Last Friday I took my mother's cat, Holly, to the vet and held her as she died. My mom found her at the foot of her driveway when my son was 2 years old - he is now almost 21. She was less than 6 weeks old and such a skinny, ugly little girl. With lots of good food and care she grew up to be a beautiful kitty. Holly would have turned 19 in November. My son can't remember a time when she was not in our lives. She was sweet, loving, affectionate, smart, and sassy. I can't even begin to tell you how much she meant to the entire family. The last 6 months were very hard for everyone to watch. Holly had arthritis but with the help of a shot of seroids once a month, lived mostly pain free. But she kept losing weight - despite the addition of a medicine that stimulated her appitite. She weighed less than 5 pounds at the end. On Friday she had an episode where she spasmed a little, was unable to walk for a time, and seemed like she was going to throw up. The vet said it was time to let her go. My mom couldn't face watching her so I held her in my arms as she took her last breaths. Holly, the whole family is grieving for you. Neither my mom nor I have been able to stop crying this weekend. We know you lived a happy life, but we miss you so much. I hope you have found Prissy, Muffy, and Buttermilk and are playing with them at the bridge. We will see you when we get there. I love you. |