Subject: I sympathise with your loss
Author:
Posted on: 2019-12-03 11:47:30 UTC
I would also feel the same if My brother’s cat, Stripe, was also gone.
Subject: I sympathise with your loss
Author:
Posted on: 2019-12-03 11:47:30 UTC
I would also feel the same if My brother’s cat, Stripe, was also gone.
One week ago today, I said goodbye to my dear companion, Merlin.
(This picture was taken three years ago. Edit: working image.)
Merlin was nineteen years old. He had been living with a sensitive digestion, kidney disease, and failing eyesight for several years, and in recent months his mobility had become compromised by nerve damage affecting his hind legs, to the point that he was having trouble walking and with comfortably using the litter box. We're not sure if the underlying cause was a ruptured disc, a tumor, or something else. Either way, his quality of life was diminished to the point that we couldn't let him keep on that way any longer.
When my family decided to get a cat, my mom chose the Tonkinese breed—a cross between Siamese and Burmese—because of their easygoing, people-oriented temperaments, and Merlin lived up to that standard and then some. He was a friendly cat who always liked to be in someone's lap, especially as he got older and became more sensitive to the cold. He also liked to be held up on a shoulder, and to cuddle under the blankets at bedtime. He liked his routine and would share his opinions in a strong voice if we were slow to refill his food dish, go to bed on time, or sit in our accustomed places. He would also, in Phobos' words, "sing us the song of his people" for reasons we could never decipher, especially when he took the trouble to move into another room to do it.
I chose Merlin out of his litter because he was an introvert, like me. While his sisters were very outgoing and came out to play with us as soon as they met us, Merlin watched from under an end table. Once he came out, though, he was very friendly, and just as playful. He was a "bush dweller" who never gave us any trouble trying to climb to places he didn't belong, but he was a great jumper and loved to catch toys in the air. His favorite toys, though, were these little sparkly arts & crafts balls that he could bat around with no effort. He looked pretty silly carrying one around in his mouth, but we never told him.
Merlin was as smart as they come. I wish I'd known how to train cats when we first got him, because I got him to sit, stay, and come when called at the age of sixteen. Just imagine what he could have done if we'd started teaching him when he was little!
In his last months, he had a stoic, determined attitude, and kept on doing as much as he could to behave normally, even when it was difficult for him. He actually became more tolerant of (or couldn't be bothered with fighting) just about everything, such as touching his feet and giving him pills—everything except for the sweater I got him to try to keep him warmer. He hated that with a violent passion. >.>
Occasionally, I could tell he was frustrated with his limitations, and he must have been in pain, but he never gave up. I'm sure he would have kept on going as long as he could, but it was my responsibility as his guardian not to ask him to. At the end, he seemed tired, and resigned, and I think he was ready to be done. It wasn't an easy decision to make, far less to carry out. He was my kitty, and he shared my life for most of nineteen years, barring when I was at school. I miss him.
He lived a long, good life. He was and still is loved. The world is a bit duller and emptier without him.
~Neshomeh
I don't really know what to say at the moment, so for now, I'm sorry for your loss.
You know what's blowing my mind? Nobody here knew me before I knew Merlin. We got him in 2000, when I was 15. I joined the PPC in 2003. I met Phobos in 2007.
There's not that much in my life that predates the PPC. It's pretty weird.
<-- Teen Nesh and Baby Merlin, December 2000
~Neshomeh
Sorry I didn't answer earlier. Just... dunno what to say.
I know what that's like, both my cats passed away years ago (incidentally, on was named Merlin. The other was named Arthur... I was like, four or five when we got them and named them both). Doesn't help that my beloved dog, Rooby, passed away just last month. So I can totally sympathize...
Poor kitty, and poor you!
Thank you for telling us about him, and may memories of him always bring you fondness.
I would also feel the same if My brother’s cat, Stripe, was also gone.
You gave him the best life he could have asked for. In the end, that's really all we can do for our beloved pets.
"Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together...."
—Rainbow Bridge, Author unknown
See Phobos' post above. ;_;
Thank you. *returns all hugs*
~Neshomeh