroyed?
It just is....forever and ever and ever.

Eventually they will understand,
Replied the glorious cat
For I will whisper into their hearts
That I am always with them
I just am....forever and ever and ever.

Author Unknown

[bluethruandthru]

7. What a beautiful girl!

Have you talked to your vet recently? Maybe I'm not understanding the situation, but it sounds like Jessie still has alot of life left in her! Let the vet know about the insulin issues...maybe they can make adjustments.
Good luck to you both!

[Submariner]

8. hyphenate

My cat "Benzoid" lived to 17 1/2. About six months before that he got detached retinas overnight from his failing kidneys. I was surprised to see that all though he was 100% blind, he made his way around the apartment okay finding his food, water, and even the poopatorium.

What I am trying to say here is don't let the blindness get you down, kitties seem to adapt well to their situation. I eventually had to put Benzoid down at the vet, but he was a happy furball even when blind.

[mikeytherat]

9. Kickin' for Kitty Jessica

:grouphug:

mikey_the_rat

[Dangerously Amused]

10. So sorry for the delay. I always post in these,

...but didn't see your thread until this morning.


Your Jessica is so beautiful. I don't know the situation as well as you do of course, but it sounds as if she is still interested in staying with you for awhile despite the difficulties of her health issues. The fact that she still comes running and prancing for her milk and her canned food, and that she still jumps on the bad to snuggle with you at night speak volumes as to her spirit.

With respect to her mats, would you consider having her shaved down at a groomer, or buying an electric razor and doing it yourself? I have had a couple of long-haired kitties in my time, and I'll usually give them a "summer cut" when the weather gets hot. They look kind of silly, but the vet says it's a good idea, the groomer says it's a good idea, and the kitties sure did seem to be more comfortable with their shorter hair. I think it might make your girl feel cleaner and better about herself. More comfortable, too, as mats can tangle right down to the base and pull on their skin. That might even be part of her "arthritis"/discomfort in lying down and getting around.

And please don't beat yourself up over her eye... you know you did the best you could for her, and sometimes these things just happen. The most important thing is that you're there to support her through the difficulty of her loss of vision. As another poster noted, kitties, doggies and people too can get on quite well without vision.

Good luck, and hugs to you and Jessica!

:hug: :hug:

[Phillycat]

11. Didn't see it until this second.

I am so, so sorry for Jessie and your heartbreak. Please accept my deepest condolences. :hug:

[smokey nj]

12. Hyphenate, I know how you feel.........

I'm going through a similar situation with my oldest cat, Willie, he' 20-years-old and diabetic. He's improved a lot since the scare he gave us last week, and I'm monitoring him closely. But I know that can change quickly and every day we have him is a gift. Jessica's a beautiful kitty, I especially love the picture where she' sticking out her tongue. You and Jessica will be in my thoughts.

[hyphenate]

13. I just wanted to post this while I still had a chance

I've been loathe to go back into this thread because of how sad I am, and I didn't sleep very well at all two nights ago when I posted it. I guess I've been living with a lot of guilt that I've taken on behalf of all my "kits" for the past thiry years--as many already are well aware in their own lives, our pets ARE our children, and we don't hold up well when we are confronted with our own mistakes on their behalf. It's been eating me up that what I thought was a minor problem with Jessie's eye that I let it go and has appearently robbed her of sight in that eye. :( But I can't keep beating myself up about it, just like I can't continue to hold myself responsible for all the things which happen to the animals over the time of their lives. I've lost enough to feel very very sad, but always hold to the theory that whatever time I have with them is a gift, and even if they don't live very long, it was a joy to know them at all.

There is a small anectdote (which though it has a religious spirit never made it any less endearing) about a kitten in heaven (who has never been born) who wants to know what love is. So God sends him to be born, where the kitten finds total acceptance and absolute love, even though he is not there to survive. When he returns to God, he tells God that it was worth it, just to know what love was all about. Who in their right mind wouldn't find a tiny little furry ball with a heartbeat the most beautiful thing in the world? And at the same time, the most fragile? I have helped raise enough of those little furballs to know that I'm a little soft in the head when it comes to them. One of my cats had two kittens, neither of which survived. One of them was born defromed, and would die just minutes after birth. I held that small, dying form and couldn't stop crying because I couldn't do anything for it. I wished with all my heart that I could, but it didn't help, and it became apparent to me that day that the miracle of life is sometimes trumped by the gift of death when things can't be changed. It hasn't made me any less sad, but it has given me a little more sanity and acceptance when things can't go they way we want sometimes.

Anyhow, I managed to shave Jessica's mats somewhat, and I hope it's going to help a little. I went a little wild with the clipper, actually, and also tried to tackle my 24 lb. Maine Coon male. I got some off him, but he managed to escape a couple of times, so it's going to take a couple of efforts before he's done! He's a doofus, so he's not too bright when he hears me calling for him, and he runs to meet me anyhow! :)

Thanks again to all who responded, and I appreciate ALL the comments, and I am looking at things with a little bit more hope than I did a couple of days ago. It's still very rough on me, but it always is. I have always said I would be there for them, even in their last moments, and while it is rough, I know that holding them til the last is the last gift of love I can give to them.

[auntAgonist]

16. I'm glad you have a little more hope today.

:hug:

hang in there!

aA

[Dangerously Amused]

22. I'm glad you have more hope today, too. : )

I saw the thread kicked up and clicked on it hoping with all my heart that you posted an update with good news! I'm sooo happy for you!


:hug:


:7

[tinfoil tiaras]

15. I'm so sorry

:( :(

I send you all of my best wishes and good luck! :hug:

[driver8]

17. She is beautiful...I am so sorry to hear that she is so sick.

We lost our sweet Border Collie, Cody, last summer. I still miss him. However, we opened our home to another furry friend that needed a home and I am sure you will do the same when you are feeling better.

My best to you and Jessie.

[qnr]

18. I've put off replying, since we're facing something similar with our old

boy Alinak (a husky/malamute mix). I wish I knew something useful to say. I don't; but we know what you're going through.

[BreweryYardRat]

19. I'm sorry.

I wish I could be there to hug you in person, but this will have to do. :hug:

[UrbScotty]

20. My dear hyphenate

May peace be with you during this time.

[Withywindle]

21. I am so, so sorry...

...I lost my Marlowe a few a months ago - he was 14 and diabetic as well. He took a downturn that wasn't caught in time, and we kept up with the insulin and eventually that just made it worse.

The worst part for me is that, when he finally had to go, I wasn't even in the country. My boyfriend had to deal with it, he was devastated, and I didn't get a chance to say goodbye really (not physically, though I had a significant dream, and I do believe in that).

Don't rush it when it's so-far-so good, enjoy her company to the max right now, but still it's good to be mentally prepared, for both your sakes.

:(


I wish you both the best. I hope you have a lot more time together, and when it really is time for her to go that it's quick and painless and loving. (They DO know when they're loved, that's for sure!)

[lildreamer316]

23. Meooooooowwwww...

You have such love for your kitties I feel it over here.
This Leo is howling for you dear.

I am sure she will find peace in your love.


Don't forget to ask her to send a replacement!!!!