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+ Our Sweet Al-ley Cat +

Posted by MN~Sue on 12/6/2006, 12:34 am
Message modified by board administrator 12/6/2006, 1:00 am

Dear Friends, Thanks again for your kind replies to my earlier post about our Al-ley Cat. It has been a very difficult few months for us, knowing that our time was short to be with our dear, dear sweet kitty and then most of all, to see him suffering and fighting so hard to hang on to life. As weak and sick as he was, he would still put his paw on my hand and pull it to him to rub his face on my hand and let me know he wanted his ears rubbed ~ our frequent exchange of affection. He no longer could manage the head butts and sitting upright on my lap, hugging me with his front paws around my neck....but he still mustered the strength to pull my hand with his front paw. It was amazing the strength he still had in his front limbs. They had to take over though, once his hind legs were overtaken with the bone cancer and spinal stenosis, so it was a blessing he retained so much strength in those limbs. We raised Al from birth and he has been the sweetest, loving, kitty anyone could ask for. I wanted to keep all 6 kitties, but Terry put his foot down about that one, haha. I chose Al out of the litter of 6 kittens, along with one other (Butch). When the kittens were born, I had recently broken my upper arm and had to care for them 'handicapped' using one arm/hand. I was unable to sleep lying down for months, so my bed was a recliner we had to buy for that purpose. I had the box of kittens right next to my chair/bed every night. When they got big enough to move around the house and climb, it was Al that made his bed on top of the recliner to keep me company and purr in my ear. He was my close, close buddy from the start and remained that way for 15 wonderful years. He was a very close part of my every day life, a lap cat, a talker, a purrer, a CONSTANT companion ~ my best friend! These past weeks have been very hard on us watching him deteriorate. I prayed and prayed that he would drift off in his sleep at home, but it wasn't to be. He could no longer walk most of the time, except he always managed to make it to the litter box. We carried him around the house on a blanket, trying to move his fragile body as little as possible to try not to cause him any added pain. He lay down to eat and we finger fed him and he tried to eat on his own also. I think the cancer was also in his jaw, as he wanted to eat, but he could barely chew/swallow. His jaw began to make a loud noise as he tried to chew. He was wasting away, just fur and bone. He no longer could have a bowel movement and the vet said that could be very painful for him also. He would go to the litter box and try, while I helped support him and then he would collapse on the floor next to it, short of breath and barely able to breathe from the energy it took him to try to go, unsuccessfully. It just broke our hearts to see him like this. The first week of November I suggested to Terry that he dig a grave, before the ground froze and we would be unable to...so that was in place. Thanksgiving weekend, he built him a wood box and I used a wood burning tool to carve the top - through the tears - his last weekend. I also asked Terry if he could BBQ steak, since the weather was in the 30's yet, Thanksgiving weekend, as Al LOVED BBQ steak. We both couldn't believe it when he smelled the smoke on Terry's clothing before the steak was cooked and brought in. When it was on the table, Al got up on his own and walked from the living room to the table, taking a couple of rests on the way, while we got dinner on the table. He even gave out two weak, but very familiar meows, letting us know he was joining us for dinner! It was so wonderful to hear him meow once again, if only briefly, and with a weak voice. I had placed his blanket he was now lying on all the time, on the floor next to me, where he always joined us for steak dinner He could not stand up, but he lay down and managed to eat a few pieces! Then the next day (a week ago Monday) we felt we had to make the decision to end his suffering. It was one of the hardest things I have had to do and then make the phone call. It took me all day to make that call. I could not go along to the vet though, Terry understood. I finished engraving his little coffin while Terry was gone and then we buried him, just before dark when he got back. He is buried next to our Chopper, our cat of 16 years that we also had to make this decision with, 2 years before Alvin was born. She was just as sweet and just as wonderful as Al, so another tough time. So, anyways, dear friends ~ it's taken me time to be able to share this with you and the tears won't stop as I type this. It has been so painful for me that I have just had to force myself not to let my thoughts go to where it hurts, to keep the tears back, as it's just too raw and painful still. I will share some photos of his last days below. Love, Sue You can see how even Jazzy looks much larger than Al and she is only 8 pounds. Al's normal weight used to be between 12-15 pounds. I think he must not have been more than 5 pounds at this point. The above photo was taken Monday the 27th of Nov. Jazzy has been looking for him since that time...and I've cried a river of tears.....

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Message Thread: + Our Sweet Al-ley Cat + - MN~Sue 12/6/2006, 12:34 am Re: + Our Sweet Al-ley Cat + - Kristy 12/6/2006, 2:14 am Re: + Our Sweet Al-ley Cat + - Olivia 12/6/2006, 9:37 am Re: + Our Sweet Al-ley Cat + - Melanie 12/6/2006, 3:16 pm Re: + Our Sweet Al-ley Cat + - Gloria 12/8/2006, 5:41 am Re: + Our Sweet Al-ley Cat + - Becky 12/8/2006, 11:21 pm Re: + Our Sweet Al-ley Cat + - Barbara 12/10/2006, 6:18 pm ((((((((Thank You So Much Dear Friends)))))))) - MN~Sue 12/12/2006, 3:06 pm Re: + Our Sweet Al-ley Cat + - Kathy 12/14/2006, 7:51 am « Back to thread

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