RIP Tristan - Orange to the Bone

[Umbran]

Cancer sucks. It took my little buddy from me this morning. He was only 13 - other than the cancer, he was hale and hearty and had years left.

He was a little scared when we took him to the hospital, but he was so good. I only wish I could have done more for him.

Rest well, my friend.

 

[Janx]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Jack7]

I understand Umbran. I had to put down one of my Great Dane/Saint Bernard hybrids (Beethoven) a couple of years back because a brain tumor had changed his behavior and made him aggressive.

Still, he couldn't help that, and yet he had become dangerous and so I had to put him down. To me personally it was a very sad event.

By the way the best cat I ever had (he acted more like a dog than a cat, even jumped on the back of a bull once so I wouldn't get gored) looked a lot like your Tristan. I called him Eric the Red.

A good cat. A fine friend. A hard loss.

 

[falcarrion]

I lost my dog a few years back. I had just got back back from Gencon and picked her up from the kennels. She was acting funny so I took her to the vets. They said her stomach rotated and it was cutting off blood flow. she went into emergency operation. but it was too late too much damage to her organs. and I had to have her put to sleep. It was the last Gencon I have been to. It is also the last Gencon that Gary Gygax was at. I did to get to talk to him and get a picture of him.

So far I have lost my Father to a heart attack.
My Mother to lung cancer.
My best friend my dog.
My job in 2009.

But through it all I remeber the good times I had playing frisbie with my dog.
The love and joy she had brought me. and I continue on with a smile on my face and those memories in my heart.

I wish you well and am sorry for your lost.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

So sorry for your loss, Umbran. Just this morning we had a worry with our own 16 year old kitty and had to take her to the doc. Apparently only a stomach bug, nothing too serious, but every little problem is a concern at her age.
My condolences today, and best wishes moving on.

 

[Dioltach]

Sorry for your loss, Umbran. I had to have one of my cats put down about 2 1/2 years ago: she'd had a series of strokes, and after the last one both her hind legs were paralysed. It was probably the worst day I've ever experienced, and the memory still hurts.

On a more positive note, one of the kittens we got to replace her seems to have channeled her ghost: after three weeks she'd already decided, like the previous cat, that I was the best thing in the world.

 

[Umbran]

On a more positive note, one of the kittens we got to replace her seems to have channeled her ghost: after three weeks she'd already decided, like the previous cat, that I was the best thing in the world.

We have a new kitten too. Not to replace Tristan - my wife is a veterinarian*, and sometimes hard-luck cases just fall into her lap**. She's about 5 weeks old (so, not yet weaned), and watching her romp around is a joy.

*Of course, when the doctor's cat gets cancer, it has to be the weirdo type that is inoperable and doesn't have any good treatments...


**In this case, the kitten was 2 weeks old, rejected by her mother so she hadn't eaten in two days. She'd been dropped on her head, and was having seizures. It turns out she had an "open fontanelle", which means the plates of her skull hadn't fused properly, leaving a soft spot on her skull - which is just great for when you get dropped on your head! And, of course, the owners had zero money with which to treat the kitten.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Sorry for that day to come. It's hard to explain to non-pet owners just how a pet becomes a true member of the family with the mourning that goes with their loss.

At least that's how it is with my family and our pets.

DS

 

[Tharian]

I'm sorry for your loss, Umbran. I lost Tiger (my cat of just shy of 10 years) to cancer in '07. It's a hard emotional time to go through, but I hope the kitten helps temper some of that.

 

[Umbran]

It's hard to explain to non-pet owners just how a pet becomes a true member of the family with the mourning that goes with their loss.

I am hoping I don't run into one of those, "Geeze, it was just a cat!" people. I don't really want an obvious outlet for anger.

It's a hard emotional time to go through, but I hope the kitten helps temper some of that.

The kitten is... a good distraction. She isn't at all like the cat we lost, but she calls for enough attention (and is so darned cute - she's a Persian calico fluffball) that we don't mull over the loss for too long at a time at a stretch. It is kind of hard to be glum when sshe scampers through the living room. So yes, she's a tempering force.