Highs and lows......bittersweet I guess is what you would call it....

[shadango]

Took a long awaited trip to Knoxville Maryland yesterday in the fish.   
Now its only 200 miles or so each way, but  keep in mind that  I have never taken the fish further than maybe 50 miles away from home.

Well, we make it there just fine....car ran great.  Got thumbs ups from many passersby.

Then it was time to leave, this morning....same deal....great ride home.  One trucker kept blowing his horn and a huge thumbs up....another lady leaned out of her car window to   videotape our car (lady, if you are reading this, I would love a copy!!)

We pull into the driveway and into the garage.

400 some miles , no issues.  I was flying high. Start to unpack the car.

Then I hear my wife running back into the garage.....our family cat of 13 years (14 years old)  was very ill.

Well, long story short, we put him down about 2 hours after we got home.

My 10 year old was sobbing as was my wife...my 8 year old handled the whole thing differently.

That wasnt bad enough......when we were trying to get the cat to the vet, we piled into my Durango and the battery was dead!!!!

It was a rough day....now, my 8 year old is upstairs crying, like it finally hit him.

We tried soothing things earlier by going to a cruise and then dinner...it helped for a while but now that we are back home,  the reminders are all there.

I always described the cat as "my  wife's cat".  If I even thought about touching him much I would get an asthma attack so I stayed away from him mostly....I had to share my bathroom with his litter box so I frequently cursed about that.....and with his diabetes, he required daily shots so picking up and going was not an option.....

But dammit,  he was a cool cat....great attitude and friendly as hell....never wanted outside....always welcomed attention from the kids.  Never caught a mouse once, but he was a constant companion to both of my son's.  Slept at the foot of their beds.

He was my wife's cat.   That's what I told everyone.

But now I realize he was our family's cat...a family member.  And that he was an important part of our family that is going to be sorely missed.

Gonna miss the little fur ball.

Sneakers, where-ever you are right now, thanks for being part of our family, and we'll miss ya.

I'll miss ya.

Fair thee well, my furry friend. Fair thee well.
 

[wally426ci]

Sorry to hear the sad news. I love the 3 cats my parents have had for 14 years or so, it will hurt when they go. 

BTW you were an hour west of me. 

[Topcat]

Sorry to hear that. Sneakers is in Friskies heaven. RIP. 


I gotta brace for this soon. Our lab is 15 years old. but he is die hard. Don't have the heart to put em down yet because he is still so alert. 

[quapman]

Condolences from Slippers and her humans. 

[Cooter]

Know the feeling....Got one (Sissy), she's gettin' long in the tooth as well...I have cussed that cat more than once, but it's gonna bother me when she finally hisses for the last time....Sorry for your loss....

[whitesatinmopar]

  Yep so easy to become more than attached to pets. And "cat people" (like us) understand the empty spot you are feeling. And cats are individually independant and choose whom they especially like and want to be around. I guess in one sense that's the biggest difference between dogs and cats. Dog's will be friends with most anyone, you have to first earn the affection of a cat. We like both cats and dogs, but another great thing about cats is that ya don't have to get up at 3:00am to take them outside to potty, that's especially nice when it's about zero degress with snow.    Sorry your family lost a good friend and companion, it does "hurt".

[BIGSHCLUNK]

We,ve always been a cats an' dogs house here. Its been the wife's cat and "my" dog. But never been easy to lose either one. They have always been family members for sure! And its never easy. Sorry for your loss. 

[lemming303]

I had a cat in High School. When I went to the Marine Corps I left him at my Mom's house. He lives there now. My wife said he can't stay with us because he sheds so much! He's fat and has a serious eating problem (he eats until he throws up, then eats more, then goes back to sleep!) I will hate it when he dies, although since I don't live with the cat anymore I don't think it will be so bad. I have a dog at home now that is almost a year old. I love that dog, although she pisses me off when she tears stuff up! But I am gonna hate it one day when she passes on! At least that's a long time from now! I hope anyway...

[NoMope Greg]

I'm a cat person too.  My son wants a dog, but who does the cat sleep with?  Him.  My wife is like you - she claims the cats are mine, but she does more to feed them and give them special treats than I do.  Just keep the cat hair away from her.    My condolences to you and your family on the loss of your smallest family member.   

[quapman]

Hey, forgot to say "kudos" to the successful trip with the car!

On an additional sad note, I picked up a tiny, dead orange kitten in the road by my house today. I hate the way some people treat animals. 

[06Daytona]

Sorry to hear about your cat. I've had mine for a little over 12 years now, she's been flying down to Puerto Rico with me for 3 years as carry on luggage. I know it's going to be tough when she goes. She has ner own queen size bed, her own lazy boy chair, and lots of other things around the house that are 'hers'.