Comments on: Minu Mine http://www.passionaterations.com/2008/01/14/minu-mine/ food and sundries Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:35:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: Ate-to-the-Bar http://www.passionaterations.com/2008/01/14/minu-mine/#comment-14144 Ate-to-the-Bar Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:53:08 +0000 http://www.passionaterations.com/2008/01/14/minu-mine/#comment-14144 Mishmash-- I'm always so sad when I see a new comment here because I know it means another loss. But I'm glad, at least, to provide a place to share the pain--which can sometimes make it a little easier. I'm so sorry to hear your news. You ask "why bring beloved pets into our lives when they are just going to die," but I think the answer is in your own post (and all of the posts above)--the love, joy, and comfort they bring into our lives is immeasurable, and, even when the life is gone, our memories keep the love and joy alive. It's so unfortunate that our pain is the price we pay for such love, but, without that love, life would not be so worth living. We are all going to die, deny it as we might, but, when that time comes, don't we all want to look back on a life of love and joy? I'm sure Beethoven wouldn't have had it any other way. I know how hard it is, though, and I wish you and yours peace. --Chris (aka "Ate To The Bar") Mishmash–
I’m always so sad when I see a new comment here because I know it means another loss. But I’m glad, at least, to provide a place to share the pain–which can sometimes make it a little easier. I’m so sorry to hear your news.

You ask “why bring beloved pets into our lives when they are just going to die,” but I think the answer is in your own post (and all of the posts above)–the love, joy, and comfort they bring into our lives is immeasurable, and, even when the life is gone, our memories keep the love and joy alive. It’s so unfortunate that our pain is the price we pay for such love, but, without that love, life would not be so worth living. We are all going to die, deny it as we might, but, when that time comes, don’t we all want to look back on a life of love and joy? I’m sure Beethoven wouldn’t have had it any other way. I know how hard it is, though, and I wish you and yours peace.

–Chris (aka “Ate To The Bar”)

]]> By: MishMash http://www.passionaterations.com/2008/01/14/minu-mine/#comment-14135 MishMash Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:04:32 +0000 http://www.passionaterations.com/2008/01/14/minu-mine/#comment-14135 My fiance had just endured her most recent, horrendous hospitalizatin for an MS excerbation in 1997. Once home I decided it was time to find her (and me) another feline friend. She had owned and deeply loved a kitty, but it died of lymphoma two years prior. The cat's demise had been an uncomfortbla and painful, and wife said never again would she have a precious soul mate ripped from her in such a cruel fashion. Nontheseless, with a little convincing i rationalized "it will be my cat" and she agreed. I must have looked at a thousand cats at various animal shelters. Upon seeing "Beethoven" in the DC Animal Shelter on NY avenue, I knew he was the cat for us. He was 1 1/2 yrs old, but still cute as a kitten, with a hilarious, charming, affectionate personality. He was inquisitive, and demanding, but always so ready to please his mom and pop. My wife's condition improved, and kitty became her boy entirely, sleeping on her side of the bed and keeping her company during my deployments overseas. We lived in Hawaii for 8 years, with Beethoven coping with Hawaii's then-harsh quarntine (8 weeks) rules in trooper-like fashion; given what a sensitive little puffball he really was. His personality continued to blossom. Most days he was stuck to my wife's chest like a cute, furry, octopus. At 13 years old he was still chasing the laser dot with the same abandon. We moved back to the mainland two years ago, and other than occasional sneezning and allergies kitty was fine. My wife admonished me to start taking every day with him as a gift after he turned 13, because that was when feline geriatric cancers, etc started to crop up. Time was being borrowed. Almost as if on cue, near his fifteenth year (six days ago) kitty had three days of diahrrea, and on the fourth, after crying in the litter box we took him to the vet. He was given an antibiotic and prednisone. But like rushed horrible nightmare went from playful, intelligent, and adorable to that of a zombie. All he wanted to do was sleep. No eating, but we forced several vials of water down his throat to avoid kitty dehydration. Yesterday we took him to a high-end expensive veterinary lab, and after the ultrasound and the needle aspiration, the vet said he probably had carcinmatosis. Diffuse plaques of cancer cells all around the visceral cavity. He is alive, but has maybe two weeks to live. We both burst into tears, and I walked out of the vet's office. Was it my fault? If I had never insisted on adopting him, this pain would never have come about. Why bring beloved pets into our lives when they are just going to die? He is on palliative and hospice care now. Prednisone, murtazapine, meropetant(sp?), and a pain med. He has immediately started feeling better, and he has started eating and appears more comfortable, but he still seems too tired to get out of bed. We haven't given him all the palliative meds, but are hoping that he crests within a few days, and can be his old self for a brief window of time. Just one more glimpse of his old playful affectionate self and that would satisfactory. We are now about to contact a vet who specializes in gentle, home euthansias. We don't know when "the moment" will be; but we promised it would be sooner rather than later. The pain in our hearts has been unbearable. The tears have almost dried up; now it's just self-numbing, and goal-setting of making his final days as painless and comforting as possible. My fiance had just endured her most recent, horrendous hospitalizatin for an MS excerbation in 1997. Once home I decided it was time to find her (and me) another feline friend. She had owned and deeply loved a kitty, but it died of lymphoma two years prior. The cat’s demise had been an uncomfortbla and painful, and wife said never again would she have a precious soul mate ripped from her in such a cruel fashion. Nontheseless, with a little convincing i rationalized “it will be my cat” and she agreed. I must have looked at a thousand cats at various animal shelters. Upon seeing “Beethoven” in the DC Animal Shelter on NY avenue, I knew he was the cat for us. He was 1 1/2 yrs old, but still cute as a kitten, with a hilarious, charming, affectionate personality. He was inquisitive, and demanding, but always so ready to please his mom and pop. My wife’s condition improved, and kitty became her boy entirely, sleeping on her side of the bed and keeping her company during my deployments overseas. We lived in Hawaii for 8 years, with Beethoven coping with Hawaii’s then-harsh quarntine (8 weeks) rules in trooper-like fashion; given what a sensitive little puffball he really was. His personality continued to blossom. Most days he was stuck to my wife’s chest like a cute, furry, octopus. At 13 years old he was still chasing the laser dot with the same abandon. We moved back to the mainland two years ago, and other than occasional sneezning and allergies kitty was fine. My wife admonished me to start taking every day with him as a gift after he turned 13, because that was when feline geriatric cancers, etc started to crop up. Time was being borrowed. Almost as if on cue, near his fifteenth year (six days ago) kitty had three days of diahrrea, and on the fourth, after crying in the litter box we took him to the vet. He was given an antibiotic and prednisone. But like rushed horrible nightmare went from playful, intelligent, and adorable to that of a zombie. All he wanted to do was sleep. No eating, but we forced several vials of water down his throat to avoid kitty dehydration. Yesterday we took him to a high-end expensive veterinary lab, and after the ultrasound and the needle aspiration, the vet said he probably had carcinmatosis. Diffuse plaques of cancer cells all around the visceral cavity. He is alive, but has maybe two weeks to live. We both burst into tears, and I walked out of the vet’s office. Was it my fault? If I had never insisted on adopting him, this pain would never have come about. Why bring beloved pets into our lives when they are just going to die? He is on palliative and hospice care now. Prednisone, murtazapine, meropetant(sp?), and a pain med. He has immediately started feeling better, and he has started eating and appears more comfortable, but he still seems too tired to get out of bed. We haven’t given him all the palliative meds, but are hoping that he crests within a few days, and can be his old self for a brief window of time. Just one more glimpse of his old playful affectionate self and that would satisfactory. We are now about to contact a vet who specializes in gentle, home euthansias. We don’t know when “the moment” will be; but we promised it would be sooner rather than later. The pain in our hearts has been unbearable. The tears have almost dried up; now it’s just self-numbing, and goal-setting of making his final days as painless and comforting as possible.

]]> By: Daren Roundabush http://www.passionaterations.com/2008/01/14/minu-mine/#comment-14028 Daren Roundabush Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:29:02 +0000 http://www.passionaterations.com/2008/01/14/minu-mine/#comment-14028 I usually don't touch upon any of your posts but simply want to let you know I have placed a link to your page on my own blog. I figured maybe you could benefit from my guests since we have somewhat similar sites. I might really appreciate a link back ;) Check your website link here I usually don’t touch upon any of your posts but simply want to let you know I have placed a link to your page on my own blog. I figured maybe you could benefit from my guests since we have somewhat similar sites. I might really appreciate a link back ;) Check your website link here

]]> By: Ate-to-the-Bar http://www.passionaterations.com/2008/01/14/minu-mine/#comment-13728 Ate-to-the-Bar Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:02:57 +0000 http://www.passionaterations.com/2008/01/14/minu-mine/#comment-13728 Elliot-- I'm so sorry for your loss. Herbals (what a great name!) was fortunate to have such a caring owner. It's so hard that cats are so stoic that we can't see their maladies until so late. But, with this illness (relatively incurable), maybe that's blessing too. Thank you for sharing. My thoughts are with you. Elliot–
I’m so sorry for your loss. Herbals (what a great name!) was fortunate to have such a caring owner. It’s so hard that cats are so stoic that we can’t see their maladies until so late. But, with this illness (relatively incurable), maybe that’s blessing too. Thank you for sharing. My thoughts are with you.

]]> By: elliot stamler http://www.passionaterations.com/2008/01/14/minu-mine/#comment-13704 elliot stamler Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:48:50 +0000 http://www.passionaterations.com/2008/01/14/minu-mine/#comment-13704 We all have such sad stories..I too just came across this blog. My Herbals died 2 days ago after 2 days of hospitalization at the ASPCA Bergh Animal Hospital here in NYC. They're wonderful. Herbals was my first and only pet and was with me almost his whole life..he was 15 or 14 1/2, old for a cat. As others have written, he too hid his symptoms...I noticed he wasn't eating as much as he usually did for about 2-3 weeks but he was such a big cat (as big as a dog) I couldn't tell he was losing weight (he was in fact.) Then all of a sudden he stopped eating, peeing, defecating, became lethargic and hid in an empty trash bag. The wonderful vet at Bergh ran all the tests but due to the presence of ascites (badly swollen abdomen) suspected, correctly, it was carcinomatosis. I think it's one of God's blessings that in time we are healed of our grief for the loss of our human and pet loved ones. Herbals was not the most lovable or sweet of cats but he did love me and I loved him and I'll always treasure his memory. We all have such sad stories..I too just came across this blog. My Herbals died 2 days ago after 2 days of hospitalization at the ASPCA Bergh Animal Hospital here in NYC. They’re wonderful. Herbals was my first and only pet and was with me almost his whole life..he was 15 or 14 1/2, old for a cat. As others have written, he too hid his symptoms…I noticed he wasn’t eating as much as he usually did for about 2-3 weeks but he was such a big cat (as big as a dog) I couldn’t tell he was losing weight (he was in fact.) Then all of a sudden he stopped eating, peeing, defecating, became lethargic and hid in an empty trash bag. The wonderful vet at Bergh ran all the tests but due to the presence of ascites (badly swollen abdomen) suspected, correctly, it was carcinomatosis. I think it’s one of God’s blessings that in time we are healed of our grief for the loss of our human and pet loved ones. Herbals was not the most lovable or sweet of cats but he did love me and I loved him and I’ll always treasure his memory.

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