Follow
Share
Read More
Gershun I am so sorry for the loss of your Daniel.
(2)
Report

I am so sorry Gershun,, he had a great life
(2)
Report

Daniel was a very special cat Gershun!
What a loving and moving tribute to him and his life with you!
(2)
Report

Thank-you all very much for your condolences. Daniel was such a special cat.

We knew almost from the very beginning that he was unique. When we saw him and his brother Henrick at the store where we got him he was a little rebel rouser.
I think he thought I was his mom cause when they were kittens he and Henrick would suck on my pajama top and knead as if they were nursing.

As he grew older we couldn't believe how communicative he was. He always had conversations with us. He'd make little chirping sounds. He sounded like a little duck.

He always wanted to be with us. He'd do that caressing thing with his eyes.

He was smart as hell too. If my DH was doing any kind of project around our place Daniel would watch. We used to say he was storing information to bring back to the cat brigade. We used to say he was President and Founder of the giant cat brigade. LOL

He always did that thing that cats do where they flop on their side to show his stomach which I've heard means they have total trust in you. He'd climb on my lap and flop down and push his head into my lap.

He loved his Dad too. When DH came home he'd walk over, DH would crouch down and Daniel would sit between his legs. He'd put his paw on DH's bare foot.

He could open doors like no other. For a time when they were young we'd have to keep them in the bathroom. But he found a way to get out. He would stick his paw under the door and pull and pull. One day we were laying in bed and next thing we knew he jumped on the bed and went over to us and starting licking our faces just like a dog.

If we were printing things he'd stand and watch, trying to see where the printer paper was coming from.

Every vet we ever took him to the people working there fell in love with him. They'd come out and say how sweet and cute he was. Even yesterday the vet said he was so cute and lovable.

I could say a lot more but needless to say we are heartbroken. There will never be another Daniel. He was the best! A real live Teddy Bear!
(7)
Report

Gershun, I'm so sorry. It's such a difficult thing to do, even when you know it's right. Your cat pic reminded me of the Puss In Boots stories when I was a kid. :-) I'm happy you had him and he had such a great life with you. (((((hugs)))))
(3)
Report

((((((Gershun))))))) so so sorry. Know you did the right by Daniel. Be gentle on yourself the next while.
(2)
Report

Gershun, so sorry to read that your beautiful boy has gone. Try to console yourself by thinking of the love you gave him. Lucky boy.
(2)
Report

Beautiful cat, Gershun. I'm so sorry.
(2)
Report

That must be the best hat ever for the best cat ever!
(2)
Report

Puss in Boots!
(2)
Report

Last photo ever taken of my beloved Daniel.
(6)
Report

Tweety and I, and my praying Dh send our condolences to you, Gershun.
🌷
(2)
Report

So very sorry Gershun.
You will miss your beloved Daniel. 😿
(2)
Report

Gershun, I am so sorry.
(2)
Report

So folks I have sad, sad news. I had to have my beloved Daniel euthanized today.

He was critical and his lungs were full of fluid, suffocating. It was peaceful and painless.

Now the grieving begins.
(9)
Report

Happy Birthday to Hokus and Pokus!

Are they tuxedo cats SharynMarie?

I think Luckylu has that kind, black and white?
(1)
Report

Pammzi,
Yes, good job for catching those feral cats! Do they get their ears tipped to indicate they were spayed or neutered?

Were they all healthy?

I saw some special feral cat houses online, looks like a dog house, but two entrances. Cute!
(0)
Report

The traps are back out,, we have 4 more to catch! Wish us luck! I actually think we have done pretty well to catch the 17 or so we did,,
(5)
Report

Gershwin, I’m sorry you are going through this. Our fur babies are so much a part of our daily lives as human family members. Much love and support to you.

Hokus and Pokus had their 1st birthday on July 29th. They are much smaller kitties than I have had in the past. Hokus is smaller than his brother but I think his is weight. Pokus is a bit portly, I feed them the same. Only canned food as it has less calories than dry food and since cats by nature rely on their moisture from their food, dry food is dehydrating which leads to kidney failure.

their personalities are very different. Hokus spokes easily and likes to nibble on fingers and toes and elbows. When Hokus accepts you, he is very loving and cuddly. His brother Pokus is very accepting and loving to everyone. Both love to rub against my feet and legs. They both still love to be involved in everything I’m doing.
Gershun, you are a great kitty parent❤️♥️
(5)
Report

Looks like Henrick will be helping too!
(2)
Report

Thank-you Willie, Send, and Golden. I hate to be such a sad sack but I have always loved my pets too much if that is even possible. The thought of one of them being in any discomfort just kills me.

It was so touching today. Daniel was having a coughing spell and my other cat Henrick went over to him and rested his head on him. Sigh..........Henrick is going through a bad time with this too. He's been with Daniel since birth.

I will do the right thing when it's time. I know he's going to get a lot sicker before that happens. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I hope I can get stronger about it.
(5)
Report

I try to balance in the quality of life vs quantity when I make these decisions. Toonie, at 13 (a previous cat( had a great quality of life right till the end. I had no trouble agreeing with the vet that procedures would be too hard on him. and there was no guarantee he would have decent QOL as a result of them. We decided there and then it was his time. Matt my most recent dog slid into old age and downhill more gradually with a few health issues along the way but they were curable or treatable so we did. It was harder to know the right time when he was just deteriorating at age 16. Poor old thing. His QOL was not good near the end.

Gershun - I don't think keeping Daniel comfortable is letting him down at all. Prayers for you to have peace about the course of action you choose.
(3)
Report

No one out there Gershun?
Do you mean the vets did not confirm to you that you are making the right decision for Daniel?
Are you sure?

My condolences to you. I don't want you to doubt yourself. Please seek more consultation, go back again to talk it out with your most trusted vet. Ask for comforting medications to treat his symptoms. That is what palliative care is.
Chemo does not cure cancer.
(2)
Report

Gershun - I freely admit that the cats of my childhood were all semi feral barn cats who never had a long life but they were all loved nonetheless. We often tell people here on the forum that sometimes there are no good choices, only least bad ones - I would never go to such lengths to prolong the life of a pet that was so clearly at the end stage of life (for that matter I wouldn't do it to a human either). 🤗
(4)
Report

I wish it was a happy cat day for me and my cats but Daniel is coughing a lot today. I'm doubting my decision to not do the fine needle aspiration and then the possible chemo and radiation. It's just that he is almost 14 and the animal hospital we took him to said that a fine needle aspiration on a cat's lung is risky because of the chance of lung collapsing. Plus the chemo and so on would be costly and might not buy us much more time.

I can't help feeling that I'm letting Daniel down. I hate second guessing myself but there's no one out there who can say that yes, you are making the right decision. This is so hard. I think once these two cats of mine are gone I will need to take a long break from having pets for a while.
(2)
Report

Happy World Cat Day! Since I was recently away from home for a week, Ming will follow me everywhere I don't have to ever guess where she is.
(3)
Report

Golden,

I do think that cats are able to sense things too. Most of my cats were fearless. I never had a cat who was got stuck in a tree. Do people really call firemen to rescue their cat in a tree? Is that something that we only see on television?
(1)
Report

need - I don't know if cats have intuition but I know they have feelings and sense some things that we don't.

pamz - what good work you are doing with your ferals. Hope you catch them all.

gershun - (((((hugs))))) , Difficult times with Daniel. Keep us updated. 🙏🙏🙏
(3)
Report

Gershun,

Saying prayers for Daniel. Hoping for the best.
(1)
Report

Well folks, the follow-up x-ray for Daniel shows the mass has not changed, in fact the vet thinks it may have even grown a bit. She is sending it to the radiologist for his opinion and then we will proceed from there.

Possibly a fine needle aspiration, possibly a ct scan, possibly starting steroids right away cause that is known to shrink a tumor. Granted without a biopsy we don't know if it's actually cancer. The vet seems to think it is. We'll see.

This all needs to happen soon if the mass has grown already in two weeks.

She did say that Daniel has a lot of healthy lung tissue and his respiratory rate is still good. Plus he is chubby so he has stores of fat to live on. Plus his appetite seems to be back a bit. We did finish the antibiotics today.

Please keep us in your prayers.

PS: NHWM, Daniel is 13.5 years of age. Ali, we will consider gabapentin if we need to in the future. Thx for your good thoughts!
(5)
Report

Start a Discussion
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter