Farewell

 

 What a few days!  We thought that Buttercup had rallied after her treatment at the Vet, but as soon as the shot and hydration they gave her wore off, she started to go downhill very  quickly.  I looked at a picture of her on Saturday and she looked like her normal cat self.  But by Monday, she was barely able to drag herself around the house.

It seemed like this change was a mystery to her and she tried to do her normal things.  It took great effort, but, she got herself to her usual spots.  She sat in the window, and cuddled next to my husband in her usual spot in his chair.  But it was like her body was too big for her spirit to move.  She has never been able to meow, but she managed some purrs.

She was lighter than air and while she hung near her water bowl and I tried every variation of presenting her water, she couldn't drink.  

All I know about her history is that she was rescued from a cat hoarder who had fifty cats. Her long hair was white and butterscotch color.  By the time she moved in with us, she was about six.  She has always been most attached to my son and husband so the downfall of her health was hardest on them.

By now in my life, I have said goodbye to something around 14 pets, along with close family and friends.  It's not that it gets easier, but I have learned how to deal. It has always been my M.O. to take care of others, so all my efforts went to help them handle the situation. I had to be the one to tell my son that it was time to let Buttercup go and make peace with the decision.

In the end, we let her go in the most humane way so that she didn't have to suffer. Vets now have a whole protocol that  considers the animal and the owner. 

 It only got harder when my son had to tell Jakey.  Buttercup has been around his whole life.   He immediately got concerned about Kitten, who despite her name is around 10 and has also been around Jakey for his whole life too. The truth is that Kitten is a sturdier cat than Buttercup ever was.  She was always all hair and a fragile body.  The photo is from better days.

But it's all part of life.