In shock after suddenly losing one of our kitties

[Rachael070707]

I know I’m not a regular over on this board but I figured of any place, this would be the best place for me to just get it out. I am completely devastated by the sudden loss of one of our kitties, Remy. Last Wednesday night we realized that he hadn’t been around us at all that evening, which is highly unusual. We were in vacation recovery mode with errands and groceries and so we weren’t home the entire night. He’s a very friendly and social cat, always greeting everyone, never skittish, always begs at the table at dinner like the dog, etc. After fearing that he got out at some point, we searched for him for about 30 minute until we finally found him curled inside a towel in one of the bathrooms. He always comes when called so it was very odd. When my DH picked him up we saw that he has this goo/drool all over the front of him and it smelled really bad. He wasn’t lethargic, just sort of in a daze but still enjoyed being pet at that point so we weren’t in full panic yet. I have grown up with cats so I thought it reminded me of when one of our cats had an infected/bad tooth. As he was only 4.5, he was so young that I never would have suspected anything serious. We don’t have a 24 hour vet around us so I called our vet and left a message for them to get first thing in the morning. Just in case he had something contagious, we isolated him in the guest bedroom and I slept with him that night.

First thing the next morning I followed up my message to the vet and I asked if I could drop him off right away and they squeeze him in at some point in the day (supposedly there was only 1 doctor on that day). Unlike the night before, in the morning he drank some water and he was vocal and moving around somewhat. I dropped him off and went to work. I got a voicemail at 3 pm from the vet (of course I missed the call due to a meeting) and she gave us the news that he was in extreme renal failure, that his kidneys were 2x the size of normal kidneys and that he had gone downhill significantly since the morning and she didn’t hold out hope for him. DH and I left work immediately and met at the vet to discuss in person. By 5 pm we had already put him to sleep. He was so far gone when we were at the vet it was shocking. He couldn’t tell it was us with him. She said that it was most likely very painful for him and so in no way did I want to prolong his suffering so we made that painful decision.

I just can’t believe he’s gone. I have so much guilt over the fact that DH and I took our first week long vacation (since we’ve had our pets) the week before and while he had a great time at my in-laws, I regret ever leaving him – even if we had no clue. There were no warning signs other than him slimming down some over the last year or so. We never were alarmed because it was gradual and we had changed the cats’ food to a much better brand instead of one with fillers. He was always active, never sick, nothing. No indication. No other check-ups indicated anything was wrong. I know it sounds silly to some but with DH and unable to have kids (we’ve been battling IF for 5 yrs now), our furbabies have completely taken that role on in our lives. He was a perfect cat. People that hate cats loved him.

Thanks for letting me get this out, even if this is one of my only Pets posts and it had to be such a downer post. I just miss him so much.

[mrs.jacinthe]

I'm so sorry. RIP Remy. :-(

[redheadbaker]

I'm so sorry for your loss

[mrsjrd23]

I'm so sorry for the loss of Remy. Hugs to you.

[Rachael070707]

Thanks ladies. I don't even really know what my point was to writing this thread except that I feel like I keep saying the same things over and over to the same people and I don't want to annoy them

[niemand88f]

I'm so sorry for your loss. RIP Remy.

[Deleted]

Sept 17, 2012 20:39:42 GMT -5 @veggielove1022 said:

I'm so sorry. Please don't beat yourself up over going on vacation. There's no way you could have known this was happening. He knows how much you guys love him.

Exactly this.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

[MamaMaui24]

Lurker here.

I'm so sorry for your loss. It sounds like Remy had a wonderful life and was very loved. The last night home with him sounds very sweet. He knew he was loved til the very end.

[secondhandscottie]

I'm so sorry for your loss, but as others have said, you can't blame yourself. Cherish the time you had with him and remember the good times.

[incognitotoday]

I am so sorry for your loss. It's never easy to lose someone you love so much.

[osulori]

I'm so sorry :*(

[martini]

I'm so sorry for your loss I recently lost a kitten as well, very unexpected and quick like yours. (ironically, we were on vacation the week before as well) It was really rough and I completely understand your sadness. Please just know that you gave your cat the best life you could and he passed knowing he was cared for and loved. Our vet told us this and it is a helpful reminder.

[Rachael070707]

I just wanted to thank everyone again for their kind words. It's been a week now and it has sort of settled in. Bedtime is the worst because that was his cuddle time with me. But I am doing better. Slowly but surely, right?

Martini, I'm very sorry for your loss as well. It is so hard. (((hugs)))

[Deleted]

I'm so sorry, Rachael. I remember when we lost our furbaby...it's very painful. Have you read "The Rainbow Bridge"? It was a large comfort to me when Furby was put to sleep.