Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Our Last Day Together


Little Boo's last day was not uneventful. She was having troubles, had a couple small seizures, and even rolled down a flight of stairs at one point. Walking was difficult, wobbly. I wasn't sure if she'd injured herself on the stairs, or if she was just weak from not eating or drinking. Or both. All I could do was try to comfort her. I also took a bunch of pictures, and marveled at how beautiful she was even though she was one very sick cat.




I got her up in my lap one more time and comforted her. She wasn't about to move, but I could tell she wanted her space, so I let her rest on the crazy quilt. That's when I noticed the teardrop running from her eye.




She didn't like the clicking and the light from the camera. The sound was something that could trigger a seizure, so I didn't take too many pictures. Just enough. We fell asleep on the couch for a while, and when I woke up, she'd moved to the far end of the other couch. She rallied a little, got herself over to her food and water, and had a couple bites of food and a few sips of water, her last meal. Soon, it would be time to go.


This picture of her drinking water is the very last picture I took of Little Boo. She rallied again on the way to the vet. I'd made a bed with an old comforter and a towel on the floor of the passenger side. I was sure she wouldn't move, and it seemed so inappropriate to put her in a cage. As we began to drive, she got herself up on the passenger seat so she could look out the window and see all the lights. I held on to her with one arm so she wouldn't slip off the leather seat, and stroked her gently.

The drop-off was fast and very difficult, but that's how our last day together was. Too fast, and very difficult. Even though she didn't like the camera, I'm glad I took these pictures. They helped me see Boo's exquisite beauty and grace, even when she was very weak and ready to die. I am thankful for Boo, and you can be sure I let her know. I'm even thankful for our last day together.

She was cremated, a "private" as they call it. When you have a "private" done, you can get their ashes back. I'd never done that with any pet before, but I did with Boo.

16 comments:

  1. The loss of a pet is a heartache, my heart aches for you. So glad you had the last day together and took such lovely pictures. Bless your humane and loving heart!

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  2. Your post and pictures made me cry. We had a very similar experience with our black lab in early December. I took a ton of pictures to capture everything I could about her, and I'm so glad I did. We love our furry family members so much, and saying goodbye is next to impossible. Thank you for sharing your pain...and your love.

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  3. I sit here with tears in my eyes. I am so sorry for your loss. It is so hard to let a beloved pet go, and even harder when we have to be the ones who decide when it is time.
    I´m glad that you had this last day togehter and that you have the pictures. I am sure that she knows how much you loved her.

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  4. Ohhhh, so sorry. good thing I can type this because I certainly can't speak. Poor you; but for Boo, no more pain. hugs

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  5. ((((((Hugs))))))) So, so sorry. I know how much it hurts.

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  6. I can barely read this. We lost a cat to FIP last fall, and our vet managed to get us 4 good, last days. I took time off work and pretty much did what you did, Bill - just loved the little critter. And took pictures.

    Janet

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  7. I am so sorry for your loss, and so appreciate you sharing Boo's last day! We adopted 2 lovely rescue cats in 2000, and this August we had to make The Trip with dear Mindy, our tortoiseshell cat; sadly, we will be going soon with Dutch, our all-white gentleman cat. I will remember, I am sure, the idea of not using the cage for the occasion!

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  8. My heart was aching as I read this. I know how hard it is to lose a beloved cat. Gentle hugs.

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  9. Weeping again--such a sweet kitty

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  10. Bill, I know I know I know. And grieve with you. I didn't think I could do it, but I stayed with Jackson through the end, holding him, talking to him, trying not to weep. Even now I wish I'd waited a little longer---and in retrospect, I think I could have---but I knew I was doing the right thing, operating on sound advice and instinct. That knowledge didn't do a bit of good so far as loss was concerned. So I know you are at a loss right now, and I have you in my thoughts. Read a good book.

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  11. So sorry for your loss Bill. But so wonderful that you have such great memories and pictures. When we lost our Buddy(dog) I went through all our photos and made an album of all our memories. The grandkids never met Buddy, but we look at the album and talk about him all the time together.

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  12. I was sorry to hear about your kitty, Boo. She looks just like our cat Dusty who was abandoned at a rental house. I'm glad she got to lay on your fancy crazy quilt. The cat on the quilt looks like a cat quilt I made with 100 (or so) applique quilt blocks. I'll send you a picture some time but right now I just had to write and say "sorry".

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  13. what a beautiful and sad post. Thanks for sharing your last and special day with your sweet boo.
    Be kind to yourself.
    xx

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  14. Argh! This is so tough. I really feel for you!

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  15. At work and crying. I know the loss of a kitty who is part of the family. My heart and prayers are with you and Little Boo. She will be with you always.

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  16. I'm so sorry. What a loving Momma you were to Boo. It brought tears to my eyes reading this. It reminded me of our last day with Rufus, our boxer. All we pet lovers feel your pain. Take care.

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