This morning our beloved old cat, Atticus, died. He had surgery on Thursday, came out of the anaesthetic fine, recognised us when we visited that evening, and came home on Friday afternoon. Then last night he had a massive seizure and we had to rush him to the ICU. They rang at 6.45 this morning to say that he had suffered such severe brain damage that he could no longer breathe unassisted and was unlikely ever to recover. We had to make the decision to have him put down.
We got him as an abandoned young cat when Kid 1 was 9 months old. Neither kid knows life without him. It's fair to say that we are a very sad household.
Kid 2 has her first piano exam today, and
one of her pieces is called Lost Cat. She cannot play it without breaking down in tears. I hope they cut her some slack.
Kid 1 wouldn't get out of bed.
I can't hang washing on the line without remembering how he always used to follow me down to the back yard and keep me company.
6 comments:
Oh, I'm so sorry for the loss of your dear little cat. Our animal family weave their way so deeply into our hearts.
Oh, Tiffany, I am sorry for your loss -- and not just your loss, but your added challenge of guiding your children through theirs. It's big and sad, the early confrontation with death. Take care . . .
The truth about cats and dogs is...they never live long enough, do they? I'm sorry for your loss.
Thank you.
Pseu, it's so true that they become an integral part of the family. It seems almost silly to feel such love for an animal, but it's real.
Mater, you're right about the kids - Kid 1 got it all out in floods of tears yesterday; for Kid 2, it's less dramatic, but he just keeps walking around the house saying 'I miss him'.
Carol, you're right. We know they won't live as long as us, and that loss is inevitable but we love them anyway ... I guess there's something in that.
I'm sorry about your cat - they are such dear, hilarious, beautiful creatures.
(I hope you come back to your blog soon :o)
Thanks OWWW. I haven't been blogging because life has been frankly dull - absurdly busy and yet rather boring at the same time, my least favourite combination!
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