Contemplating the Possibility of a Dead Cat.
Our 18 year old cat is gone. She got out 4 days ago and when we tried to get her in she ran. We haven't seen her since.
She was 18 and a mess. Missing teeth, failing sight, and we had to shave her because she wasn't cleaning herself and would get all matted. Other than that she seemed fairly content and even had some very spry moments.
We are all very upset and worried and wondering if she is dead or if someone took her in. We've checked with the SPCA and checked again and reported her missing. The girls especially are crying and very sad. It's a bedtime thing now - to cry and talk about Miss Kitty. I have taken to talking about my memories of her and what a good little mother she was to my baby girls. That calms the girls down and I can usually get them to giggle about some silly thing that the cat did. I tell them that I appreciate them giving Miss Kitty so much love and affection. We say a little prayer for Miss Kitty.
I have heard that sometimes animals go away to be alone to die. It breaks my heart to think of her all alone out there. I wish we could help her and make her comfortable. It's hard to put all the kitty things away.
The Cat Dream:
The oldest had a dream about her last night. (Miss Kitty usually slept with the oldest.) We were all sitting in our living room and Miss Kitty walked in with a kitten in her mouth. She walked up to each one of us. We were all astonished and happy to see her.
She was 18 and a mess. Missing teeth, failing sight, and we had to shave her because she wasn't cleaning herself and would get all matted. Other than that she seemed fairly content and even had some very spry moments.
We are all very upset and worried and wondering if she is dead or if someone took her in. We've checked with the SPCA and checked again and reported her missing. The girls especially are crying and very sad. It's a bedtime thing now - to cry and talk about Miss Kitty. I have taken to talking about my memories of her and what a good little mother she was to my baby girls. That calms the girls down and I can usually get them to giggle about some silly thing that the cat did. I tell them that I appreciate them giving Miss Kitty so much love and affection. We say a little prayer for Miss Kitty.
I have heard that sometimes animals go away to be alone to die. It breaks my heart to think of her all alone out there. I wish we could help her and make her comfortable. It's hard to put all the kitty things away.
The Cat Dream:
The oldest had a dream about her last night. (Miss Kitty usually slept with the oldest.) We were all sitting in our living room and Miss Kitty walked in with a kitten in her mouth. She walked up to each one of us. We were all astonished and happy to see her.
posted by Grizzly Mama | 00:02
21 Comments:
I'm sorry about your kitty. I know how hard it is to lose a good pet-friend. I want to support you in the way you are handling the situation with your girls. I think youa re doing the right thing by talking about her and especially by focusing on the good/fun times.
{{{{Grizzly family}}}}
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about your missing kitty! (The idea of shaving a cat is enough to make me giggle - I can't imagine the stuff you are telling your girlies to get chuckle out of them...) Maybe she will come home. Keep us posted.
That it so, so sad; we have a lot of kitties, and each is a beloved family member. I have to agree that not knowing where the kitty is or how she is doing is the worst part. I sure hope she comes home.
Do you suppose the dream was the request from some homeless kitty in some shelter somewhere begging to have a "forever home" with your family? It would be a very lucky cat.
I'd be willing to bet that she went off to die. Animals know when it's time.
Our last dog tried to do this several times during her last days.
I'm with Cubed. I think this was a message from Miss Kitty to make room in your hearts for a new kitten.
oh, how heartbreaking.
but it is the kindest thing she did for you, her last gift.
and i, too, believe she's telling you to get another needy soul to love.
big hugs to you and the girls...
Very sorry to hear about your news. I hope that if your Kitty did go to be alone at the end that the end was quick and painless.
It's hard for any of us to lose a pet that's been such a part of our family, but especially so for young people.
The dream was very touching and hopefully is a coping mechanism for your girl's loss.
Aww - thanks y'all. The talks have helped and the crying jags are getting fewer and farther between.
Shaving her was a neighborhood affair. Quite a few neighbors were in on it. Miss Kitty felt better after - you could tell that she was much more comfortable.
I am taken by surprise at how much I miss her hollering at me. It's very quiet here with only the parrot yelling at me. ;-)
I'm not sure what the dream means. The oldest said that the cat was very happy in the dream and it could possibly be either a sign that we ought to get a kitten or it's just one of those circle of life type deals and a sign that she has definitely moved on to a better place. The Italian side of the family gets visits from spirits all the time.
I agree that she decided to do this thing. She knew what she was doing I just wish I had given her that extra hug.
I have been worried for awhile about how to handle this with the girls. It was always with the assumption that we would have a kitty to bury and not this unknown thing. It's their first brush with loss due to death and an opportunity to share ways of coping I guess.
I appreciate your kind comments. It's really very sweet. Thank you. I am glad that you understand.
I'm so sorry to hear about your pet. Pets are truly part of the family, they make us laugh and they make us cry. Pets can teach us how to love unconditionally. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Thank you Rocky. Miss Kitty was my first baby and I learned a lot from her.
If she went away to die, she is not alone. She has your love with her. That was all she needed while she was with you. That is all she needs now.
Thank you CA. That is what we prayed when we prayed for her: that she would feel our love and have peace and comfort.
I miss Miss Kitty. I keep expecting her to show up at the door........
Hi, City Troll and Griz,
I stopped by to hear if there's any news about Miss Kitty.
I sure do understand how CT keeps the hope that she might yet return to finish her time at home, and it could happen. We live in the mountains in the Pacific Northwest, in a very rural area that looks a lot like the Forest Moon of Endor. One of our dear kitties was 19, blind, and we knew he was no more than days from death. He had been an indoor cat all his life, but he loved being outdoors. I took him on supervised outings, and while he was sunning on the porch steps, I ran inside to go to the potty. When I came out, he was gone. I was devastated, and looked all around, under fallen trees, big ferns, etc. for four days, without any success at all. On the evening of the fifth day, my husband, who could see the porch from his favorite chair, just moved his mouth and pointed - and there was Remington, very thin, walking up to the door. We spoiled him rotten (more so than usual), and he died peacefully at home about a week later. Years ago, another kitty was gone for four months and returned (it was after than that they all became permanent indoor cats). So it does happen, although I know it's not what any of us expect.
It isn't too late to do all the usual - posters around the neighborhood etc., and I hear from some real experts that Kentucky fried chicken is extremely attractive. To everything. But maybe to Miss Kitty, too. I always used hot human grade tuna (the smell carries best when it's hot).
I don't want to stir up false hopes, but it can happen, so maybe it's not quite time to give up entirely.
Best to all the family.
Thanks Cubed. We put up posters and have continued to check with the SPCA every 2 days. All the neighbors know she's missing. Several have combed the trolley tracks and alleyways while walking their dogs thinking to find her expired.
I haven't lost hope yet. There is a KFC quite close. Maybe I'll check around there - thanks so much.
About the hot tuna - should I heat it up and then take it outside and call her?? (She loved tuna and we would give it to her for a treat now and then.)
There were 2 cats fighting out back the other night and Troll and I ran out and started calling her. Another cat responded to our calls - he ran up a chain link fence, jumped over and came like hell come a'running right at me, took one look at me and ran back just as fast, climbed that chain link fence again and over he went into the bushes. I never saw a cat climb a chain link fence like that before.
I am so sorry about Miss Kitty, Monica & Troll. I also interpret the dream to mean she's trying to tell you something.
I lost a little dog I loved dearly not too long ago, and it devasted me. That dog was my companion for over 10 years and went everywhere with me. When he died I cried for days! They are part of the family, and I wish all pets lived longer than they do. Sometimes I think that there shorter life span is God's way of helping us cope with death, but it's always hard, and especially on the kids who have had Miss Kitty around all of their lives. You are doing a wonderful job with your children, Monica. You are indeed a great Mama bear!
Monica R,
This is so hard! It's the not knowing for sure which is the worst.
Our Sheba turned 18 on July 15. She's almost totally deaf, so we have to tap her to alert her to food and, sometimes, even to remind her to go to the litter pan. Her fur is quite matted, too, so we have to trim her from time to time.
About that dream....I think as Cubed does.
I'm sorry to hear about your doggy Gayle. Thanks for sharing and thanks for your encouragement and understanding. We loved that kitty even though she was quite evil at times! lol! She was always her own kitty and did just what she wanted to do. She was also very motherly and loving with the girls though.
AOW - I can't stand not knowing. I'm worried all the time and can't help wondering - did someone take her in? Did she get in a fight and die? Did she suffer in this awful heat? Has she gone to the great beyond? It's really terrible not knowing. Miss Kitty was having trouble seeing that there was water in her bowl, and the girls used to put fresh water in the bowl and then lift water to her mouth in their hands. lol! Oh, she wasn't spoiled, was she?
Hi, Monica,
I always mixed the can with another can's worth of water (it makes more "tuna stuff" to smell), heated it, and placed it in the driveway and called, then just left it there.
It would always attract all the neighborhood pets and some wildlife, but it often guided the lost kitty back home.
I didn't know about the KFC (boned, of course!) thing until I heard about it from people involved in a trap-neuter-return project here; apparently, it is the rare cat who can resist KFC! Not the greatest PR for KFC, but if it works, it works!
No matter what, I sure wish you and the kitty peace.
Thank you so much Cubed.
Oh Monica, I am so so sad for you. :( Don't give up. Maybe she just wanted a last thrill before she went on. (OK, maybe that wasn't so funny. Sorry.) Please let us know how you all are. I hope she comes back soon.
Thanks Kate. She was a hardheaded woman, our Miss Kitty. It would be just like her to bug out like that. I think she had had enough of being old and sick. I don't know. I feel guilty that maybe we didn't do our duty by putting her down. We talked about it but neither one of us thought it was the time.
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