January Can F&ck Right Off

[lydamorehouse]

 Last night, completely unexpectedly, we had to say good-bye to Inky.



I'd noticed he was kind of poking at his food and water, but he is our quiet, retiring boy, so, while I was worried, it didn't seem dire. Until yesterday. He was hiding more than usual and seemed to be limping a little. After how fast we lost Ball, I thought: nope, get him in right now.  So, rather than wait for an appointment, I took him to the emergency veterinary last night around 6 pm. 

By 9 o'clock, he was gone.

I don't know what the f*ck is happening with this house, but it needs to stop. I can't take this. 

Doctors say it was a fast-moving cancer, a lymphoma or pancreatic. What the actual hell. How did this happen so fast that we never saw it coming? Doctor assured me that some cancers are like that and that cats are terrible about letting you know when they're ill--moreover, it probably ripped through him in no more than a couple of weeks.

Just like Ball.

I looked at her and said, "Okay, but you're sure this isn't something contagious? Because I can not." She told me there was nothing like that in cats. (I mean, there is Feline Leukemia, but they've all been tested and no one goes outside...)

We have sat down with our remaining three cats and explained to them that they are simply NOT ALLOWED to get sick.

Yesterday, we also found a bird frozen at our bird feeder. She may have gotten her head stuck in the feeding tube, or... who knows, but she was hanging there, dead, and it was awful, and so f*ck right off, everything is awful, and I am done with dealing with death, and so NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO GET SICK, Y'ALL TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES.

And, especially: JANUARY, GO HOME. YOU'RE THE WORST. I DO NOT WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN FOR ANOTHER WHOLE YEAR. GOT THAT???

I could not be happier that we have started February.  February is time for renewal. We're going to renew our house blessing and celebrate the renewing spirit of Imbolc, because we're done with this bullsh*t now, k?

Here's a picture of Inky (the black one) and Buttercup (orange/sandy) playing together on the iPad in a rare moment of harmony. Buttercup was always very much "Notice me, sempai!" about Inky, but Inky never much wanted much to do with the "new kid" so this was a photographically significant moment.



Gucci, gucci Inky. You were a good cat.

Comments

[naomikritzer]

OMG, Lyda, I am so sorry!

[lydamorehouse]

Thank you. This is INSANE. I almost didn't want to write about it, because I feel like someone is going to say, "Jesus H. Christ, what are you doing to those cats?" and, through all the tears last night, that's exactly what I kept asking the vet. Is this our fault somehow? Are we doing something wrong? And, that's when she dropped this little bomb, "Well, he's 14. 14 is old for a cat, when they get elderly is when we see see things like this start to happen." And I basically yelled, "DON'T SAY THAT, TWO OF THE CATS LEFT AT HOME ARE 16 AND 18."

She could *not* believe we had a healthy 18 year old cat at home. She's like, "That's pretty amazing for a cat. You should consider yourself good cat parents to have such elderly cats."

That's when I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed and didn't stop until I was home. Because I feel like the WORST cat parent.

[naomikritzer]

Oh, Lyda. YOU GUYS ARE REALLY GOOD CAT PARENTS. All your kitties have had wonderful lives with you, filled with warm laps and affection and monkeys they can hound out of bed at 2 a.m. to refill their food dishes.

It sucks losing pets. It totally sucks. But you gave Inky, and Ball, the best lives cats could ever ask for, full of love and care.

[lydamorehouse]

<3 Thanks. I needed that.

[umadoshi]

I'm so sorry. ;_; That's utterly devastating.

[lydamorehouse]

I feel just wrecked. It's 7:30 pm and I just want to crawl into bed, you know?

[bibliofile]

OMG, I'm so, so sorry. Farewell, Inky best of all Inky cats. [sends virtual chicken soup for the cats and chocolate for the humans]

(Your vet should meet some of the cats around here: I know lots in their late teens, but the record was Lydia (the kittia) who lived to be 27.)

[lydamorehouse]

27!! I really feel like (knock on wood) Ms. Piggy (our 18 year old) could do it. She's got stiff back legs, but otherwise you would not know it. (Especially now that I've fattened her up.)

And, yeah, I was really shocked to hear that she though 13-14 was old/elderly.

Thanks for the rest. I just... this was such a shock, it hardly feels real.

[sraun]

There are never good words. Condolences.

[lydamorehouse]

Thanks. Just the acknowledgement helps, as I'm sure you know well.

Smokey says he's sorry to hear this

[rafiwinters]

So, of course, am I. That's really rough. *hugs*

Re: Smokey says he's sorry to hear this

[lydamorehouse]

It's... I mean, so fast, both of them.

But, thanks. It means a lot to hear from people.

[sundog]

I am so incredibly sorry. Cat's are unimaginably stoic, poor critters. My kitties send their warmest purrs and love to yours.

[lydamorehouse]

Thanks. It really does help to get sympathy. Cats need to communicate more! I have expressed this to our three remaining cats. Ugh.

[offcntr]

Waaah! I'm so sorry. Many hugs and skritches...

[lydamorehouse]

Thanks. This has been an awful start to the new year.

[evilpettingz00]

Oh, no! I'm so sorry! :( :( :(

[lydamorehouse]

Thanks. :-(

[opakele]

Again. I am so sorry.

So seriously sorry.

Inky was gorgeous.

[lydamorehouse]

Thank you. He was like a panther. Tall and lean most of his life (he did have a middle-aged paunch there for awhile, the "jungle pouch.")

And, yeah, what the heck. It can stop now. Believe me, all the healthy cats are getting vet visits JUST BECAUSE.

[rachelmanija]

I'm so sorry. That's so awful and shocking.

(And the dead bird, WTF!)

[lydamorehouse]

The dead bird was when I was starting to think WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL IS WRONG WITH OUR HOUSE??? I mean, sure -60 windchills, but what the hell!

Though, weirdly, I was comforted by a thread on FB where people were posting pictures of frozen birds they'd found. So, I mean, at least it wasn't JUST our house? Still, :-(

And, thanks for the condolences.

[escritoireazul]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[lydamorehouse]

Thank you.

[nimueth]

I am so very sorry to hear about your loss. :( I don't know what's worse between losing them so quickly that you can't see it coming, or helplessly watching them slowly fade month after month. But it's true that cats hide their pain very well, and by the time it's obvious that something's up, it's too late.

I'm sure you guys are all great cat parents, and I can tell from those photos that Inky was one happy cat. Hugs if they're wanted/appreciated.

[lydamorehouse]

I will always take hugs, so thanks.

[sauscony]

I am so, so sorry. I went through this last year, losing two cats in two months and it still hurts. :(

[lydamorehouse]

It's awful when they go so close together.