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Kitty
This morning I had to say goodbye to Kitty (see the userpic or the Facebook album I created for him).
I first saw him the day I moved up to Berkeley when I worked up at the San Francisco office of WeddingChannel.com. He was drinking milk outside that someone was giving him. Poor Kitty had been living on the streets, and had the entire apartment complex suckered into feeding him, but no one would take him in. He always looked pink from rolling around on the red pavement there. The first night I was there he hung out with me and ate some pizza crust from pizzas someone had delivered to me. The apartment complex owner hated him but everyone else there seemed to love him. One day I saw him and his ears were all bloody (from ear mites) so I took him to the vet and bought myself a cat. I let him outside for a while until I found out that the apt. complex owner had told the handyman to take him and "dump him somewhere," so he had to become more of an indoor cat. He also came home once really dirty and without his collar and rabies tag. I never did figure out what happened. My apartment was a glorified closet, but he liked being there with me and would even come up to the loft I slept in to hang out with me. He was a lot more energetic then.
I found out he was diabetic a few weeks later. My best guess is someone abandoned him because they didn't want to give him the insulin. He was way too friendly to have not been someone's pet before. I didn't want to do it either at first. I've always had a phobia about needles (I think Kitty helped me with that over the years). But I did it and called around to no-kill cat shelters and rescue places but no one would take a diabetic cat. By the time I realized this it was too late already and I couldn't give him up:). Kitty did amazingly well for years, even with his diabetes.
I trained him really quickly not to wake me up in the morning;). He tried at first but I wouldn't put up with the meowing. I would lock him in the bathroom, and he learned to recognized the words "Do you want to be locked in the bathroom?" and just saying that would shut him up immediately in the rare times in later years when he did meow in the mornings. But most of the time he was really good about it.
Kitty hated the car ride down here from Berkeley. He got food and litter all over him (and finally got a little better at cleaning himself after that one - he was always a slob for a cat from living outside for so long). He also was panting with his mouth open like a snake during the ride, probably from the heat.
Up in Berkeley I had seen him at least once hanging out by another balcony while another cat yelled and hissed at him. He was always a really big cat and I think he wanted friends but scared the other cats too much. Here in L.A. he did get friends for several years. First his friend Cat came to stay with us for a few months while his owner was out of the country. Cat thought Kitty was the coolest thing ever, and followed him around the apartment. Since Kitty would follow ME around trips to the bathroom would usually be followed by Kitty and then Cat;). It was always very cute.
Cat left, and eventually came back with his owner and Kitten, a tiny new kitten who showed up on her owner's doorstep. Kitten became the Coolest Thing Ever for Cat since she played so much, so Kitty was kind of left out (or got some peace and quiet). He finally had a friend when Kitty Cat showed up at the apartment, who was mellow and friendly just like Kitty, and those 2 would hang out together on my bed all the time. Unfortunately they all left about a year ago so Kitty's been alone with just me. But by they he was getting old and had more health problems, and I think he enjoyed having me all to himself.
Kitty's problems started getting worse a couple of years ago (I think) when he had blood sugar problems and spent a week at an emergency vet, where they found out he had chronic renal failure. He needed subcutaneous fluids (an IV drop) once a day. I was really worried after they showed me how to do it and he went completely nuts at the hospital, but I warmed up the fluids for him at home and he was REALLY good about it. In fact since I would pet him while I gave it to him he'd actually purr his little head off while I did it. Except for not liking liquids squirted in his mouth (particularly a vitamin he tended to get all over him instead of in him) Kitty was REALLY good about all his many medications.
Since he was diagnosed with chronic renal failure things started getting a little worse. He also needed blood pressure medication. The vet figured out that he had no energy because his heart was beating too fast so he was put on heart medication too. And within the past few months he was diagnosed with hyperthyroid (they were worried about it before too but the levels weren't as bad). They couldn't cure it because it was helping his kidney function and curing that would kill him. But he got put on medication to help that too.
Then, about 2-3 weeks ago he had a major setback. He started looking really disoriented and his eyes were dilated so I rushed him to the vet. They put him on oxygen (he had fluid in his lungs and was breathing heavily). They thought he had a bad reaction to some medication I gave him, and his blood pressure was really high, which caused him to lose his sight. They let me take him home and increased his heart and blood pressure medication. But now I was worried because I had to leave to go to San Diego for Comic Con for a few days and then spent a week in NY. I'd already made those plans but hated to leave him alone. Someone who works for the vet was coming to take care of him, but I knew he'd miss me. Before I left for NY I took him to the vet again and his blood pressure was lower and he had some pupil response so it looked like he could at least see blurs.
Kitty did survive my trips and I came home last night to find him lying in the kitchen. He didn't come to the door to greet me, but he seemed happy I was there and purred his little head off when I pet him or picked him up. I slept on the couch to keep an eye on him and woke up to find him by the sliding glass doors (I had them open since the apt was so hot, and I guess he was drawn by the cool air). I didn't know how he got there since I'd blocked off most of the living room with laundry baskets (he had a little trouble finding the litterbox without being able to see). I picked him up and moved him back, but he started breathing REALLY heavily. I got so worried I carried him back to the door and let him hang out by the window (he used to love doing that) for a while and just watched over him until he calmed down and got up to leave on his own.
I was really worried about him and called the vet and they said to bring him in. I walked over with him in his rolling cat carrier, and the sidewalk gets rough at spots but he's normally O.K. This time he started freaking out and his mouth was opening like a snake again on the way (just like on the trip back from Berkeley). I rushed to get him over but he freaked out even more as I got closer and within a short distance of the vet he was moving around and suddenly froze, so I rushed him inside and told them I thought he had a heart attack. They brought him back and tried cpr but weren't able to save him:(.
I went over there worried that he was looking so bad that I might have to decide it was his time, but I guess he decided to take the decision out of my hands. And even the vet said it sounds like he was waiting for me to get home. I think he knew I couldn't deal with this before I left because I had so much going on. And he waited long enough to help me through another really difficult situation, and I think he realized I was finally getting to the point where I might be O.K. without him here finally. He was one tough little kitty, and I'm always going to miss him.
So Kitty was a great little cat. I'll always remember him, and his cute habit of lying with his paws crossed (I suspect that's part of the reason he was constantly being mistaken for a girl his entire life). He was one of the mellowest, sweetest cats I ever knew. This apartment is going to be really empty without him:(.
I'll probably get another cat (or 2 - I miss having multiple cats) soon, but I need to clean up the place first and get the living room carpet steam cleaned.
I first saw him the day I moved up to Berkeley when I worked up at the San Francisco office of WeddingChannel.com. He was drinking milk outside that someone was giving him. Poor Kitty had been living on the streets, and had the entire apartment complex suckered into feeding him, but no one would take him in. He always looked pink from rolling around on the red pavement there. The first night I was there he hung out with me and ate some pizza crust from pizzas someone had delivered to me. The apartment complex owner hated him but everyone else there seemed to love him. One day I saw him and his ears were all bloody (from ear mites) so I took him to the vet and bought myself a cat. I let him outside for a while until I found out that the apt. complex owner had told the handyman to take him and "dump him somewhere," so he had to become more of an indoor cat. He also came home once really dirty and without his collar and rabies tag. I never did figure out what happened. My apartment was a glorified closet, but he liked being there with me and would even come up to the loft I slept in to hang out with me. He was a lot more energetic then.
I found out he was diabetic a few weeks later. My best guess is someone abandoned him because they didn't want to give him the insulin. He was way too friendly to have not been someone's pet before. I didn't want to do it either at first. I've always had a phobia about needles (I think Kitty helped me with that over the years). But I did it and called around to no-kill cat shelters and rescue places but no one would take a diabetic cat. By the time I realized this it was too late already and I couldn't give him up:). Kitty did amazingly well for years, even with his diabetes.
I trained him really quickly not to wake me up in the morning;). He tried at first but I wouldn't put up with the meowing. I would lock him in the bathroom, and he learned to recognized the words "Do you want to be locked in the bathroom?" and just saying that would shut him up immediately in the rare times in later years when he did meow in the mornings. But most of the time he was really good about it.
Kitty hated the car ride down here from Berkeley. He got food and litter all over him (and finally got a little better at cleaning himself after that one - he was always a slob for a cat from living outside for so long). He also was panting with his mouth open like a snake during the ride, probably from the heat.
Up in Berkeley I had seen him at least once hanging out by another balcony while another cat yelled and hissed at him. He was always a really big cat and I think he wanted friends but scared the other cats too much. Here in L.A. he did get friends for several years. First his friend Cat came to stay with us for a few months while his owner was out of the country. Cat thought Kitty was the coolest thing ever, and followed him around the apartment. Since Kitty would follow ME around trips to the bathroom would usually be followed by Kitty and then Cat;). It was always very cute.
Cat left, and eventually came back with his owner and Kitten, a tiny new kitten who showed up on her owner's doorstep. Kitten became the Coolest Thing Ever for Cat since she played so much, so Kitty was kind of left out (or got some peace and quiet). He finally had a friend when Kitty Cat showed up at the apartment, who was mellow and friendly just like Kitty, and those 2 would hang out together on my bed all the time. Unfortunately they all left about a year ago so Kitty's been alone with just me. But by they he was getting old and had more health problems, and I think he enjoyed having me all to himself.
Kitty's problems started getting worse a couple of years ago (I think) when he had blood sugar problems and spent a week at an emergency vet, where they found out he had chronic renal failure. He needed subcutaneous fluids (an IV drop) once a day. I was really worried after they showed me how to do it and he went completely nuts at the hospital, but I warmed up the fluids for him at home and he was REALLY good about it. In fact since I would pet him while I gave it to him he'd actually purr his little head off while I did it. Except for not liking liquids squirted in his mouth (particularly a vitamin he tended to get all over him instead of in him) Kitty was REALLY good about all his many medications.
Since he was diagnosed with chronic renal failure things started getting a little worse. He also needed blood pressure medication. The vet figured out that he had no energy because his heart was beating too fast so he was put on heart medication too. And within the past few months he was diagnosed with hyperthyroid (they were worried about it before too but the levels weren't as bad). They couldn't cure it because it was helping his kidney function and curing that would kill him. But he got put on medication to help that too.
Then, about 2-3 weeks ago he had a major setback. He started looking really disoriented and his eyes were dilated so I rushed him to the vet. They put him on oxygen (he had fluid in his lungs and was breathing heavily). They thought he had a bad reaction to some medication I gave him, and his blood pressure was really high, which caused him to lose his sight. They let me take him home and increased his heart and blood pressure medication. But now I was worried because I had to leave to go to San Diego for Comic Con for a few days and then spent a week in NY. I'd already made those plans but hated to leave him alone. Someone who works for the vet was coming to take care of him, but I knew he'd miss me. Before I left for NY I took him to the vet again and his blood pressure was lower and he had some pupil response so it looked like he could at least see blurs.
Kitty did survive my trips and I came home last night to find him lying in the kitchen. He didn't come to the door to greet me, but he seemed happy I was there and purred his little head off when I pet him or picked him up. I slept on the couch to keep an eye on him and woke up to find him by the sliding glass doors (I had them open since the apt was so hot, and I guess he was drawn by the cool air). I didn't know how he got there since I'd blocked off most of the living room with laundry baskets (he had a little trouble finding the litterbox without being able to see). I picked him up and moved him back, but he started breathing REALLY heavily. I got so worried I carried him back to the door and let him hang out by the window (he used to love doing that) for a while and just watched over him until he calmed down and got up to leave on his own.
I was really worried about him and called the vet and they said to bring him in. I walked over with him in his rolling cat carrier, and the sidewalk gets rough at spots but he's normally O.K. This time he started freaking out and his mouth was opening like a snake again on the way (just like on the trip back from Berkeley). I rushed to get him over but he freaked out even more as I got closer and within a short distance of the vet he was moving around and suddenly froze, so I rushed him inside and told them I thought he had a heart attack. They brought him back and tried cpr but weren't able to save him:(.
I went over there worried that he was looking so bad that I might have to decide it was his time, but I guess he decided to take the decision out of my hands. And even the vet said it sounds like he was waiting for me to get home. I think he knew I couldn't deal with this before I left because I had so much going on. And he waited long enough to help me through another really difficult situation, and I think he realized I was finally getting to the point where I might be O.K. without him here finally. He was one tough little kitty, and I'm always going to miss him.
So Kitty was a great little cat. I'll always remember him, and his cute habit of lying with his paws crossed (I suspect that's part of the reason he was constantly being mistaken for a girl his entire life). He was one of the mellowest, sweetest cats I ever knew. This apartment is going to be really empty without him:(.
I'll probably get another cat (or 2 - I miss having multiple cats) soon, but I need to clean up the place first and get the living room carpet steam cleaned.