RIP Chester

[GrapevineSooner]

The past few days, I noticed our little guy was lethargic and would meow when he looked at me, which he never days.

Problem got worse over the few days so I took him into the vet. He had a blockage in his urethra, his urine back into his kidneys, causing renal failure.

I just got back from the vet after making one of the toughest decisions of my life. But I'm thankful I got to spend the last moments of his life with him as he passed away.

RIP Chester.

[Turd_Ferguson]

RIP Chester:(

[LosAngelesSooner]

RIP Chester. I'm sorry for your loss.

[Soonerus]

I am sorry about your loss...and it brought a tear to my eye because I also have an aging dog named Chester and the inevitable will be a really sad moment...

[GrapevineSooner]

Thanks everyone.

I took this pic (http://www.twitpic.com/ksrwp) moments before the vet came in and put him to sleep. He had been miserable the past few days before getting the blockage cleared. From that standpoint, it's good to know that, for that moment, he was somewhat back to his old self.

http://web7.twitpic.com/img/34934857-90acadd26b16d734cc992acc2ea33022.4acebd84-scaled.jpgI'll still miss him though. And I'm not ashamed to admit I cried like a baby before and after the procedure.

[Soonerus]

It is absolutely amazing how upsetting it can be to lose a pet....major league...

[SCOUT]

Losing a pet is a tough thing, I know. With one of our dogs, I think we waited a couple of months too long. It is a tough decision to let a dog go but sometimes it is the best one.

I am sorry for your loss. I would recommend a book titled "Rescuing Sprite" by Mark Levin. It is an amazing book about a dogs impact on a family.




I still miss both of mine.

[Boomer.....]

:(

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Sorry to hear of your loss. I hope you will remember the good memories with Chester.

[Sooner04]

[sigh]

So sorry for your loss. Look back on the good and great times you had with little Chester and let those ease your pain. You were there for him in his time of need, and that's all he could've asked of you.

Again, very sorry for your loss.

[Lott's Bandana]

Sorry man, Chester looked like a cool dude.

[Tailwind]

He was a beautiful feline and I know you will miss him very much. It's like losing your best friend. :(

[NormanPride]

****. Sorry, man. I know it sucks...

[I Am Right]

So Sorry.

[A Sooner in Texas]

I just saw this, and I'm so sorry. It is so hard to make the decision, but it would have been worse for Chester to be sick and in pain. What a beautiful cat.

[Curly Bill]

Sorry for your loss, I went through the same thing with my Min-pin a year and a half ago. I stayed with him and held him to the end. Never regretted that I did. It's a tough call, but I know you made the right one.

Condolences.

[GrapevineSooner]

Can't thank you all for the kind words.

It's been 24 hours now since my friend passed away. Plenty of sadness from our family today.

But after this point, I'll focus on the happy moments. Because he was a happy cat for the 3 1/2 years we were lucky enough to have him.

And because his little sister, Cali, is going to need a little extra attention and comfort to help her cope.

[stoopified]

Not a big cat guy BUt I understand the pain of losing a beloved pet.Hang in there TF.

[OKC-SLC]

Sorry, Grapevine. We put our 15 year old labrador retriever to sleep a year ago, and it's still hard. But you did the right thing, and you'll take comfort in that as you should.

[Fraggle145]

:( sorry man. I got an aging kitty too... not looking forward to the inevitable. I've had her since 9th grade.

[okiewaker]

I feel ya.............

[colleyvillesooner]

Sorry Grapevine. :(

[tommieharris91]

Dying pets suck. :(

[Flagstaffsooner]

Grape, so sorry. All of my Friends are there to welcome him in Kitty Heaven.



Cat's Eulogy (With Love)
To My Mom & Dad With Love

Don’t be sad you had to end my pain
And know that you will see me once again
God’s given me a place to wait for you
And you know what? He says He loves me too!!!

There’s lots of different critters all around
In Heaven there’s no evil to be found
So all of us just seem to get along
And Angels serenade us with their songs

People here are kind and stroke my fur
And they all seem to love it when I purr
I’m no longer sick so I am glad
Please don’t fill your days by being sad

I haven’t really gone that far away
And I’m really looking forward to the day
That we can be together up above
In this land of peace and happiness and love




No Heaven will not ever Heaven be
Unless my cats are there to welcome me.

[AlbqSooner]

Putting a pet down when it is time is one of the most painful things we will ever do.

Putting a pet down when it is time is one of the most loving things we will ever do.

[LosAngelesSooner]

I hope you are doing better, buddy.

[GrapevineSooner]

I am in some ways. I still have a nagging feeling of 'what if I had caught this sooner, got him in, and got him treated.' I'd never owned a cat until we got a female calico in September of 2005. Then we got Chester in May of 2006. We also have my wife's cocker spaniel that she got in 1999.

On Wednesday, I noticed droplets of blood on the floor but couldn't tell where they came from. Chester wasn't acting unusual as far as I could tell. He's a docile cat that likes to hide as it is. I suspect he was showing some effects from this earlier than this, but since cat's instinct is to take cover and hide when they're hurt, we never noticed anything.

Until Wednesday night when he jumped on the bed, crawled up to us, and was meowing the whole time. He hardly ever meows and growled when I touched his stomach.

The past few days, I've had that tinge of regret for not taking him in earlier.

But that having been said, my wife spoke extensively with the Vet and she assured us the blockage probably occurred before Wednesday.

Even if we had taken him in at the onset of the symptoms, he would have still had some damage to his kidneys which, in the long term, would have necessitated some kind of dialysis. In the short term, he still would have needed hospitalization and antibiotics. That alone was going to cost $1,200. And since the bloodwork pointed to a possible gall stone, we would have been looking at the possibility of x-rays and surgery for another $1,300.

Keep in mind my wife is pregnant, so it was hard to justify spending that amount of money as it is. Even if we had followed through on a treatment plan, there was only a 10-15% chance he would have survived the damage to his kidney.

Furthermore, my mother in law has a co-worker who has raised cats for 40 years. So of course, she's dealt with this issue before. She indicated that when a male cat gets blocked like that, you can remove the blockage and flush the kidneys all you want. The blockage is likely to come back.

What's hurt the most is trying to explain this all to my 6 year old daughter. It was 'her' cat as she picked him out at Petsmart 3 1/2 years ago when we decided Cali, our calico, needed a companion. It's her first experience with losing a pet.

Not to mention, Cali lost her 'big brother'. Sure, he'd pick on her like all big brothers do. But he didn't mind cuddling up to her on our bed on a cold winter night like last year.

[Uncle Ernie]

I am in some ways. I still have a nagging feeling of 'what if I had caught this sooner, got him in, and got him treated.' I'd never owned a cat until we got a female calico in September of 2005. Then we got Chester in May of 2006. We also have my wife's cocker spaniel that she got in 1999.

On Wednesday, I noticed droplets of blood on the floor but couldn't tell where they came from. Chester wasn't acting unusual as far as I could tell. He's a docile cat that likes to hide as it is. I suspect he was showing some effects from this earlier than this, but since cat's instinct is to take cover and hide when they're hurt, we never noticed anything.

Until Wednesday night when he jumped on the bed, crawled up to us, and was meowing the whole time. He hardly ever meows and growled when I touched his stomach.

The past few days, I've had that tinge of regret for not taking him in earlier.

But that having been said, my wife spoke extensively with the Vet and she assured us the blockage probably occurred before Wednesday.

Even if we had taken him in at the onset of the symptoms, he would have still had some damage to his kidneys which, in the long term, would have necessitated some kind of dialysis. In the short term, he still would have needed hospitalization and antibiotics. That alone was going to cost $1,200. And since the bloodwork pointed to a possible gall stone, we would have been looking at the possibility of x-rays and surgery for another $1,300.

Keep in mind my wife is pregnant, so it was hard to justify spending that amount of money as it is. Even if we had followed through on a treatment plan, there was only a 10-15% chance he would have survived the damage to his kidney.

Furthermore, my mother in law has a co-worker who has raised cats for 40 years. So of course, she's dealt with this issue before. She indicated that when a male cat gets blocked like that, you can remove the blockage and flush the kidneys all you want. The blockage is likely to come back.

What's hurt the most is trying to explain this all to my 6 year old daughter. It was 'her' cat as she picked him out at Petsmart 3 1/2 years ago when we decided Cali, our calico, needed a companion. It's her first experience with losing a pet.

Not to mention, Cali lost her 'big brother'. Sure, he'd pick on her like all big brothers do. But he didn't mind cuddling up to her on our bed on a cold winter night like last year.

Just in case you weren't aware my vet told me to try and feed male cats some soft food as much as possible. Something about the dry stuff can cause urinary tract problems. As you unfortunately know, urinary tract problems in the male kitty are very bad news. I doubt that all those kinds of problems are caused by dry food anyway. I feel for you dude. I'm the "Catman" and I don't care if you had the rascal 3 months or 3 years it's a BIG hurt. Same with any pet.

[85Sooner]

So sorryt for your loss. I have a feeling we will have to make that decision soon as well.

[Scott D]

Just in case you weren't aware my vet told me to try and feed male cats some soft food as much as possible. Something about the dry stuff can cause urinary tract problems. As you unfortunately know, urinary tract problems in the male kitty are very bad news. I doubt that all those kinds of problems are caused by dry food anyway. I feel for you dude. I'm the "Catman" and I don't care if you had the rascal 3 months or 3 years it's a BIG hurt. Same with any pet.

Like Uncle Ernie said, urinary tract problems are deadly and relatively quick killers that blindside male cats and their owners quite often. It's serious enough of an issue that a few cat food makers have even tried to find ways to make dry food that is supposed to help not get the crystalization and blockage that comes from it.

My condolences B as I know the difficulty of making that decision twice in the last 18 months. I still miss both of my puppies.

[captain_surly]

I'm very sorry for your loss. I had to have my one and only cat put down almost 10 years ago. I cried too.

[Collier11]

Horrible deal, I love all my pets and no one can ever convince me that they are not more than just an animal...Sorry to hear it!

[soonerbrat]

So sorry about your loss. You did the right thing, hang in there.