Cat is dead.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Went into the kitchen hungover looking for a glass of water and noticed my 16 year old tabby is curled up on his basket dead. I knew that something was wrong when I saw that his tongue was sticking out of his mouth.

I picked him up but he was rigid. Knew he was gone then.


Just left him back in his basket, I don't what I'm tell my son when he wakes up.


Vet told us on last checkup that his heart wasn't functioning properly.


I'm really upset, I've had this guy since I was 13. Took him with me when I first got settled.

Omackeral

Fcuk. That’s rough What did you name him?

Doctors room ghost

Sorry to hear about your cat.it had a good long life and well minded I’d say.worst part of owning pets.when our cat died I put it in small cardboard box and buried it out the back.

DEFTLEFTHAND

I'm actually really upset.

Nobody else will be wake for an hour so in the house.


Just sitting here with a cup of tea in the kitchen.


The Kid is going to take it hard, he loves him.


I just never thought that he'd die.

Graces7

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

I'm actually really upset.

Nobody else will be wake for an hour so in the house.


Just sitting here with a cup of tea in the kitchen.


The Kid is going to take it hard, he loves him.


I just never thought that he'd die.

((((HUGS))))

So very very sorry. A hard, hard one. I keep waking my old cats up to make sure they have not gone..

Know thoughts are with you from here...Please know that ...

arybvtcw0eolkf

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Went into the kitchen hungover looking for a glass of water and noticed my 16 year old tabby is curled up on his basket dead. I knew that something was wrong when I saw that his tongue was sticking out of his mouth.

I picked him up but he was rigid. Knew he was gone then.


Just left him back in his basket, I don't what I'm tell my son when he wakes up.


Vet told us on last checkup that his heart wasn't functioning properly.


I'm really upset, I've had this guy since I was 13. Took him with me when I first got settled.

Fvck man I'm sorry to hear that.

My first cat Tigger died in 2007 and I still have his photo on my fire place.

My best friend is Richo my pitbull, he's 11 now. Fit as a fiddle, but I know someday I'll lose him and I'll break my heart.

I've another cat now, Sammy. She's a bloody scourge and gives my two dogs an awful time, cats are funny.

Sorry this is a little disjointed (hung over here too).

Hope you're ok, thoughts to you and the family.

Whats your cats name?.

Doctors room ghost

Graces7 wrote: »

((((HUGS))))

So very very sorry. A hard, hard one. I keep waking my old cats up to make sure they have not gone..

Know thoughts are with you from here...Please know that ...

Them cats are gonna plot to murder you if you keep waking them up and they trying to get kip!!

DEFTLEFTHAND

His name was Humphrey Mak.

My mother found him in a hedgerow as a kitten. The Vet at the time reckoned he was about 10 weeks. This was 2002.


We held on to him, I became close as I love cats and always have.


He came with me when myself and my girlfriend moved into our place in 2010.

Igotadose

Condolences. Had my best friend put down in 2013, after 17 years of great companionship. Smartest cat I've ever known, knew his name, came when called, and played fetch with a soft squeezy ball. I use his name as my password in a number of accounts to honor his memory, it's admittedly kind of lame but it is what it is.

Haven't had one since, and have become a big supporter to cat spay/neuter programs. Even here in Ireland where they're few and far between you can make an impact.


Good luck. My first cat passed away unexpectedly when I was much younger and it was hard to take. I heard or read somewhere then, that pets train us all the time, their passing prepares us for the passing of other loved ones. I believe there's some truth to that, too.

DrPhilG

So sorry to hear it. We have 7 of the little buggers and I always dread anything happening to them.

On the plus side, your fella seems to have passed away fairly peacefully and believe me that is a blessing.

We lost our older dog earlier in the year, a Rottweiler called Beth. Softest big spud you'd ever meet. She too died overnight, seemingly in her sleep. Compared to the last dog we lost, who had cancer and struggled towards the end before we had to have her put down, the peaceful departure was much easier for us and her.

Do you have any others?

Fighting Tao

Do what my mother used to do with my siblings. Bury it and tell them it didn’t come home. Only tell them the truth about 15 years later when he hey are over it and old enough to laugh about it.

arybvtcw0eolkf

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

His name was Humphrey Mak.

My mother found him in a hedgerow as a kitten. The Vet at the time reckoned he was about 10 weeks. This was 2002.


We held on to him, I became close as I love cats and always have.


He came with me when myself and my girlfriend moved into our place in 2010.

Poor aul' Humphrey.

We got Tigger from my sis in law, and from day one Tigger hated me lol.. I asked a Vet friend about it and she told me that some Tom cats are very alfa male and react strongly against another strong male presence in the home.

Six weeks before he died we found him in a neighbors garden with terrible injuries, his pelvis was fractured in four places. The Vet said it was likely from a kick, she said she's seen these injuries before and its rarely a vehicle as a vehicle would just kill the cat.

We tried our best to save Tigger, but it would have been best to put him to sleep the day we found him injured.

I can't understand how people can be cruel to animals, and for some reason cats seem to be fair game to a lot of people.

Telling her child is going to be hard.

A lot of people think I'm a lot tougher than I actually am, and when it comes to children and animals I'm a complete softie. When Tigger died I went down to the school to tell my daughter, and even today she reminds of me the only time she seen me cry.

Conservatory

The first pet dying while you are man of the House is a milestone I think. Usually the first time you will bury a body. It upset me as well abit for a day or two

Danny Donut

Losing pets is tough.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Fighting Tao wrote: »

Do what my mother used to do with my siblings. Bury it and tell them it didn’t come home. Only tell them the truth about 15 years later when he hey are over it and old enough to laugh about it.

That's the wrong thing to do.

Dealing with a pets death is hard on a child but its also important to the childs development and helps them understand the cycle of life & death and how to handle a bereavement.

Galwayguy35

Sorry to hear that, it's a horrible time when a pet passes away.

This just reminded me of a cat we had growing up, she went missing and after 6 days made her way back home after losing her paw in some kind of a trap but lived for many years afterwards hopping around the place.

OhHiMark

Fighting Tao wrote: »

Do what my mother used to do with my siblings. Bury it and tell them it didn’t come home. Only tell them the truth about 15 years later when he hey are over it and old enough to laugh about it.

Jesus christ, how many siblings did she do that to?

DEFTLEFTHAND

I remember like an ejitt I looked up his exact breed before.

He was a Norwegian brown short hair tabby.


Beautiful colour with white socks which he always kept beautifully.


They're such clean creatures. I'm going to miss so much.


Love him.

JustAThought

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

I remember like an ejitt I looked up his exact breed before.

He was a Norwegian brown short hair tabby.


Beautiful colour with white socks which he always kept beautifully.


They're such clean creatures. I'm going to miss so much.


Love him.

He sounds just georgous. What a long lovely life he must have had with you and how content in your company must he have been to have moved home and never strayed or vanished after the move as many cats do. He sounds just beautiful. I am so sorry for your loss.

How nice an end for him to curl up happy in his basket surrounded by his family he loved warm and cosy and safe after a good meal and go to sleep in his sleep.
RIP.

donspeekinglesh

Sorry for your loss.

We lost our second dog in her sleep earlier this year. We had her nearly ten years. We still talk about them both regularly, the house feels strange with no dogs in it ( we had to get our other dog put to sleep when he developed dementia, it was heartbreaking).

I'm not sure what age your kids are, but don't use euphemisms when telling them. We were told not to tell our then 4 year old that our dog had been put to sleep - as he could end up terrified of bedtime.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Even thinking back to yesterday. We had roast beef left over in the fridge, I gave him a couple of slices and he went mad eating it. Jumping up onto the table and everything looking for more , he was in great form. I went over to a football match then in Thurles and never saw him again.

Poor young lad is crying his heart out at the moment.


We're going bury in our garden in his towl from his basket. Put a stone marker over it with his name.

TheValeyard

Sorry OP,


Loosing a long term pet is like loosing a family member.


Keep well.

PandaPoo

I'm so sorry, I have a cat myself for 3 years now and I love her so much. When I walk my son to school she walks with us and waits at the front of the estate for me to come home. Same when I pick him up from school.

I can't imagine how you're feeling. I hope your son is ok when you tell him.

Pkiernan

Would it be fitting to return him to the hedge row where he was found all those years ago?

Pugzilla

Why is this in After Hours?

Shouldn't it be moved to Animals & Pets Issues?

Tilikum17

My father passed away in November. He had dementia. He got very angry & aggressive in his last year. We got him a Kitten (Rose) as I thought it might help him. Whenever Dad got agitated or angry, I’d pick up the kitten & put her on Dad’s lap. Within 10–15 seconds Dad would he calm, rubbing her away.

One hour after my Dad passed away, we got a call from the vet to say that Rose was dying. She had gotten ill in Dad’s last month. 3 weeks later Rose was gone too.

I was always a dog person, my misses loves cats. Now I love cats. I’ll never forget Rose, & what she did for my Dad.

Cats are the dog’s bollicks. We got two tnr kittens since.

Sorry for rambling.

Graces7

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

Them cats are gonna plot to murder you if you keep waking them up and they trying to get kip!!

Nah! They love the extra attention. All I do is call their name and when their ears twitch, fine.

Graces7

Pugzilla wrote: »

Why is this in After Hours?

Shouldn't it be moved to Animals & Pets Issues?

Why? This is about an AH person justifiably upset. Not about illness, training, vets etc.... A human issue not a pet issue. Nothing anyone can do about the cat now.The people matter

SirChenjin

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Even thinking back to yesterday. We had roast beef left over in the fridge, I gave him a couple of slices and he went mad eating it. Jumping up onto the table and everything looking for more , he was in great form. I went over to a football match then in Thurles and never saw him again.

Poor young lad is crying his heart out at the moment.


We're going bury in our garden in his towl from his basket. Put a stone marker over it with his name.

So sorry OP.
Sounds like he had a lovely life, right up to the end. He sounds like a gorgeous cat too.

Benjamin Buttons

Sorry for your loss.
I love cats.

marklazarcovic

Sounds like it died curled up.in it's sleep peacefully, a great ending after a long life. Sorry for your pain.


Pets are great.

Graces7

Tilikum17 wrote: »

My father passed away in November. He had dementia. He got very angry & aggressive in his last year. We got him a Kitten (Rose) as I thought it might help him. Whenever Dad got agitated or angry, I’d pick up the kitten & put her on Dad’s lap. Within 10–15 seconds Dad would he calm, rubbing her away.

One hour after my Dad passed away, we got a call from the vet to say that Rose was dying. She had gotten ill in Dad’s last month. 3 weeks later Rose was gone too.

I was always a dog person, my misses loves cats. Now I love cats. I’ll never forget Rose, & what she did for my Dad.

Cats are the dog’s bollicks. We got two tnr kittens since.

Sorry for rambling.

Please do not apologise.. People underestimate cats. They give back more than they are given and are at least as intelligent and devoted as dogs. And more sensitive.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Pugzilla wrote: »

Why is this in After Hours?

Shouldn't it be moved to Animals & Pets Issues?

Sure you could find another forum for nearly every topic in AH, and the OP is a regular AH contributor sharing his and his families grief.

Graces7

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Even thinking back to yesterday. We had roast beef left over in the fridge, I gave him a couple of slices and he went mad eating it. Jumping up onto the table and everything looking for more , he was in great form. I went over to a football match then in Thurles and never saw him again.

Poor young lad is crying his heart out at the moment.


We're going bury in our garden in his towl from his basket. Put a stone marker over it with his name.

Perfect. Your plans I mean.

Many critters and indeed humans, get an extra surge of energy just before they die. He and you enjoyed that! Bless you!

Heroditas

We have three cats - a brother and sister who we adopted from another Boards poster back in 2010 and then took in a stray female two years later. They really are part of the family and our two young daughters absolutely love them.
The cats are now getting very attached to the girls and sneak up to their rooms wheneevr they get a chance or look for cuddles from them.
Pets are great for teaching kids basics such as household responsibility. The girls now love helping me feed them (not too keen on emptying the littler trays though).
Cats get a bad rep but if they're treated properly they are incredibly affectionate and loyal pets.
Sorry for your loss DEFTLEFTHAND.

fishy_fishy

Ah OP I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how upset you must be. They're such funny lovely little creatures with all their little quirks.

Pets get so ingrained in your life and it'll be such a big adjustment for you. My dog died 5 years ago and even yesterday I thought for a split second he was there when I heard rustling at the back door. Can't imagine how empty the place would feel without the cat.

Look after yourself and your boy. You've lost a family member. I'm so sorry, I wish pets lived as long as we do.

eagle eye

Sorry for your losd. We have two cats and three dogs(two puppies).

I know it's tough losing a life long friend. You won't feel like getting another one anytime soon but I'd recommend you get one immediately. Get a young kitten and you'll find that everybody builds a relationship with it pretty quickly.

I know it doesn't help you now but for kids I think it's the mportant to have more than one with a few years between then so there is always someone to look after even when you lose one.

Mars Bar

Sounds like he went in as peaceful a manner you can get.

We had a stray adopt us. He clearly had some issues with breathing and probably hadn't the best start in life. He didn't mind being rubbed but didn't like being picked up.

Anyway, one day he was in the sitting room with me and then he started thrashing about like mad with no control. He either was having a heart attack or was suffocating but it was utterly terrifying. I ran away upstairs with my phone and called my mammy (as you do, even on your 20s!) and cried down the phone that the cat was dying.
Calmed down, came downstairs to find him dead in the kitchen.

Very traumatising!

But he had a few good years with his mate (a cat we chose to take in).

picturehangup

Hi OP,

So sorry for your loss. Totally understand your dilemma, as we have 16 year-old puss, who has been at the heart of our family life too. I can only imagine your shock.

I agree with earlier poster, do tell your child the truth. Better than leaving them wondering, and to teach them that nothing stays the same forever.

I am delighted to see so many positive comments here re. cats, as there have been some negative threads in recent years.

Cats are amazing creatures when given the same love and care that many dogs receive, and will reciprocate this to their human cares.

My advice is to take time to grieve for your cat with your family, and when the time is right, visit your nearest shelter and adopt two siblings. Twice the fun! Take care, OP x

SEPT 23 1989

Had a cat of that vintage myself got her when I was 13

17 years old when she died only at the vets once in her life

Always there in the background and that's what you will miss

Obi_Wan_Kenobi

Really sorry to hear that

Hope your kid takes it ok...

Obi_Wan_Kenobi

.. and yes , Cats are awesome!!

also as mentioned, he had a long life - well looked after.

Think of the positives, grieve for him and in time adopt a new kitty!

xzanti

So sorry Deftlefthand.

Pets are part of the family, and they break your heart when it's time to say goodbye

May he rest in peace.

Our cat died a few years ago after 18 years. I cried for about a week solid.

That cat's Mother was my pet when I was 9. She went missing after giving birth to the above cat, I'll never forget the how upset I was.

RhubarbCrumble

I'm so sorry OP I have a cat myself and I know I'd be so upset if anything happened to her. At least it sounds like it was peaceful for yours, just went off to sleep and didn't wake up. Hope your little boy is okay.

Mint Sauce

People might think its just a pet, and not important, after our dog died last year, that is simply not the case. I hugged that dog whilst it laid on the vets table, not taking in a single word of what the vet said. Then we had to bring him home and tell mum.



Sorry for your loss Deftlefthand, hope you find the way to tell your lad. Not a nice way to start a Sunday morning.

Sephiroth_dude

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

I love cats and always have.

From one cat lover to another I'm really sorry to hear this What a heart breaking thing to wake up too we had to put our dog down three years ago as his back legs went on him and we came down one morning and the poor fella couldn't stand up, called the vet, he said it would be best to put out of his misery so we did, it was heart breaking , he was 15.

well spoken man

2 words..... Brown bin...

Seth Brundle

well spoken man wrote: »

2 words..... Brown bin...

Just flush it down the toilet!

well spoken man

Never come to after hours for advice...ever...

Fighting Tao

Graysen Fancy Nanny wrote: »

That's the wrong thing to do.

Dealing with a pets death is hard on a child but its also important to the childs development and helps them understand the cycle of life & death and how to handle a bereavement.

I’m sure you’ll be delighted to know that my siblings ended up fine. They know how to handle bereavement from people dying.

wakka12

For some reason this story really pulled on my heart strings
Im gonna miss my doggy so much when she's gone Ive yet to meet a human who's always just so kind and positive and completely selfless(or nearly as cute), it will break my heart