It?s hard to say good bye

[Merc]

Anyone who has gone through the traumatic ordeal of putting a pet down knows the feeling. I had to euthanize my 8 year old female cat yesterday. The last time I had to do that to a pet was back in 1997, so I had forgotten the intense sorrow. She was a tiny cat - only 7 pounds - but she was a major presence in our house. I became her buddy early on, and she always came to me for attention.

Unfortunately, she developed a cancerous tumor in one of her breasts that was discovered in May, 2020 that was smaller than an average pea. It was surgically removed. The prognosis for a complete recovery was poor since the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. I did not find it soon enough. She had almost two years of relatively good health but two large and very aggressive cancerous tumors were found yesterday. One had compressed her colon and the other compressed her esophagus. She could neither eat or move her bowels. The symptoms occurred within a week. Her last three month checkup was in late January and no tumors were found. The next exam was scheduled for late April.

We made a fatal error when she adopted us as a 4-5 month old stray on Memorial Day, 2014. We should have had her spayed immediately prior to her first reproductive (heat) cycle. This lowers the odds of females developing breast cancer to almost zero. We had her spayed after the first reproductive cycle because we were totally unaware that one of the main causes of breast cancer in female cats is the rush of hormones from her first heat.

Female cats should be regularly examined by their owners for breast tumors. There is a very short period of time, maybe as short as a few weeks, to find and remove the tumor before the cancer spreads into the lymph nodes. The tumor has probably existed for several weeks in her breast by the time it grows large enough to be felt.

It was a great 8 years. I only wish we had 8 more.

Sorry guys, this belongs in Gun Talk.

[Allen]

Those of us who love our pets know what you're going through. A cat or dog can become as much a member of the family as a human and in some ways are better.

As you know, time will help, though that seems unbelievable right now. I could have gone all day without reading this as I'm going through it myself with the loss of our miniature white Schnauzer. It's been 2 months and I still visualize him everywhere I look since we did so much together. He also fit the bill as "best friend". I had a white shadow when he walked the earth.

No dog or cat lives long enough. We see the whole cycle of life flash before us within a few short years.

As we get older our pets mean more to us. Flea medications (preventions) are better now so we can keep them in the house, sleep on our beds, etc... As we retire we can also spend more time with them and get closer to them which makes the ordeal of saying "bye" a lot harder.

On a side note: cats get heartworms just like dogs. It's a myth that cats can't receive the mosquito bite because of their fur but they do on their ears and nose. We've lost a cat or two from this not knowing.

Sorry for your loss.

[Merc]

Those of us who love our pets know what you're going through. A cat or dog can become as much a member of the family as a human and in some ways are better.

As you know, time will help, though that seems unbelievable right now. I could have gone all day without reading this as I'm going through it myself with the loss of our miniature white Schnauzer. It's been 2 months and I still visualize him everywhere I look since we did so much together. He also fit the bill as "best friend". I had a white shadow when he walked the earth.

No dog or cat lives long enough. We see the whole cycle of life flash before us within a few short years.

As we get older our pets mean more to us. Flea medications (preventions) are better now so we can keep them in the house, sleep on our beds, etc... As we retire we can also spend more time with them and get closer to them which makes the idea of saying "bye" a lot harder.

On a side note: cats get heartworms just like dogs. It's a myth that cats can't receive the mosquito bite because of their fur but they do on their ears and nose. We've lost a cat or two from this not knowing.

Sorry for your loss.

Thanks for your kind words. They mean a lot. She was part of our family.

[lyman]

sorry for your loss Merc

[bruce]

Most of us have been there with our dogs or cats or both. There is no easy way to say goodbye. She loved and trusted you to take care of her. You did everything she could ask for. Sincerely. bruce.

[Dick Hosmer]

What everyone said. Sorry for your loss. Been through it too many times - next likely loss here will be Chance, our 17-year old male tabby, who is the mellowest cat we've ever seen. He truly is like a little furry person, and is VERY communicative and intuitive.

[PWC]

I had to put one to sleep in Nov for congestive heart failure, and one in Feb for kidney failure. I have one more, she's 13 and has arthritis, cushings dease and diabetes. She follows me everywhere, I know she's lonely. My lap and recliner belong to her. When she goes, there will be no more. We're too old to take on a puppy to train, and older dogs have already taken on someone elses personality. I have heald all my dogs as they passed. They were such a big part of our lives, and we of thiers. When I think of them, it feels like someone punched me in the nose.

[Merc]

I had to put one to sleep in Nov for congestive heart failure, and one in Feb for kidney failure. I have one more, she's 13 and has arthritis, cushings dease and diabetes. She follows me everywhere, I know she's lonely. My lap and recliner belong to her. When she goes, there will be no more. We're too old to take on a puppy to train, and older dogs have already taken on someone elses personality. I have heald all my dogs as they passed. They were such a big part of our lives, and we of thiers. When I think of them, it feels like someone punched me in the nose.

I know the feeling. My depression is still very intense. I do not expect it will relent anytime soon.

[jaie5070]

You brought tears to my eyes. We often take our pets for granted. I had to put our oldest cat down a month ago and another 10 months before. For some reason they always adopt me as their main care human. I was lucky. My two were 16 and 17. Still have three and one dog. I can't imagine a life without one in it.

[Merc]

You brought tears to my eyes. We often take our pets for granted. I had to put our oldest cat down a month ago and another 10 months before. For some reason they always adopt me as their main care human. I was lucky. My two were 16 and 17. Still have three and one dog. I can't imagine a life without one in it.

Yes, you were very lucky.

I held Kat a lot when she first came to us as a severely malnourished juvenile. The vet said she was healthy and all she needed was some food and TLC which I provided in abundance. She soon knew who to reward with her love and trust. She spent many hours sleeping on my lap and loved being brushed. I had nearly two years to prepare for this eventuality so you would think that I would be handling it better.

We are planning to volunteer at our local Animal Friends (a no-kill animal shelter) in May when we return from a trip. Maybe by then, I will have a clear mind and can decide whether I want to do this again.

[Rick the Librarian]

We lost three pets, two cats and a dog, within 18 months. Our "chiweenie" was the hardest - he was almost 14 - we left on a Hawaii trip, thinking he was all right. Got a call from our petsitter who told us he needed to be put to sleep. Fortunately, the petsitter had been around him most of his life and loved him as much as we. Still, it wasn't easy. Definitely, the downside of owning a pet!

[Merc]

Looking back, I still think the 8 years of joy Kat brought us was worth it. I would not hesitate to do it all over again and we are actively looking for another female kitten to fill that empty spot in our lives. Only this time, the hard lessons have been learned.

[Merc]

I had to put one to sleep in Nov for congestive heart failure, and one in Feb for kidney failure. I have one more, she's 13 and has arthritis, cushings dease and diabetes. She follows me everywhere, I know she's lonely. My lap and recliner belong to her. When she goes, there will be no more. We're too old to take on a puppy to train, and older dogs have already taken on someone elses personality. I have heald all my dogs as they passed. They were such a big part of our lives, and we of thiers. When I think of them, it feels like someone punched me in the nose.

My late sister lived in Cave Creek, AZ until her passing at age 80 in 2017. She refused to live her life without a dog by her side. She actually left behind two animals. A female horse (Peppy) and a female Golden Retriever (Honey).

I still own Peppy and she is boarded in CC and turned 30 years old on 4/12. She has treatable medical conditions and could live for several more years. My wife and I fly out to AZ once a year to see the horse and visit friends.

Honey came from a Golden Retriever Rescue when she was 5 years old. She turned out to be a real gem. My sisters final wish was to return Honey to the rescue, but I met a retired couple from Scottsdale that wanted her. So, after visiting the family, I decided that they could have her on the condition that I would get to visit her once a year.

I have known many Golden Retrievers and found them to be great companions. They typically have a very 4D56BE1C-7566-4AE5-A1BC-144AA08A3689.jpgmild personality, are very friendly, intelligent and trainable and love to be close to their humans. Before you totally give up the idea of having a dog companion, I highly recommend that you check out the Golden Retriever Rescues in the greater Phoenix area. You might find wonderful dog and a new best friend.

[Allen]

Some breeds ARE better than others but human personality differences determine what breeds are best for them as well. I've been raised with many dogs and cats that my mother had. Living along side a major hwy we always had a dog or cat in need of a home that wondered to us or had been dumped. Often my mother had 2 or 3 dogs and/or cats at a time.

The dogs were beagle's, lab's, spaniels, collie's and mostly terrier mix breeds. Along with the cats, they all developed their own unique personality's probably influenced by us and their surroundings with us.

As a young person living at home with my parents (and the pets) there was always chores, school, homework and later in life, work and raising a family. The time and attention these animals deserved simply wasn't there in abundance. I wish I could have known them all better. Someday, maybe?

When I retired 10 years ago I told myself I was going to give my daughters miniature white Schnauzer all the attention he desired. He was dropped off at our house every morning while she went to work and picked up when returning. We had a standard Schnauzer of our own and these 2 became quite pals.

In an effort to make my long story a little shorter, he became my life, I spent all my time with him. He is gone now (3 months now) and so is a huge part of me.

As stated before, everywhere I look I visualize him since we did so much together. His loss is overwhelming to me but he (and all the others) will always be with me.

My last pictures of him.

[Merc]

Some breeds ARE better than others but human personality differences determine what breeds are best for them as well. I've been raised with many dogs and cats that my mother had. Living along side a major hwy we always had a dog or cat in need of a home that wondered to us or had been dumped. Often my mother had 2 or 3 dogs and/or cats at a time.

The dogs were beagle's, lab's, spaniels, collie's and mostly terrier mix breeds. Along with the cats, they all developed their own unique personality's probably influenced by us and their surroundings with us.

As a young person living at home with my parents (and the pets) there was always chores, school, homework and later in life, work and raising a family. The time and attention these animals deserved simply wasn't there in abundance. I wish I could have known them all better. Someday, maybe?

When I retired 10 years ago I told myself I was going to give my daughters miniature white Schnauzer all the attention he desired. He was dropped off at our house every morning while she went to work and picked up when returning. We had a standard Schnauzer of our own and these 2 became quite pals.

In an effort to make my long story a little shorter, he became my life, I spent all my time with him. He is gone now (3 months now) and so is a huge part of me.

As stated before, everywhere I look I visualize him since we did so much together. His loss is overwhelming to me but he (and all the others) will always be with me.

My last pictures of him.

Allen,

We will be returning from our week in AZ on May 13th and, being cat people, we will begin the process to adopt a cat, preferably a healthy young female who has been spayed before her first heat, is FIV negative and has had all her shots. I hope she will outlive both of us but I am willing to accept what ever comes our way.

I think you have waited long enough and should adopt another miniature Schnauzer. We both know the feeling. Your dog and my cat were always there to give or demand attention. They occupied a lot of our days and nights. Now the house is empty and too quiet. We both loved our pets. It is time to let him go and give some other dog a great home.