I Just Lost My Best Friend

[mark40511]

I just lost my cat Leo after ten years and this came out of NO WHERE! I'm devastated! He was a beautiful big (not fat) and healthy cat that stayed indoors from the day we got him. Always energetic, and very lovable..terrified of storms..less than 48 hours ago he threw up, it just started from going to his normal self, to a simple throw up, followed by acting very strange, almost scared and lifeless to the point that I took him to the ER vet where he stayed over night and returned home the next day with x rays and blood work totally normal. All day today he laid on a blanket and would move about 2 to 3 feet at a time before he couldn't anymore. He did this all day. I called his normal vet asking him what he thought and he said cats will act that way if they are nauseated or upset by something and just to give him time to hopefully start eating again.He wouldn't bathe himself either.

Later, I called the ER VET back and explained to them that I thought he was dying because his paws were cool to the touch and his eyes barely reacted to me and when he tried to get up to walk he could not even walk. She said to bring him back (this is a midnight) and I did. While there, she said his gluclose was in the 50s and based upon her examination she said a 20 percent chance of him living and before I could get home, she called and said he passed. She thinks it was some sort of viral infection inside him and he also had emphysema in his back legs (whatever that means). I asked her if she thinks he suffered all day today and she says he probably wasn't aware. I'm not so sure about that! I just can't believe he's gone I can't stop crying. He was such a happy cat! I'm walking around the house so emotional right now looking at everything knowing he's gone, knowing I won't see him jump on the bed or try to get my attention to feed him, or seeing him rolling around the floor like a silly cat. I can't calm down so I'm trying to keep my mind occupied. We had ten great years together. RIP LEO

 

[pinkge]

best friend...

I'm so sorry to read your thread about you cat Leo.It isn't easy and as they say,I've
been there.Just be glad he isn't suffering.Remember all the joy he has brought you.And each day it gets a little better.Take care,Michael

 

[sebo_fan]

Im so sorry to read your news. It is hard losing a pet. I lost a number of cats over the years and not due to natural causes but because of where I live and on a busy road. emphysema is a lung condition I think, but also has links to lung worms.

 

[pr-21]

I am so sad to hear about your loss, I had a similar experience in February. Losing a pet is bad enough, but when you lose them early, it is even more devastating. I expected to have mine for 16 or so years, instead of 8. Still makes me angry...and I still get teary eyed quite a bit.

I hope you took lots of pictures, trust me they help. When you get settled, try screen savors of your favorite pics. I get comfort from mine, I am so glad I took lots of them.

Sincerely,

Bud

 

[vac-o-matic]

Sorry to hear about Leo, and hope the days ahead get better for you. I'm a pet owner as well, lab-mix, Lexie. She's about 13yrs. old now, just recovered from what the vet thought was a minor stroke, has a heart murmur, and starting cataracts. I dread the day when she leaves me, our pets become family the day they move in, and it's a heartbreaking loss when they go. You just have to look back on how blessed you both were to have each other and remember the good times you had with him. Take care.

 

[kirbysthebest]

I am so sorry about your loss of Leo.

Nothing can be said that will comfort you at this time as the pain is so new. Until then my sympathies are with you.

 

[countryguy]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. It is always very difficult to lose a pet that has been ill but when it comes out of the blue and so suddent like with your Leo, it is even more difficult. Cherish your memories and pictures.

Gary

 

[suckolux]

Wow, so sorry! Terrible to hear and see how quickly the little guys can be gone.

 

[ralph123]

I am so sorry about the loss of your good friend Leo. I have a 17 year old dog, and I know her days are numbered.

Given the age of your beloved cat and his general good health, I have to wonder if there was something wrong with the cat's food. A few years back there was a major food recall from Diamond Brand dog food, which also made food under the Costco private label. I was lucky that my dog was not affected adversely (have since switched to Science Diet which has done wonders for her skin). If there is no other explanation, I would consider contacting the cat food company to let them know your pet had an adverse event. While it may have nothing to do with the cat food, it might help them to identify the problem if there is one.



http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pet-food-recalls-and-warnings

 

[jmurray01]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.  Losing a cat is like losing a human friend or family member - if not perhaps worse, because they cannot speak and therefore you can never really say "goodbye". 


 


I know it will bring little comfort just now and it is a cliche, but he is free from pain and will always be alive in your heart. 


 


People (and pets) we love never fully leave us, they are always "there".


 


Take care.

 

[human]

I feel your pain. I still miss Havoc, who was my feline companion from 1996-2011. She was diabetic and it eventually got the better of her. Having to make the decision to put her down was absolutely the most agonizing thing I've ever been through. It just tore a hole in my soul. There's nothing worse than when the one thing you want more than anything else--to wrap your arms around that furry little critter and hear it purr--is the one thing you can't have.

But I can tell you the best medicine for this pain is to go ahead and get another cat. I found my calico Lily three weeks after I lost Havoc and it was just the balm I needed to soothe that gaping wound. It's hard to believe I've had her for four years now. Sometimes it seems like I've had her forever and sometimes it still feels like she's the 'new kitty'. I know the time will eventually come when I will have to say goodbye to her as well and it won't be easy. But until then, I will enjoy her company and let her brighten my days.

Grieve for now. Feel your pain and accept it for what it is, and when you're ready you will find another cat who is ready to give you its love the same way Leo did and thus become an integral part of your healing process.

 

[mark40511]

Thanks everyone

Today I still can't stop crying. When I walk through the house and do routine things and he's not there doing what he normally does, I lose it. I talked to my friend Liz explaining to her what happened and how quickly he went from being perfectly fine to dying and the way he was acting. She immediately asked me if they scanned his head when they did the x ray. I didn't know if they did or not. She said her mom's cat did the same thing, just laid there and couldn't walk far or barely walk and then within a day the cat was dead, very similar to Leo. I guess it's possible.

I still have my other cat Shadow. She and Leo were never big buddies like some cats are, although she's acting weird since this has all happened, almost like she is spooked.

All the kind words really do help and it's keeping me from going crazy.

 

[electrolux137]

~
~

My thoughts are wish you, having been through this myself many times. I agree that the best thing to do is to get another cat right away. There are so many cats and dogs who need homes and end up getting put down because no one wants them. While a new "furry loved one" will never take the place of Leo, you will grow to love it as well.

 

[luxman107]

I am so sorry for your loss. Just have comfort in knowing what a wonderful life you gave to each other..

 

[mark40511]

I'm going to post a few more pics of him

.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I just got home and read this.

My deepest condolences.  My Arthur is 16... I know he has more yrs behind him than ahead.


  I always try to remember that we are entrusted with their care for THEIR lives.... sometimes shorter than we'd like.


  How lucky were YOU to have him.  And,  how lucky was LEO, for having YOU.


 Time heals, etc... still it hurts.  You're in my thoughts and prayers tonight.


 John.

 

[electrolux137]

THE RAINBOW BRIDGE

~
~

THE RAINBOW BRIDGE

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies, it goes to Rainbow Bridge. Across the Bridge are meadows and hills for all 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 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. Its bright eyes are intent. Its eager body quivers. Suddenly it runs from the group, flying over the green grass, its legs galloping faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet again, 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 long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together.

--Anonymous

 

[mark40511]

Rainbow Bridge

That was so awesome for me to read, but it made me bust out crying. I wish this feeling would go away. I have not EVER cried this much in my life. He was just so in my face for ten years. My other cat Shadow is so clingy to me now and not eating much. She misses his presence and knows something is up. I never really knew how they felt about each other. They never slept together, but they were always in the same room with me and sometimes would sleep a foot or two apart from each other on occasion, but mostly quite a distance from each other. He would sometimes bully her and she did not like it, yet they bumped noses and smelled each other and drank water together. In fact, it was so funny because when I got Shadow a year before getting him, the lady at the humane society pointed out that she drank water with her paw. He watched her doing that and he copied her and always did that too - I always thought that was too funny. Still - I got the sense they didn't like each other very well (but I could be wrong). I remember the day I got him he was so tiny and he went to squat as if here were going to pee and I picked him up and ran him to the litter box and put him in there moving his paws through the litter showing him that's where to go, and he used it ever since. He never got up on the kitchen counters, never even bothered. Almost like he knew he wasn't supposed to. Shadow got on the counters at first but I trained her not to do that with an alarm device that went off when she got up there so she stopped after a couple of attempts.... I don't know - right now it's just therapeutic talking about him...

Back in 2005 when my mom died, I cried a lot but not this much. She and I were not very close until the past few years before she died. She did a lot of drugs and was an alcoholic but she became clean the past few years of her life. She remarried and moved away. We spoke on the phone often during her last few years, but she was distant from me, not here with me each and every day.

 

[human]

It sounds as if Leo saw you through some very tough times. I can relate to that. Havoc was a constant in my life through some very tough times, including a miserable (but in retrospect blessedly brief) marriage and the ensuing divorce. Losing her also meant losing a piece of what had kept me going for 15 years.

And yes, Shadow is grieving also. But you're lucky to have each other. You can help each other heal. It'll never be exactly like it was before, but you WILL heal. Your tears are part of that healing. Embrace them as such, let them flow and let them help cleanse the pain. And when you and Shadow are ready--you'll know when the time is right--you can become a two-cat household again.

 

[mark40511]

They did not do an autopsy

however, based upon talking with a friend and she told me how her mom's cat died basically the same way Leo did, and her cat it was a brain tumor, I think that may have been what it was. It hit him out of no where and my friend doesn't think it was anything he had eaten. She said her moms cat had eaten a blood pressure pill, and her dog ate rat poisoning to the point he was sneezing blood and they recovered after vet visit. This was something different. She said her moms cat died exactly and as quickly as Leo did. It was something neurological - especially at the very end before I rushed him back to the vet because he couldn't walk. I saw him get up and put his paw out and collapsed trying to walk. An autopsy would have been 1000 dollars. I really wish I could afford that because I want to know so bad....Additionally, had he been poisoned or something it would have shown in his blood work because kidneys would be not functioning properly. His blood work was fine.

This all being said, quite a few years ago, I researched the best cat food and settled upon natural balance light. It was GREAT food and they loved it, so I continued to feed it to them..I looked it up recently and found that in 2013 Del Monte bought Natural Balance and they promised NOT to change the formula, but that doesn't mean they couldn't get the same ingredients cheaper elsewhere. I spent a lot of time today looking for the best cat food and found Orijen.

I'm going to STOP natural balance immediately (even though I don't think that's what killed Leo) I hope not! The guy at the pet store was awesome as he told me about the company, how they are from Canada and they are opening a factory in bowling green KY, and have already hired some local farmers. Every ingredient comes from the USA. There is no grain, wheat, or byproducts and it's the best cat food he believes. I haven't bought any yet. He said I could buy a bag and if my cat didn't like it, they take it back. I then read reviews on Amazon and they are all pretty much glowing reviews. I really wish I had known Del Monte bought Natural Balance in 2013. After discovering that, I recalled opening the bag around that time and thinking this smells a little different than usual. The cats LOVED it.

It really is very difficult to find good cat food because most of it is crap, even the ones you think are good like Science Diet are not really great.

I really hope whatever was wrong with Leo wasn't something I could have unknowingly prevented. The vet found it interesting that he had emphysema (air pockets on the back of his LEGS (not lungs) she said that's something hereditary. I never noticed it so it must have been something very small.

I'm a little better today than the past two days. I still look at his pics and bust out.. Shadow is finally eating today and drinking water and acting a little more normal.

I worry about getting another cat because of the fact that they may not get a long and how you have to introduce them slowly. Perhaps when Shadow passes I will get two kittens from the same litter who will be best buds. I dunno. I always wanted Shadow and Leo to be that way with each other but they were NOT.

 

[gusherb]

Sorry to hear about Leo. When I was growing up we had two cats that were sisters. A few weekends before Christmas 2004 I was helping decorate the christmas tree and on my way to the basement had found one of the cats (Tigger) with her back legs paralyzed and walking around on just her fronts. I picked her up and fashioned a comfy bed out of a pillow and box and put her in the living room with us... It's been so long that I forget all the details but in 4 short hours her body had completely shut down and she was gone. My brother, who was particularly close with her, walked in the door about 5 minutes after her passing and was completely devastated. We suspect she'd had a stroke. It was very sudden and out of nowhere, she was perfectly healthy the day before. Tigger was 13.
Her sister KitKat handled Tiggers death terribly, at first she had thought we killed her sister (the way she looked at us for weeks said it all), and she wasn't the same for months. She had been an obese cat all her life and then all the sudden stopped eating like crazy and lost all her extra weight. After about 4 months of grieving, KitKat became much more social with us as well. She ended up living to be 18.

 

[mark40511]

aww

Sad story. Shadow is almost back to normal. I honestly don't think she is too broken up about this; she just didn't understand where he suddenly went. The fact that she is obsessed with me and always has been and has had me to run to and cuddle with must have assured her that all is well. Since this has happened, I'm almost glad they weren't the best of buddies because if they were (like Tigger and KitKat), that would have made it even HARDER for me to watch her look for him.

I still don't know about getting another cat, especially since Shadow is 11 years old or so..I know the introducing of adult cats has to be done with patience and very gradual...

I still have my moments, but not nearly as bad as over the weekend. I find looking at his pictures difficult for now.

I'll never know what caused his death and that drives me a little crazy honestly..

 

[ralph123]

fyi

"The most common causes of sudden death in cats are heart disease and associated conditions."
http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/cat...t-disease-most-common-cause-sudden-death-cats

"Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is ... the most frequent cause of spontaneous death in indoor adult cats."
http://pets.webmd.com/cats/hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy-cats

"The most common causes for sudden death in cats are cardiomyopathy and heartworm disease."
https://www.vetinfo.com/csuddeath.html

 

[charleskirby66]

Condolences

Mark, so sorry to hear about your loss. Glad you are doing better, and I really want to echo the sentiments of The Rainbow Bridge poem. Sorry I just read this, but glad you're starting to turn the corner.

 

[mark40511]

Thanks

And @ Ralph thanks for those links. I read them and they all sound as if the cat would die instantly. Leo didn't. I guess it's possible he could have had one of those problems but based on reading them it didn't sound like it from the way he died.