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icarusPatches was a little butterball of a kitty, tortoiseshell calico, five pounds and small enough to curl up in a popcorn bag. (Not that she has, that's just for a sense of scale.)
She leaped up on the bed with "Kawabunga!" energy and chased laser lights with an all-out abandon I wanted to put on YouTube. She had a jaunty little orange mustache, tipped to one side, and bright, bright eyes that shone with happiness and love.
She was the sort of kitty who, if you were crying, cuddled close and rolled over, waving her paws in the air, being as cute as possible. As if to say, "Oh, don't cry, oh, here look, I can make you feel better."
Gentle, loving Patches was my constant companion during my break-up with my ex. She'd curl up next to me under the blankets and sit on my lap in the morning. She really helped me.
We became so close, mom and arranged that Patches would go to me if anything happened to her (mom now being considered a senior citizen by the AARP).
But little Patches lost her butterball weight over the last year. At first she pined when I moved into my own place. Then she and mom's other upstairs cat, Callie, didn't get on for a while. Patches didn't quite recover her body weight as mom tried to get her to eat more again.
She was thin, but seemed to be improving by the time I took care of her in September while mom was out of town. In November, my cousin John and I petted a rather thin Patches who'd lost none of her natural spunk.
In January, S. and I took care of my mother's place once more. By then, Patches was very thin, and her energy low. She needed to be kept warm (mom had a space heater in her room) and didn't move around very much. She was still, calm and peaceful. But very still.
Throughout February, Mom was anxious about her because she wasn't putting on weight. She called the vet, but the vet felt that since she was still eating, and was so sensitive to cold (and vet trips had caused Patches to go on hunger strikes in the past), we should wait till warmer weather to bring her in for blood work.
Mom worried that Patches might have diabetes or a kidney problem.
I visited two weekends ago. Mom had set up a heater and humidifier in her room. Patches was comfortable but very weak. Her condition had deteriorated quite a bit. But she was able to stretch out her back legs and say hello.
This past week, the weather warmed up briefly. Mom took Patches in. The X-Rays showed a mass in her lungs that had probably, based on its size, had started growing in January. It was either a bacterial infection or, more likely, lung cancer.
Sunday, I visited mom. Patches' breathing had become labored and she could only move with effort. She was still beautiful and curled next to us when we lifted her onto the bed. We put her in the temple prayer book for the nuns to do prayers for her and contacted Jetsunma, who loves animals and always does prayers for our pets. She was there when Ani Aileen's cat, Yoda, died a few years ago, for example, and told Aileen to imagine Yoda being "Plopped onto a lotus, and this his eyes opening in wonder. Then slowly, picture him shedding his cat-ness." I thought of that this week.
Tuesday, mom's birthday, mom was going to go out for a while. She'd been in the room with Patches all weekend, feeding her every four hours to try to get antibiotics into her. I'd ordered a medicine intended to help with cancer which was due Thursday.
As mom got her coat, Patches toddled after her, asking her to stay.
Mom stayed.
Patches passed away 11pm Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011. We took her body to the vet to be cremated today. The little kitty is very much missed.
She leaped up on the bed with "Kawabunga!" energy and chased laser lights with an all-out abandon I wanted to put on YouTube. She had a jaunty little orange mustache, tipped to one side, and bright, bright eyes that shone with happiness and love.
She was the sort of kitty who, if you were crying, cuddled close and rolled over, waving her paws in the air, being as cute as possible. As if to say, "Oh, don't cry, oh, here look, I can make you feel better."
Gentle, loving Patches was my constant companion during my break-up with my ex. She'd curl up next to me under the blankets and sit on my lap in the morning. She really helped me.
We became so close, mom and arranged that Patches would go to me if anything happened to her (mom now being considered a senior citizen by the AARP).
But little Patches lost her butterball weight over the last year. At first she pined when I moved into my own place. Then she and mom's other upstairs cat, Callie, didn't get on for a while. Patches didn't quite recover her body weight as mom tried to get her to eat more again.
She was thin, but seemed to be improving by the time I took care of her in September while mom was out of town. In November, my cousin John and I petted a rather thin Patches who'd lost none of her natural spunk.
In January, S. and I took care of my mother's place once more. By then, Patches was very thin, and her energy low. She needed to be kept warm (mom had a space heater in her room) and didn't move around very much. She was still, calm and peaceful. But very still.
Throughout February, Mom was anxious about her because she wasn't putting on weight. She called the vet, but the vet felt that since she was still eating, and was so sensitive to cold (and vet trips had caused Patches to go on hunger strikes in the past), we should wait till warmer weather to bring her in for blood work.
Mom worried that Patches might have diabetes or a kidney problem.
I visited two weekends ago. Mom had set up a heater and humidifier in her room. Patches was comfortable but very weak. Her condition had deteriorated quite a bit. But she was able to stretch out her back legs and say hello.
This past week, the weather warmed up briefly. Mom took Patches in. The X-Rays showed a mass in her lungs that had probably, based on its size, had started growing in January. It was either a bacterial infection or, more likely, lung cancer.
Sunday, I visited mom. Patches' breathing had become labored and she could only move with effort. She was still beautiful and curled next to us when we lifted her onto the bed. We put her in the temple prayer book for the nuns to do prayers for her and contacted Jetsunma, who loves animals and always does prayers for our pets. She was there when Ani Aileen's cat, Yoda, died a few years ago, for example, and told Aileen to imagine Yoda being "Plopped onto a lotus, and this his eyes opening in wonder. Then slowly, picture him shedding his cat-ness." I thought of that this week.
Tuesday, mom's birthday, mom was going to go out for a while. She'd been in the room with Patches all weekend, feeding her every four hours to try to get antibiotics into her. I'd ordered a medicine intended to help with cancer which was due Thursday.
As mom got her coat, Patches toddled after her, asking her to stay.
Mom stayed.
Patches passed away 11pm Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011. We took her body to the vet to be cremated today. The little kitty is very much missed.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-24 07:12 pm (UTC)I'm so sorry.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-24 08:54 pm (UTC)I'm sorry for your loss.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-24 09:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-24 10:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-24 10:14 pm (UTC)Blessings upon you, and upon your houses.
~Wordwitch,
who has survived more cats than is good for her
no subject
Date: 2011-02-24 10:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-24 10:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-25 01:30 am (UTC)I grieve with you.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-25 02:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-25 04:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-25 05:30 am (UTC)*hugs for you if you want them*
no subject
Date: 2011-02-28 11:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-06 02:58 am (UTC)