OT: Goodbye to my Cat

[songrytr]

Hey Jeff...I'm so sorry to hear about Yoko. As difficult as it was you did the right thing.

 

We had to put down both of our cats last year...within 3 months of each other. I still can't really think of them without getting choked up. They both worked so hard to make me a "cat person" when my wife moved here with them in '97 and I'm so thankful for the time I had with them.

 

Yoko was lucky to have you for a dad.

 

Hang in there.

[Kendrix]

Jeff,

 

SO sorry man (been there).

She was beautiful.

 

Ted is way to articulate for me to try and improve upon his words. He speaks for me on this subject.

[LiveMusic]

That was a beauty. My brother's cats here look just like that! Beautiful animals. One, I like, the other is scared of his shadow. Brothers. The one I like, he plays and will come to you. Their eyes are stunning.

 

I lost my golden retrieve 18 years ago and still to this day miss that dog. She was fine until one day, she couldn't get around. Died within a few hours. Vet said heart just gave out. And she was "fine" the day before. Had her 13 years.

 

Very sorry.

[Basshappi]

My condolences man.I think that to feel such joy and sadness for a pet speaks well of a person.

 

Pets are family members and when they die it is truly heartbreaking.One of our cats is 18 years old,all of our children grew up with her around. I know that when she passes it will be traumatic for all of us.

 

Take care Jeff.

[Mats Olsson.]

Jeff, short of words to describe my feelings, I'm really sorry for your loss.

[FoxTick]

Jeff, sorry to hear.

 

I know how it feels to loose a loved pet, especially one as unique as Yoko. Yoko was a beautiful cat.

 

RIP Yoko Klopmeyer.

[TrancedelicBlues]

Aw, Jeff, I'm sorry to hear about that. That was the kitty that slapped the pit bull,wasn't it? What a cool, good friend Yoko must have been!

[Bunny Knutson]

Jeff, I used to have a super cool black cat, too. Sounds like Yoko was a lot like Casey was, acting more like a dog, and all.

 

Sorry to hear about your loss, Jeff. Deciding to put a loved pet "to sleep" is a truly difficult thing to do. Of course, you did the right thing to end her pain.

 

Remember the good times you had with Yoko.

[Mark LaCoste]

Hey, Jeff.

 

We have three cats, all sisters that we adopeted as tiny kittens, flea bitten, mite infested, and with "colds in their eyes". We nursed them back to health. One of them just wasn't gonna make it, you know how they lose their sense of smell, and nothing seems like food to them? She had stopped eating, was losing life quickly. So I would mix cat food with water and my wife would force feed Sengye with an eye dropper. Sengye (Sen-gay, tibetan for Snow Lion) made a recovery. To this day, as if to repay our dilligence a thousand times over, she shows almost dog-like devotion. When she goes we will understand what you have felt. Until then, we still have our silly white purr thing.

 

In Tibetan Buddhism, when something dies, there is a ceremony called Poah (Po-Wah) that is meant to speed the soul to the best reincarnation possible. At a key moment during the meditation, the sylables "Hum, PET" are uttered, as you visualize the soul going in "the right direction". This is where the whole "Go toward the light!" thing originated. I don't know if it means anything to you, but I am gonna put Yoko's picture on the altar. Can't hurt, eh?

 

Goodbye, Yoko. Hum, PET!

[FULLREFUSAL]

Jeff, I'm so sorry for your loss..You cat looked just like my blackie who is very much like you describe Yoko..he is only 2 but I do not know what i would do if he passed away. Very few things make me cry but this post made my eyes pour....crazy.

 

I hope you get a new cat who's life you can enrich and in turn have your life enriched.

 

Take care man.

[Bryson]

I lost my cat, Iggy last year. Similar thing, she was healthy until the last couple of weeks, when her kidneys failed. She was with me for eighteen years, from my wild, rockin', single, mid twenties, to here in my forties with my wife, three kids, and a picket fence.

 

RIP Yoko.

[Gabriel E.]

My condolences.

 

I've had cats most of my life. A couple of years ago my cat Daphne passed away at 18. Her sister Pheobe followed her last year at 19. I remember picking them out when they were kittens back when I was in grade 7. Now I'm 33 - they were with me for over half my life and provided much joy and companionship.

 

My wife and I now have 3 cats and two dogs. Can't imagine life without them.

[Ouizel]

Damn, Jeff, sorry for your loss. We lost a kitty several months ago. It sucks. But, then again, the enjoyment that we had in knowing and loving the furball far outweighs the pain at his loss.

 

Hang in there.

[ani]

Just in reading some of the other posts about those that have acquired their cats through shelters or street rescue, I have to admit, there seems to be a much greater loyalty from pets that have experienced the elements than those that have been store bought.

 

This little character that my son drug in out of the elements Memorial Day weekend has turned out to be the most comical and yet most loving little brat I've ever seen. He was only a pound and half when I took him to the Vet to have him dewormed and rid of his fleas. Poor little guy had more fleas on him than he had size practically. Whereas my older cat who was store bought was finniky and spoiled to only prime blends of cat food, this little guy will jump on any food in sight and LOVES fruit. It's quite comical to watch Boots (Little Bit) beg for food and when we drop a piece for him, he attacks it and bats it around as if he's capturing prey. Our older cat, Rusty, will walk over to see what it is that Little Bit is so excited about and Little Bit who is 1/10th of Rusty's size will be territorial and take Rusty on in a show down. This has gone on since he was 1 1/2 pounds while Rusty is at least a 20 lb cat.

 

I remember the first time I dropped an extra piece of food for Rusty after Little Bit scarfed his piece down and Rusty sniffed the food and then straddled it and started dragging his paw over it as if to insinuate that it smelled like crap and he was burying it. He then turned and looked at Little Bit like he was absolutely out of his mind. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen a cat do and a definate sign of an animal's intelligence in communications.

 

At first I thought there would be rivalry problems between the two cats, but Rusty took Little Bit in like he was his own offspring. Rusty would pin Little Bit down and give him baths and the roll around and play like father and son. Where Rusty in somewhat independent and only wants to be held when HE WANTS to be held; Little Bit is an attention seeker. He's the lovable little kitty that will curl up on your chest while you sleep. He also knows immediately what the word NO means. It's funny to watch his response when I'm correcting one of my children who get to teasing him a bit too rough. He'll give me that look like, "Ah ha, Mom to the rescue " then he'll come over and jump up on my lap and taunt the kids as if to say... "HA!!! Can't touch me now " while staring the kids down.

 

Rusty is about 2 years old now, and Little Bit is about 4 months old now. Both are playful and have their own unique personalities. Little Bit continually surprises us with the foods he will beg for. The little guy actually like PINEAPPLE and tomatoes. Not the type of things that you would expect a cat to beg for. Rusty has finally began eating prepared meats, whereas before he would only eat tuna and chicken. He would not eat lunchmeat or hotdogs for any reason until Little Bit made such a big deal over them; now he loves turkey franks. I will buy extra packages just to keep around to give to the cats as treats.

 

We'd be lost without the little guys, though ornery as they might be. I'm certainly glad that I let my son keep Little Bit, and my first response was... ABSOLUTELY NO WAY ARE WE KEEPING THAT STRAY!!! With it being the beginning of a MAJOR holiday weekend after business hours where all shelters and vets had closed down, and with there being forecasts for severe weather throughout the weekend; my children coerced me into feeling sorry for the little guy and allowing him to stay the weekend with plans to take him to a shelter after the weekend. By the end of the first night, this little guy had suckered me in with his lovable and yet playful nature. He was already housebroke by nature, and responded quickly to NO NO's. How could I NOT like the little guy?

 

He has provided a lot of joy for the family and he keeps my other cat thoroughly entertained while my children are at their Dad's for the weekend or away on vacation. Together, Rusty and Little Bit are quite the team.... Oscar Madison and Felix Unger. Truly the ODD Couple.

 

Jeff, I hope you find another kitten that will provide you with as much joy as what Yoko has. Perhaps if you find another kitten it will be easier for your child to accept the loss of Yoko.

[Barandine Vondenger]

I found a dead cat laying on the big lawn where I play golf. a purty youngish white siamese. Quite dead and from the looks of the cat which I named GEORGE, it must have gone through a painful and hard death.

the blue bottle flys were on it and the glazed over eyes asked me to bury it.

So I went and got a shovel and right there where it lay I dug a hole; as gently as I could scooped ol' george into his final resting place.

I said a word for the dead kitty and all dead kittys and told him to go into the light.

I felt sad but fulfilled in a way as if I had done a good thing.

Later that night as I lay in bed with the light off and trying to sleep; I felt a light bounce on my bed almost as if a small something, had jumped on my bed.

I felt the bed shake and move as if a small animal were walking across my bed and not quite felt it hunker down at my feet.

I spoke to the cat and again told him to go into the light.

I felt the bed move as if the animal settled its self deeper into a restful position.

I thank I got a new kitty.

a ghost kitty.

Thanks for lettin' me share...

[Duddits]

[Guitar Geezer]

Very sorry Jeff.....our Callie is approaching 18 and the thought of losing her is hard to think about, but a reality none the less.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Wow, what a great bunch of responses. You have no idea how nice this is.

 

When I awoke today, my thoughts went immediately to the fact that Yoko wasn't with us anymore. However, instead of being accompanied by grief, I found that it was comforting knowing that she's not suffering now. It was actually much better than waking up to find her gasping for air, as she'd been doing the last couple days of her life.

 

We all have greatly varied ideas of the existence of (and type of) an afterlife. While I, personally, don't take much literally as far as what the major religions tell us happens after we die, I do have a belief that the soul has an energy that is separate from the mechanical aspects of the physical body. It's an energy that doesn't just go away... as science tells us, energy rarely does. I'd like to think that Yoko's essence has transferred to something else, and I already know that anyone who comes into contact with that energy will be better off as a result. I know I am... I was lucky to have had all the time I did with her.

 

Thanks again, friends. By the way, I had an odd but kind of cool experience this morning. I walked across the street to go get coffee, and a cat I hadn't seen before in the neighborhood came walking out toward me from one of the houses on my street. Big male, white/gray short hair. I put my hand out and he ran up, then started rubbing on me, rolling on the ground, batting at my hands, playing, generally having a good time. Smiling, in as much as cats smile.

 

I smiled back at the cat and continued on to the coffee shop. Life goes on.

 

- Jeff

[Rick K.]

Sorry to hear about your cat, Jeff. They just seem to widdle their way into your heart.

[Stephen Fortner]

I'm way overdue with my condolonces, sorry about that. This year, my mom had to put our cat to sleep that I'd found and adopted when I was 15. Friends also recently lost a cat and a dog that had both been lifetime companions of their family.

 

Mom's and my cat was a black one that looked very much like Yoko. A little story about "Buzzy:" Mom is involved with a cat rescue group in Vermont, and takes care of cats that need homes, have been abused or abandoned. A particularly old, sick Siamese once came into the house, and instead of being her usual polite but territorial self, Buzzy took it upon herself to take care of "Sam." She'd clean her, let her have the better spot on the chair or in the sunbeam, and wouldn't eat until Sam had started eating. Sam passed away in our house and Buzzy spent a couple of weeks freaked out, looking for her.

 

One of many ways in which animals can amaze and surprise us.

[Botch.]

Sorry to hear the bad news, Jeff. My girlfriend had to put her 12-year old Doberman down two months ago, and her 14-year old cat is sinking fast too, that'll be any day too, so I kinda feel what you're going through now. I'm glad your cat didn't suffer too long, that can be so hard, and I'm sure your cat had a very happy and full life.

 

Set aside an appropriate period of mourning, but don't go look at kittens until you KNOW you're ready, because you don't pick a pet, they pick you!

[Geoff Grace]

Jeff I'm saddened to read about your loss. I too understand from long experience the joy a much loved animal can bring, and I know that Yoko really mattered to you. In fact, I'm sure that Yoko knew it too.

 

Take care and hang in there.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Dogfur]

So sorry for your loss, Jeff. We lost a 13 year ld a few months ago

 

But congrats on the wonderful life you shared with another species - truly one of lifes greatest and most rewarding pleasures.

 

Best,

 

Dogfur

[RDuke]

Jeff, I feel your pain. We currently have four in our household, and lost two beloved ones within months of each other a year ago. They're great companions, and I've cried like a baby with the passing of three in our care. See my site for some pictures. I even had a black one like Yoko, and she was quite dog-like, and loved to play fetch. Anyway, sending kind thoughts your way and to Yoko's. If there's a heaven, they'll be there waiting for us, I know.

 

Rick

[Tedster]

We just lost a beloved family cat of nearly 9 years a couple of months ago. ...but, coincidentally, just a couple of days prior to Pepper's passing, Andrew picked up a couple of abandoned kittens by the roadside. They're probably peeing in an open guitar case around here somewhere.

[GeorgeVW]

Jeff, I haven't checked in here for a couple of days, so I'm late on this, but sincere condolences. We had our cat of 14 years, Rameses (named after the pharoah, not the latex product), develop an untreatable cancer almost two years ago, and had to make the same hard decision. It took over a year before Vanessa could deal with getting another cat because she couldn't deal with the trauma of having to go through that again someday. When my buddy (and drummer) Shaun Guerin passed away last year, he had 6 cats, and his girlfriend couldn't take them back to Ohio with her, so we ended up adopting two of them. Here's to Yoko, and may she find a permanent sunbeam to doze in, wherever she may be.

[Philip OKeefe]

We got Yoko from an animal shelter when she was 6 weeks old. We were her family for her entire life, and the small costs of maintaining her were paid back a thousandfold in the joy we received from her.

 

And that's what you should hold on to and treasure IMO. Yes, it's sad when we lose a pet (they're so much more than that - family members and loved ones), and unfortunately, we know going into it that they'll only be with us such a short time and that this painfull day will eventually come calling. But we decide to take them into our homes and make them part of our family because of the joy, laughter and love they bring into our lives. In the end, it's more than worth it, although losing them still hurts like hell.

 

I feel for your loss Jeff. I offer my condolences to you and your family. Remember the good times - Yoko WAS fortunate to have you guys as her family, just as you were fortunate to have her as a part of yours.

[Magpel]

Hey Jeff, chimimg in late, but saddned anyway to hear you lost a cat. My Arguyle is about 15, almost exactly as old as my marriage. We used to say, "wouldn't it be cool if Arguyle was still with us when we were forty." Well, Arguyle blew by that milestone 2 years ago... Cats are good companions. Sorry about Yoko.

[Kendrix]

Originally posted by Jeff Da Weasel:

 

We all have greatly varied ideas of the existence of (and type of) an afterlife. While I, personally, don't take much literally as far as what the major religions tell us happens after we die, I do have a belief that the soul has an energy that is separate from the mechanical aspects of the physical body. It's an energy that doesn't just go away... as science tells us, energy rarely does. I'd like to think that Yoko's essence has transferred to something else, and I already know that anyone who comes into contact with that energy will be better off as a result. I know I am... I was lucky to have had all the time I did with her.

 

- Jeff

I must say one of the major disagreements I have with certain religions is that they claim animals have no soul. Man they sure have a different definition of soul than I do. Animals are about the most soulful things on the planet IMHO.

 

When we had to put our 8 year old champion frisbee Weimaraner down several year ago there was no doubt that it was as "spiritual" an experience as I had ever had.