Goodbye Buttons........

[kis123]

Buttons was my first cat......I adopted him August 29, 1995, twelve days after my mom died. He was a healing to our entire family by giving us someone to love as we went through the grieving process. He was the only adult cat the shelter had that day and my daughter wanted nothing to do with kittens.

In our 16 year friendship, he was there through many ups and downs including:

The ending of my marriage
My children leaving home way sooner than they should
Getting two degrees
Buying my first home on my own

He was surrogate father to the many kittens that passed through my temporary kitty foster care system, and was a partner to Brownie, Bobby, and Baby (now named Timmy).

Buttons was 18 years old and died at 12:54 pm today. He will be sorely missed........

 

[kis123]

Here are a couple of photos......I think he was beautiful, at least to me!

I'm going out for a couple of hours before my headache turns into a full blown migraine.

 

[Bugman]

Kis, I'm so sorry. Its like losing a member of the family, I know. Cherish the 16 years you had togeather.

 

[Gothika]

very sorry to hear that

 

[Persephone]

Sorry to hear that. Losing a little furry friend/ family member is always the hardest .

 

[Cosmo_ac]

My condolances. My mother did the exact same thing, buying a dog when her father passed. It was pretty bad when we had to put him down, but it'll get better with time, you'll see hun. Best of wishes.

 

[kis123]

Thanks guys, this has been really hard.

I can still smell him.........

My son's coming over later to help me clean up his things and his area.

This really sucks

 

[kurchatovium]

Awwww I am very sorry kis. You have my deepest sympathies.

 

[alchemy]

Aww sweety. I'm really sorry. I know how you feel. I mean, if I ever lost Doom, I'd have to take some days off work.

 

[kis123]

Well my son's done with the cleaning now; you can smell the bleach down the block! I wanted to be sure if there was anything communicable that it wouldn't effect my other cat. He's in quarantine until tomorrow, then I'll re-introduce him back into the house. I just hope I got everything.....I couldn't bear if I ended up losing him too.

Thanks everyone for your condolences and responses; this is almost as bad as losing a person.....I swear it feels almost as bad.

 

[Jagermeistered]

I'm sorry for your loss Kis.

 

[Mitchell]

I'm very sorry about your cat's passing, kis. Losing a pet is losing a member of the family. I hope your memories with your cat are of comfort to you in this time of grief.

Mitch

 

[desdemona]

Pet loss leaves a huge void. My sympathies What kind of infection did he have?

 

[GEORGIATKLER]

I am sorry for your loss. Pets give such unconditional love and sometimes(or more often) you know they know exactly what you are thinking/feeling. They truly are "one of the family". I hope your good memories comfort you.

 

[texastickler]

Awwwwww. I am so sorry to hear that. Always sad to lose a member of the family.

 

[kis123]

Pet loss leaves a huge void. My sympathies What kind of infection did he have?

I honestly don't know. I'm thinking he had pneumonia or some sort of respiratory infection. But it seemed so sudden......

We didn't have time to get him to the vet; by the time things got hot and heavy, I knew I just had to stay with him until he crossed over. I should've taken him earlier this morning, when that eerie feeling came over me. But he was fine yesterday; no signs of anything.

But this morning he moved from his favorite spot flush with the refrigerator in the kitchen to the heater in my living room. My daughter found him in the middle of the livingroom floor. I stayed with him until he left; it was very hard to watch. I wish I would've found him sooner so he could've been put down with dignity; I absolutely hated watching him transition.

Well, you have to leave this world alone, but you don't have to be by yourself. He wasn't by himself so I'm glad I didn't leave the house to find him gone. He knew he was loved; I wasn't a pet parent, but a pet owner. But I fed him many a-day before I fed myself. I spent more money on cat food, toys, litter, and other goodies while I lived off ramen noodles just to make sure he was happy. I feel I did all expected of me....he was my gift and deserved to leave in my presence, not alone.

I"m sorry for the drama........right now I simply can't help it.

 

[kis123]

Georgiatickler-thank you-this means more than you know.

ticklenv-you know you're my "guy"! Thanks for sending your condolences.

texastickler-as usual, your compassion knows no bounds.

Mitchell-thank you so very much for taking time out considering your real-life issues and struggles.

Kurch-thanks for the condolences.......we may never agree on politics, but we're on point with our pets.

Alchemy-where the hell have you been?
I thought about Doomy today while going through all this drama and trauma. I have one cat left who is 3yrs old. We just haven't had the bond I wanted......maybe now he's ready.

I know I'm missing some folks.......please charge it to my head and not my heart. Thanks to everyone who took time to respond to me.

 

[desdemona]

It's not drama, hon. It's pure emotion. And being there counts. So many people don't get the opportunity to even be with their pets or to say goodbye. I watch my 21 year old cat every day and wonder how much longer I have. Count every day as a blessing and cherish the memories.

 

[love feet]

aww i am so sorry!!!!.

!

 

[Leo tickles]

I've had to say goodbye to a number of pets in my life due to many different reasons.

I hope you feel better soon.

 

[stroker]

Sorry to hear of you loss Kis. They are more than just pets and I know how hard it is when they go.

 

[coldneck]

At first glance, I thought this was going to be another "goodbye TMF" woe-is-me pitiful cry for attention thread.

I can't believe these things come from actual adults.

 

[smokinj]

Sorry for your loss, I too recently lost my cat after 15 years. I miss him very much. I totally understand how you feel.

 

[kis123]

Love feet-thanks for your condolences

Leo-I forgot how much of an animal lover you are; thank you for your thoughts.

stroker-I had no idea how much this would hurt....totally took me by surprise. Thank you for your thoughts

coldneck-I'm not quite sure how to take your post so I'll appreciate the fact you took time to post in my thread. I am an adult who happens to be grieving the loss of not just an animal; he was my furry life partner who outlasted my marriage, my children growing and going, and other major life events. I'm glad I was there to help him transition and cross over. He's happy now and no longer in pain. So again, I'm not quite sure what your intentions were, but accept and appreciate you taking time to respond.

smokinj-you truly understand my pain. I am sorry for your loss as well.

 

[kis123]

desdemona-your opinions are more valuable to me than you know. And I also appreciate you sharing some of your professional viewpoint as well as your compassion.

Thursday night he was eating, following me around the house like a lovesick puppy, and being his usual self. He just was a little more clingy and whiny than usual; probably trying to tell me he was on his way out of here.

I wish I could've gotten him to the vet, but there was no time. Other than that, I have to accept and believe that everything happened the way it should have.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread; initially I thought it was anything from silly to narcissistic to post a thread about a cat. But because of all of you, I'm glad I did; I don't think I could've gone through this by myself--not this time.......