Max the Cat

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 22:39:10 GMT

Obviously I didn't want Max to die, but given that it was clear from Monday morning on that he was going to, I'm glad that he died when he did. Monday afternoon I made an appointment for Tuesday evening to take Max in to the vet to let him go, and at that point I had no reason to think he wouldn't last that long. It's usually a hard decision to make, at least timing-wise, because you don't want to let them go to soon, but you don't want them to needlessly suffer either. And in that respect I actually "failed", since he did suffer some at the end. But in retrospect I think Max would have wanted it that way.

Max was glad to get home from the vet Saturday, and he did not want to go back. The way I see it, packing him up into the carrier, getting a ride or walking to the vet, waitng there for my appointment, going in to actually do it, etc, would have taken an hour or more. And that would have been an hour of him being upset and scared and unhappy. Max died at 2:20am, and it was until 12:30am that he noticeably took a turn for the worse, and it was only in the last 10 minutes or so that it got bad. He had been sitting in my lap out in the living room until that point, clearly lethargic but seemingly happy to be there.

When at about 12:30am it became clear that he was getting worse I took him into my bedroom and just laid him down on the bed with me, and just held him and petted him and tried to comfort him as much as I could. At this point he was clearly begining to suffer some, and periodicly he would clench and whine, but then he would relax again and seem to take comfort in petting him and talking to him. At that point I still thought he would at least make it until morning, and a few times I actually drifted off for a bit and I think he did too. Then at about 2:10am it unfortunately got much worse. This was the part I still wish I could have spared him, and if I'd had something I could have given him to end it then I would have. But as hard as it was at the end for him, and me, it only lasted for about 10 minutes, and then he was gone.

And maybe it's just that I have to believe this for myself, but even though taking him in would have spared him that last 10 minutes, I think he would chosen how he went over that. He really did not want to go back to the vet, and I think for him as bad as those last 10 minutes were, in his mind they were better than having to spend his last hour in the car and then at the vets, scared and unhappy the whole time. Not that he wasn't scared and unhappy at the end anyway, but he was home with me, and even in the last few minutes he did seem to look in my eyes a couple of times and recognize I was there, and I have to at least hope that helped at least a bit.

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 16:40:59 GMT

Max died from advanced kidney failure at 2:20am this morning.

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 23:38:45 GMT

Dziga isn't coming home... :-(

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 19:34:12 GMT

dziga hasn't been feeling well, so daddy to her to the doctors.

I don't like her being gone, and I hope she comes back soon... :-(

Don't underestimate us cats...

Sat, 10 Jun 2006 22:58:46 GMT

Jack the cat chases black bear up tree.

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 06:18:13 GMT

Why is ok for dziga to sleep on daddy's head but not me? I kept trying to do so this morning and he kept pushing me off... :-(

Wed, 14 Dec 2005 04:44:37 GMT

I'm hungry, anyone wanna bring me some cheese?

Fri, 18 Nov 2005 21:56:26 GMT

Sat, 29 Oct 2005 02:43:27 GMT

The Horror!!!

Mon, 24 Oct 2005 01:39:18 GMT

Daddy hurt his paw last night, and now he's unable to open tuna cans. How could such a horrible thing have happened to me!?!?!?!

Thu, 15 Sep 2005 04:48:36 GMT

The lj cats win.

Sat, 10 Sep 2005 21:22:14 GMT

I made another funny:
Ode too na fish

And some of my friends made ones too:
The Perils of a Feline Novelist
Tuna Jooce iz Luv
[kitties] I think I see...

Sat, 10 Sep 2005 00:58:36 GMT

That boy ain't right.

Wed, 10 Aug 2005 06:16:43 GMT

My daddy made this for me. He tried to include all my friends, but some of you didn't have big enough pictures, and some he probably just missed by mistake. But he says if you respond to here with a good 100x100 pixel pic of yourself he'll add you to it.

Wed, 10 Aug 2005 00:38:27 GMT

TUNA!!!

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 06:36:52 GMT

Well, this new place is a lot smaller, and I didn't like how we only had dry food for a few days, but things were getting really weird and stressful at the old place and Peter seems a whole lot calmer, so I guess this place will do for now. But hopefully in not too long we'll move into another place with more rooms for us to play/sleep in and other people that like kitties.

Thu, 07 Jul 2005 23:19:37 GMT

Happy Birthday beanie_butt!!!

Thu, 23 Jun 2005 23:54:39 GMT

stolen from thebatt

"What is the meaning of life?"
"Cheese"
~Kim Possible~

I couldn't agree more.

Thu, 16 Jun 2005 22:10:38 GMT

Reply to this post, and tell me one reason why you like/love/adore me, and I will reply with the same. Then put this in your own journal, and spread the love.

Thu, 09 Jun 2005 02:19:17 GMT

Yumm, daddy just gave us some of the treats that nice bonegrrrl brought us the other night. And she also brought us a huge bag of Science Diet dry food that's way better than the store bought crap he got us last time. But he really should have brought her up here Friday night so that we could have met her, that was very inconsiderate of him to have not done so when she brought us so much yummy stuff.

And now I apparently have to come up with my 6 favorite songs. Hmmm, I guess I'll get on that.

Mon, 09 May 2005 02:07:34 GMT

Hmm, I think daddy is turning into a cat. He's been sleeping more, staring at stuff that isn't there, and seems easily distracted and unable to make decisions. But hey, we've been getting lots of snuggle time, so I'm not complaining.

Thu, 05 May 2005 06:22:54 GMT

Yeah, like anyone would want to clone a calicoe anyway, they're all nuts.

My daddy is teh funny...

Wed, 20 Apr 2005 20:31:38 GMT

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 05:51:50 GMT

You should add nermalxoxoxo to your list. She lives with that nice girl who came over to visit the other night.

Thank God daddy could never give up bacon or sausage...

Wed, 06 Apr 2005 05:30:02 GMT