Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Goodbye my friend

I had to do something very difficult today. I had to put a cat to sleep. Lois, a male cat, has been sick for awhile. He had digestive problems and he kept losing weight. A couple of days ago, Mike yelled at Lolo to get down. I fell asleep rocking Jake. I looked around because I thought he was up on a table or on Jake's jumper or something (he liked to go places he knew he wasn't allowed to go). Mike told him to get down again and at that point I realized he was on me. He was so light that I could not feel his weight on me at all.

He was a good cat with an ornery streak. He came to me when he was about 2 years old. It was when his first owner took him to be neutered that they learned he had been incorrectly named for his gender. When I got up the very first morning he had living in my house, I found him hanging in the curtains. He was snagged up in the sheers and the rod and bent in a V. He was fat then. He wasn't used to other cats and it took a bit of adjusting for him to fit be comfortable in my home. There were three cats then. If you scolded him at all it deeply hurt his feelings and he would hold a grudge something awful. I got a kitten two weeks before Lois came to live with me and very quickly they formed a bond. He raised her. He let her "nurse" on him. She actually found a teet and suckled. He groomed her and played with her.

He was very playful. He loved to lay on you. He was very friendly. He loved to greet guests. He always reached out and touched you with a paw to get your attention. He would get on your lap and then he would very slowly work his way up so that he was up as high as he could be on you. He was a bit sneaky and thought you wouldn't notice what he was doing. I got another kitten shortly after I had to put my oldest cat to sleep. Lois raised her also. She was a little pistol and went to live with my mom. She still sucked on Lois even though she was five. She sucked a clump of fur on his chest. She would come push up to his chest and he would groom her. He was a care taker. He even gave his people a bath. I was very sad when I had to start closing him out of the bedroom after Mike came to live with us. I didn't think it was fair because the cats had been there first, but Mike claimed to be allergic to cats.

Good bye my dear friend, Lois. You will always be in my heart. I am sad that Jake didn't get to know you better. You were so good with kids. I love you and I'm sorry.

5 comments:

Linlee said...

I'm so sorry. We had to have our cat put to sleep shortly after Hope was born. It was so hard. I got Calee as a kitty and was told she was a girl! My surprise and the vets when she was a he...lol. The name stuck even though she was a boy!!!

Kirsten said...

Sending you hugs because I know how hard it is to lose a pet...it is amazing the impact they have on our lives. It sounds like Lois had a great life though and was lucky to have you taking care of him.

Becca said...

I'm so sorry...I've never lost a pet, but now with a 10 year old cat and 3 year old dog, I already dread the day it happens. It sounds like Lois had a great life, and I'm glad that you were able to spend lots of time with him.

Nurse Lochia said...

I'm sorry for your loss. I don't care what some peope say, losing a pet is losing a member of the family. Glad you guys gave him a good life

Keeping The Faith said...

Oh I'm so so sorry. It's so hard to lose a pet. I've been seriously devastated. They really are like family. Thinking of you.

-Faith