Today I had to make a choice that's every pet owner's worst nightmare. I had to have my cat put to sleep due to her worsening health and old age.
Negra was not only my best friend, she was also a constant companion and one of my biggest inspirations. I rescued her in 2007 from a neglectful owner, and she was already around ten years old then, but her and I developed a quick bond and when I heard her previous owner physically abused her, I took her out of that situation immediately. I wanted to make sure her last years were spent being the fat, spoiled, and lazy cat she deserved to be.
Through the past five years she's been there to give me company, laughter, and love. Her "sassy old lady" attitude just made her more endearing to me. She loved sitting on my hands in front of the laptop and nipping at my fingers when I tried to start typing. She also loved waking me up by sitting on my chest and pawing at me. But all I had to do was tuck an arm around her and she'd settle down and purr and fall sound asleep. She was a master of lulling me back to sleep when I needed to get up, she was an excellent bed warmer, and she could drool so much it would put a St Bernard to shame.
I can't explain just how much I loved this cat. She wasn't just a pet to me, she was family. She acted like a dog often, fetching things and greeting me at the door every time I came home. But a few weeks ago I came home from a short vacation and she was nowhere to be found by the door. That's when I knew something was wrong, and I've been doing my best to tend to her since that day.
Her back started to hurt so she wasn't moving around as much. It got progressively worse all through the month, and last night I watched her through tears as she tried to walk just a few feet away and couldn't do it without stopping every few steps to pant and lay down. I stayed up all night just laying next to her, petting her until I fell asleep.
This afternoon I took her to an emergency vet and my worst fears were confirmed. Even if she received surgery, her old age made the chance of recovery extremely low. She was in constant pain, so letting her stay alive with such a burden would be cruel. I made the choice today to put her to sleep. I held her head and her paw in my hands as they gave her the painkillers before the injection and she just purred and looked at me with such a calm relief in her eyes. By the time she had the second injection, I could tell that pain she'd been living in for the past week was finally gone, and she was at peace.
Though I am incredibly crushed by losing her, I am relieved I was able to spoil her rotten and give her the love she so deserved. Nobody on Earth could love that cat the way I did. In the end, she got to pass peacefully in my arms and I can be soothed by that.
I will miss her so much, but I know I made the right choice. It's a bit difficult for me right now, but I have my doggie to keep me company. I want to do a tribute to Negra in some way but I will have to think about that when I'm in a better place to make plans.
I will still be doing orders to distract myself, but please be patient if I don't reply to any questions right away. I will do my best to stay on top of things.
Thank you for any well wishes and sympathy, I just wanted to share one of my favorite pictures of her with everyone. She always made me smile.
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Negra was not only my best friend, she was also a constant companion and one of my biggest inspirations. I rescued her in 2007 from a neglectful owner, and she was already around ten years old then, but her and I developed a quick bond and when I heard her previous owner physically abused her, I took her out of that situation immediately. I wanted to make sure her last years were spent being the fat, spoiled, and lazy cat she deserved to be.
Through the past five years she's been there to give me company, laughter, and love. Her "sassy old lady" attitude just made her more endearing to me. She loved sitting on my hands in front of the laptop and nipping at my fingers when I tried to start typing. She also loved waking me up by sitting on my chest and pawing at me. But all I had to do was tuck an arm around her and she'd settle down and purr and fall sound asleep. She was a master of lulling me back to sleep when I needed to get up, she was an excellent bed warmer, and she could drool so much it would put a St Bernard to shame.
I can't explain just how much I loved this cat. She wasn't just a pet to me, she was family. She acted like a dog often, fetching things and greeting me at the door every time I came home. But a few weeks ago I came home from a short vacation and she was nowhere to be found by the door. That's when I knew something was wrong, and I've been doing my best to tend to her since that day.
Her back started to hurt so she wasn't moving around as much. It got progressively worse all through the month, and last night I watched her through tears as she tried to walk just a few feet away and couldn't do it without stopping every few steps to pant and lay down. I stayed up all night just laying next to her, petting her until I fell asleep.
This afternoon I took her to an emergency vet and my worst fears were confirmed. Even if she received surgery, her old age made the chance of recovery extremely low. She was in constant pain, so letting her stay alive with such a burden would be cruel. I made the choice today to put her to sleep. I held her head and her paw in my hands as they gave her the painkillers before the injection and she just purred and looked at me with such a calm relief in her eyes. By the time she had the second injection, I could tell that pain she'd been living in for the past week was finally gone, and she was at peace.
Though I am incredibly crushed by losing her, I am relieved I was able to spoil her rotten and give her the love she so deserved. Nobody on Earth could love that cat the way I did. In the end, she got to pass peacefully in my arms and I can be soothed by that.
I will miss her so much, but I know I made the right choice. It's a bit difficult for me right now, but I have my doggie to keep me company. I want to do a tribute to Negra in some way but I will have to think about that when I'm in a better place to make plans.
I will still be doing orders to distract myself, but please be patient if I don't reply to any questions right away. I will do my best to stay on top of things.
Thank you for any well wishes and sympathy, I just wanted to share one of my favorite pictures of her with everyone. She always made me smile.
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