[Rumblepurr]

Felis catus has an average lifespan of 15 years, and has a number of factors that shorten or lengthen that figure. Are they well-cared for, are they strictly indoors, rural vs. urban, contact with other cats, etc. I think the record was announced on the telly not long along at 38 years...

For some of us, our cat is our child, and we bond practically from the first day they come into our lives. Whether we chose them right from the litter to the local animal shelter, they become ours and we become theirs - pure and simple... Our present gato is Jamie, now turning 7. We chose him from a litter... or rather, he chose me. This little Silver Tabby practically crawled over the toe of my shoe, and I could not help but want him. Being a member of this Forum, how could I not want a Munkustrap of my own... Okay, he has white gloves and boots instead of black - big deal. From the start, we were worried because he was born in an environment of indoor/outdoor cats - about 7-8 of them.. He sneezed several times, and the vet told us that he might have FeLV (Feline Leukemia). Fortunately, he tested negative, and grew into a very handsome (neutrered) tomcat. We thought we might lose him when a blood test recently showed exposure to FeLV but subsequent tests came back negative. Jamie is a strictly indoor cat. Both my wife and I want him to grow old with us... We're shooting for 39, but that is up to the Powers-That-Be...

We know he will eventually leave us, but it never really occurs to you until the day it happens. Our previous three cats, Rags, Katie and Laura did not waste away. Rags died in her sleep from blood clots to the lungs and legs at age 11... Katie died suddenly from an aneurysm at age 10. Laura died of kidney failure at the ripe age of 17... Each one was loved, and we tearfully said good bye... We have pictures of them in their memory, but it never really leaves you...

littlgriz asked me one time to write a story about the loss of a pet - her cat Mikey became its star... If you like, you can find it here: MIKEY Part. of the story includes the poem, "The Rainbow Bridge" - a place where pets goes to await our entry into heaven...

I am not sure you really can plan for it, but you care for them as long as you can... Being independent souls, they will leave when they know the time is right... at least, this is my feeling on the subject. We have kept their collars after they have passed on, and request that the vet have the remains cremated. If possible, I give the body one last caress and that is our goodbye... In time, the hole in your heart shaped like a cat lessens but it never really closes. And you let another soul enter in...

Respectfully,
Rumblepurr
The Writer Cat...

[littlgriz1]

yes you did rite that fore mikey it wase3 so kind of him to do that fore me

[jcstar]

I've been thinking about when Shadow died. He was my Aunt's cat

We'd known Shadow for a good 15 years, but (he was a stray) the Vet thought he was older than that.

Anyway, the day he died, he was put to sleep and was brought back to the house for burial in the back yard. Sunday, his "sister" came downstairs to see what all the comotion was about. She saw Shadow, put her paw on his paw... froze... then walked backwards up the stairs slowly.

Sunday's reaction has always puzzled me. Any ideas?

She then took up her brother's spots in the house until she left us a few years later.

Andy.

[Vice]

My Little Tribute to Cali G*rh*rdt.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3853309/1/Up_to_HeavySide

[Rumblepurr]

[tmg]

We had a cat who lived to be 20 (Chester - was doing really well for his age until a vet gave him a super strong antibiotic for a minor gum infection and it distroyed his kidneys - he was dead in 2 weeks ). But when he was alive, he was my dad's buddy. Dad would always fall asleep holding Chester like a teddy bear.

A while after Chester died, we got a little orange kitten (Rusty). One night mom was laying in bed doing crossword puzzles and she heard really loud purring next to dad. Then she saw rusty on the floor eating food but still heard the purring next to dad. When she looked over by dad, the purring stopped and there wasn't anything there.

All of the cats we've lost in the past few years (had 2 very elderly cats and 2 with FeLV) have gotten burials in the yard and a plant that reminds us of them put on their graves (Except Scout was cremated because she died in January and the ground was frozen - she still has a plant, though). For Chester & Lizzy, we made nice wooden boxes to burry them in and Tennessee was burried in her cardboard toy box with some toys (just s simple cardboard box that we normally kept her toys in, but she loved it. We tried replacing it with a nicer looking basket once, but she threw a fit).