[boomana]

The past few days have been pretty rotten all around. Just life and family stuff, but nothing anyone can't get through. Today I worked a really rough 17-hr shift and as I rounded the corner on the main room to my home three hours ago, I saw my stupid cat dead in the road. She escaped this morning (as often happened) and I couldn't get her back in. Now she's gone. I had to take a shovel and garbage bags and scrape her out of the road while waving traffic away with my shovel. It wasn't pretty. It was really very ugly.

I'm not sure why I'm typing this here. I guess there's no one to tell at 3AM and I'm kinda a wreck. I came on head-fi to divert my attention, but I can't. I can't get the image of her on the road out of my head. Now I'm crying on my keyboard. This really stinks.

I've had cats my whole life (never wanted them, but they always came around), but she was the best one I ever had. I won't go into unique things she was...okay a few...she took walks with me in the neighborhood and if I'd pause to talk to neighbors, she wait patiently by my side; whenever I would call her name, she come running full speed toward me like a dog or a little kid, squeaking a weird meow non-stop as she ran; and she always slept next to me, using my leg as a pillow; and she was a big purrer.

I could never make her an indoor cat, though I tried. She'd rip out the screens or shred paper all over the house. She was born in the parking garage where I used to work. She hated me for the first few months I had her. She wasn't the best pet, but she was a great cat with a big personality. She loved racing up and down trees, strolling around the neighbors roofs, killing mice, birds and lizards and bringing them home. I loved her for all that, and no matter what others say about cats, I know she loved me.

She's supposed to be sleeping on my leg right now, but she's in a garbage bag outside my door. Dead is dead, but damn. She was my buddy. She had a vet appointment at 10AM tomorrow. Now, I'll be taking her there to be cremated and I'll put her ashes under her favorite tree. I've never lived in this house without her. I guess I'll go wash her cat bowls now. RIP cat. You made my life better and I'll really miss you.

 

[rockin_amigo14]

i'm really sorry to hear about your loss, man. i've only really had one pet, a dog, and i was really to young to appreciate him. he was a great dog, in retrospect. when i was 1 or 2, he would let me ride on him, and i would pull on his teeth, and he didn't mind a bit. i'll never forget when i dad had to put him down, my dad came home, and i've only seen my dad like that two other times, and that was at my grandparents (his parents) funerals.

on the bright side, she had a wonderful life, from what it sounds like. when something really terrible like that happens, I usually give myself 1 week (at most) to be sad. But once that is over, it's time to move on. Things can, and will, only get better.

Once again, sorry for your loss.

 

[NightWoundsTime]

So sorry to hear about that. Losing a pet sucks. I had my lovable little mutt Sandy from when I was 11. He showed up under our porch one day, not a puppy but just a small adorable dog. We lived across from a park which was used more than once as a dumping spot for unwanted pets. I knew it would be a hard sell to take in a stray dog so I left him alone for a while. Then he started peeking out whenever we came outside with old tennis balls in his mouth from underneath the house. About a week went by and I decided to try to make him ours. A bit of cat food and he was friendly, and the decision was pretty well made.

The first weekend with him we went camping. It rained hard the first night and we ended up sleeping in the car. He spent the entire night laying on his back between my dad & I.

A few months later I let him out, had to go in for a second and heard him barking. Came out and saw a very excited old lady holding him and exlaiming "Paco, oh I missed you..." It was her dog. She had been in the hospital, and her son was supposed to be taking care of him. He'd told her that the dog was stolen so that was her first accusation at me. Once we settled the fact that he had lived under our house for a week she relaxed on that front. Still though he was her dog and she wanted him back. We let him go. Two nights later after much mourning on my part Sandy ended up tied on our porch. She came back and said that she couldn't stand the "look on that little boy's face" when she took the dog away, but I've secretly always believed that he was such a little brat that she couldn't handle him. He was a serious spaz, could jump to about 5 times his own height, and his energy at that age never really stopped. I used to take him over to my uncles place where he'd run circles around the ridgeback and lab for hours, sometimes jumping clean over them when he'd get cornered. When they'd get worn out we'd pull out my Uncle's gas powered RC car and let him chase that around. He'd settle down though in a flash, and become the nicest lapdog imaginable.

For my 18th birthday I had my cousin who's an artist do a drawing from a picture of him. It hangs over my fireplace now. Sadly I don't have a scan of it on my computer anymore but I need to get one again.

Anyway as old dogs tend to do he eventually got weaker and lazy. One night almost two years ago he got to where he couldn't breathe and I knew it had to be the end. Very hard decision but he'd had a good life.

One of the last pictures of him, I didn't have anyone else to take the picture but wanted one of the two of us for another web community. He wasn't quite this small but not far off.

 

[Wmcmanus]

That's rough, Vicki... so sorry to hear... and now I'm off to PM land.

 

[kunuggs]

I feel for ya man. I was lucky enough to never have anyone remotely close to me pass away until about 2 years ago. Within 2 months, my parents put down both of my dogs which I'd had since I was about 10 years old (I was 22 then). After the 2nd one was put down, I was basically inconsoleable (sp?) for a couple days. ****** thing is, I was at school in a different state when this happened, so I wasn't even there to say goodbye (but maybe that's a good thing, I don't know if I could have handled it).

Geez, I even got all teary typing that. I'm gonna go pet my new dog now. I hope you feel better

 

[Borat]

I am sorry for your loss. Pet or person, it sucks to lose a friend/loved one.

 

[cotdt]

how very sad. don't blame yourself though.

 

[boomana]

Thanks, guys. Matt, nice story and pic about pooch. Thanks for that. Oddly, that's the first thing that's made me feel better.

These are the only pics I have of her. I just realized that though I had her almost 8 years, there's only one picture with both of us in it, taken about two years ago. At least there's that.

 

[hYdrociTy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif scrape

*tears*

 

[episiarch]

Boomana, I'm really sorry. A friend in LA lost her cat to a coyote last year (less strange than it sounds; she lives a little below Griffith Park). It's terrible to lose a pet, worse if you have to take care of her remains alone. I feel for your loss.

 

[agile_one]

Sorry for your loss, Vicki - that really bites.

Really, really tough to lose a beloved pet, and realize they won't be there to greet you, mess up the house, make funny noises, sit in your lap, and all the other stupid things they do that meke us love them. Sounds like she lived life on the edge, so 8 years was a long run.

Love the picture of you and her in the grass.

 

[Jahn]

Boom, so sorry to hear about your pet. My wife's family dog in Ohio was hit by a car and basically for a half a year it was touch and go, but thankfully he pulled through and years later he's still amblin' on. That was not a good year - my wife basically called her folks every day to see how Jin was doing and she was noticeably upset when he would get back from the Vet with bad prognosis.

I'm really not looking forward to the day when Pumpkin, our Shiba, passes away. She was 2 when our kid was born, so you can imagine my loss for words when my kid turns 11 or 12 and his first and only doggy buddy passes away.

Who am I kidding, I'll probably be the one bawling like a baby. She survived 9/11 and sat in 2 inches of asbestos for 30 hours before we rescued her so I know she's tough, and every day she reminds us she has plenty of pep, but one day she'll slow down and never wake up and UGh.

Pets are 100% part of the family so again I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[bundee1]

Im very sorry for your loss. My GF lost her favorite cat to an illness 3 years ago and she still gets depressed on the anniversary. I have 4 cats with her now and I know I could never live without even one of them.

 

[Samgotit]

Sucks. I can empathize. She can't be replaced, but get a sub tomorrow and go to the animal shelter. It won't make up for her loss, but you can feel a bit better knowing you are saving another.

Make sure you tell the new cat how good the other one was.

 

[mrarroyo]

Vicky, I am terribly sorry you lost your friend. The next few days will be tough but I know you will be ok and stronger at the end. For now try to remember the fun memories and recall all the smiles she brought to your life.

Best of luck and if you want to talk PM me.