two wonderful women in Cape Cod
(Boots and I had been out to watch the sunrise, and then came back in to see if l'k was ready to join us yet)
That's a great shot, ehBeth!
Boots was a great friend to me when I visited Cambridge and the Cape with l'k.
A couple of mornings I woke up wondering why I'd lost feeling from the knees down ... and then I looked down.
Boots is a lovey dovey girl.
you will know when the time is right and you've thought it through really well. I agree it is important to be there cuddling them at the end and whooda - yes the last appointment and the bawling - awful awful time.
We buried ours in the garden - but cats are smaller and it's easier, the ashes scattering sounds lovely.
I do hope it isn't too soon
Hey littlek,
Each situation is different and no less painful. I lost my 22 year old cat in July. The main thing that helped me was asking "What is she telling me?" Her eyes and her behavior were definitely telling me it was time to go. As unlikely as it may seem now, I agree that, YOU WILL KNOW. I also had a vet come to my house & it was quick & peaceful. I personally chose not to have her ashes returned. She was gone...my reminders were the terrific memories...I also framed every picture I had ever taken of her... the next day. And the day after that, in her honor, I adopted another cat that had been abandoned.
My thoughts are with you & I applaud the loving concern & care you are taking to make the best decision for Boo. I do not discount the pain, but the love you share will guide you through.
Take good care!
oh, hello..... new posts.
Jespah, yeah, it still gets me. I know that I willfeel better about these last 2 animals of mine. Experience doesn't make it easier to lose a pet, but it makes it easier to make decisions. I think.
Oh, the vet. Hmmm. Maybe she'll tell me.
Beth - those are great shots. It's good to have them.
Thanks Sophie..... if I haven't told you already. Welcome to a2k.
Bootsie is still slipping along. She seems to understand at least something about her state. I think she seems a little sad (maybe?). She knows it's harder to walk on the kitchen linolium than on the hard wood floors. So, I feed her in other rooms now (sometimes I feed her in bed). She knows to wait for me to help her into bed or into the car. She has always gotten these little scabby things that come from inside. The vets have looked at them and said they were blattitblahblah - something benign. But, now there seems to be more of them.
Sometimes I feel like I'm hanging in time, waiting for her to die. And that makes me depressed.
Just wanted to get that off my chest. No need for sympathy posts.
Robin Young, a radio personality on the local npr station (wbur out of Boston University), just put her 19 year old chihuahua down. A week after she did, she paid tribute to him, Mo, on the air. I was weeping, but her voice didn't crack. She quoted the visiting vet, who came to her house to administer the shot. I can't remember the quote, but it was along the lines of: sometimes you have to let your dog know it's ok for him to step down. To stop being your loyal companion.
Man, this thread is a heartbreaker...I feel for you, littlek. I wish I could do something to make it easier.
<sending good vibes to littlek and Bootsy>
liitle_k, I know you said you didn't want expressions of sympathy, but I know this situation & it IS a very sad one .... So I'm sorry for both you & for Bootsie.
It's hard to tell a pet that you're going to be ok without 'em.
Littlek
Littlek, I've been through what you are suffering so many times, and it never gets easier. Your love of this dog demostrates that you care more about its suffering than your need to not let go. I admire that.
If only we treated people with as much love as we do our animals when its time to relieve their suffering.
My last pet to be "put to sleep" was my cat, who had a rare form of cancer. I authorized that her body be used to study the disease to hopefully find a treatment to help others. It helped me through the grieving process.
BBB
Thanks all.
Good idea BBB.
The kid and I have been talking about pets -- her desire waxes and wanes, I want to see it stay waxy for a while before we commit to anything. So she was jonesing for a hamster, and I asked, "how would you feel if it died?" (That seems harsh but we'd talked about that before, especially in terms of getting a goldfish.) Her face fell and she bit her lip and she said, "Actually, I don't want a pet."
I took her on my lap and talked to her about how sad I was every time one of my pets died, but how happy they made me when they were alive, and how I wouldn't give up the sadness I felt when they died if it meant I couldn't feel the happiness of when they were alive for anything.
Hugs.
