Pet stories: sometimes happy, sometimes sad

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 9:20 pm

Thanks Kraken.

And yeah, I didn't want to clutter up the forum with multiple dead pet threads.

I think we'll get a new 2nd cat at some point, I know Mrs. Nym will want one. But Isabella will probably thrive on her own due to her timid nature, and is possibly needy enough to satisfy Mrs. Nym for now.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 10:22 pm

When Augustus' death started this thread, I never imagined that I'd have to write about Tiberius, too, and now Warren. These were all young cats. I wish this thread had stopped at one page, but it became what it is.

I'll say this: If Warren is officially cured, I'm going to retitle the thread again.

gbasden · Post by **gbasden** » Fri Oct 16, 2020 1:02 am

Kraken wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 9:12 pm So very sorry about Isaac, and glad that you posted those stories.

I never wanted my very own dead pets thread and welcome anyone to post here. Now that Warren's in observation, I don't intend to write any more progress reports unless things go south. I hope that my next post will say that we reached Day 84 again and he's officially cured. If we're confident that the coronavirus is gone, there might be another Christmas kitten in our future (albeit not until January). Warren wants constant attention and really needs a friend who can give it to him.

You could at least post cute pictures when he's being adorable.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Nov 09, 2020 11:01 am

Another sad one. Little Porthos, my rat buddy, was killed last night by another rat.

It started about a week ago when some kinda screaming screeching woke me up. I looked around and saw nothing. The next night it woke me up again. Sounded more liek a puppy whimpering loudly. I snuck to the door and looked and it was a rat. It was bouncing on and climbing on Porthos' cage. Was freaking him out. I ran it off 2 or 3 times but it would return over and over.

Starting about 4 days ago I set a large rat trap beside Porthos' cage. For the last 4 days it has kept returning and I kept being woken up by it. It never did seem to touch the rat trap. The last couple nights Ive had to put a pillow over my head to get back to sleep.

But I thought Id finally catch it. I told Porthos I would. At bedtime I looked his cage over well because I was actually worried with that rat climbing on it it could open Porthos' door. I even thought about wiring the doors shut with bread ties. But after considering it I thought about how Porthos has never gotten them open in a year and a half and the wild rat hasn't in a week so they are ok.

DUMBASS me. My fault little ratman is dead. I coulda wired the damn doors. Also last night was the same screeching and I got woke up but instead of trying to do something about it I put that damn pillow over my head again. Fuck me.

When I got up the top cage door was open and Porthos was gone. I thought he'd gotten away for a min then I saw al the blood in his little cage. Wasn't sure then. Then I headed to the bathroom and when I went into the back bedroom there was my little Porthos laying in the middle of the hardwood floor. He was barely alive. I snatched him up and held him to my chest to get him warm. He lived about 20 minutes. Never moved more than a whisker and made a couple little tiny quiet squeaks. He started to take better breaths but then passed away in a few more min.

he had bite marks all over him but the worst was one behind his left ear and one near that on his neck. I think that got him.

Im going to do all out war on that rat. Buying poison today and maybe another trap if I can. My BB gun is ready too.Asshole. I know its just being a rat but Porthos was so sweet. The cutest little guy. Never even tried to nip me in all this time. Thought I was his mom I reckon. Last night he gave me our normal night kiss.

This morning was awful as I passed his cage with him there where I put him. I didn't get to feed him his bite of dog food he was ALWAYS waiting for every morning. I have an appt this morning and cant bury him until I get back. Im running late now after typing this but had to do it. Going to miss him. Gonna blame myself forever. Im still in tears. Bet the energy assistance place will think Im on drugs with my eyes this way.

I dont have a huge amount of pics of him. The last one I took was months ago.

Him as a little tyke with Buster in the background.

Porthos a little older in his last box. He could jump 2 feet back then.

And finally the last pic of him I have. Butt pic

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Mon Nov 09, 2020 11:09 am

Sorry to hear, Dae. That's a kick in the groin.

RIP little fella'.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Mon Nov 09, 2020 11:18 am

I'm sorry Daehawk.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Nov 09, 2020 1:05 pm

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Nov 09, 2020 4:32 pm

Ok I buried him. I had to leave the little guy in his cage because of that early appointment in town. I picked up some white marble chip rocks while I was out. I put his little running wheel in a box . He loved that thing SO much. Added some of his fresh wood shaving bedding then tucked him inside his hammock he slept in. God he loved that too to sleep in. Then put it in his wheel and added his water bottle and food dish. Then sealed it all up and buried him with our little Chihuahuas in the mini pet graveyard. The rocks look nice on it all bright white and new.

Ill see that spot I found him at every time I got through there to the bathroom. It will bother me a good while. I still blame myself right now. Could have done more. That will fade I suppose. He could have lived another half a year to a year. Or he might have died next week. But he was so so sweet. He didn't deserve to go this way. He should have went quietly in his sleep in his little hammock. He didn't know he was a rat even. Too cute and sweet.

I cleaned his cage up and sat it back where its always been. That hurts seeing it some. I missed feeding him his bites of dog food this morning. Going to miss a lot about him. Ill miss him so much. Already do. I offered the cage back to my sister that gave it to me but she said I should keep it in case I raise another one or find a baby squirrel. Its always something around here.

Im about 100% sure that was Porthos and not the wild rat and he was calm and sweet and gentle and was not equipped to deal with a wild strong rat. Plus theres a little place on his tail he's had for weeks that is as I recall. So unless he somehow killed a wild rat and it has the same mark then it was really Porthos. But Im going to give it a week of no traps or anything. Then its war on anything but my two dogs.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Nov 09, 2020 6:22 pm

So sorry for you and Porthos. You gave him a good life.

I have some good news: Warren's 4-week observation blood work came back "perfect." Since most cats who are going to relapse do it in the first month, it almost surely means he's cured. Can't say that officially for another 8 weeks, but feeling very optimistic that the coronavirus is banished.

Also, my vet just joined the FIP Warriors to find out what she can legally do and tell people. She's thrilled that there's a bona fide cure for FIP, but she risks her license if she promotes it. She had nothing but praise and gratitude for my putting Warren through the treatment and keeping her informed. I told her that I really could have used a trusted, authoritative source of information, rather than having to figure it all out on my own, and she hopes that she can legally fill that role for others.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Mon Nov 09, 2020 6:29 pm

hitbyambulance wrote: Sat Jun 27, 2020 1:49 am in any case, you should see this: https://abc7.com/cats-covid-coronavirus-cure/6253361/

at the time i thought that was a "hail mary" pass if there ever was one

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Nov 09, 2020 6:45 pm

hitbyambulance wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 6:29 pm
hitbyambulance wrote: Sat Jun 27, 2020 1:49 am in any case, you should see this: https://abc7.com/cats-covid-coronavirus-cure/6253361/
at the time i thought that was a "hail mary" pass if there ever was one

I was super skeptical going in, which is why trusted veterinary advice would have been so valuable. The fact that Facebook was the point of contact seemed dodgy, and sending off hundreds of dollars for the initial trial dose felt like I was probably being scammed. But if there was a chance to save him and I turned my back on it, I would've spent the rest of my life second-guessing. Now I'm evangelical about it, and a self-appointed expert.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 12:04 am

I automatically glance over towards Porthos' cage as I pass every time. My mind expects to see him climbing around or making noise and its just empty and quiet. Its just a reflex still.

Going to miss my little kiss at bedtime tonight. He was a french kisser that little fella hahaha. LICK!

Also going to miss him going bonkers in the morning when Id normally feed him his breakfast as I passed taking Buster his.

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 1:45 am

Great news Kraken! Long live Warren!

Dae, very sorry to hear about Porthos, good luck avenging him. Maybe someday, you'll find a new friend as well.

Alefroth · Post by **Alefroth** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 3:45 am

So sorry to hear about Porthos.

If you're intent on killing the other, remember poisoned rodents can also kill neighborhood cats or wildlife.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Jan 05, 2021 7:51 pm

Today was Day 84 of observation. Because he didn't relapse, Warren is now officially cured of FIP, the always-fatal, officially incurable coronavirus disease. I meant to take a graduation picture today but got too busy...maybe tomorrow.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Jan 05, 2021 8:15 pm

Congrats to you all on beating the unbeatable. Glad to hear good news.

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Tue Jan 05, 2021 11:54 pm

Great job Warren!

What a great way to start 2021!

Hopefully a good sign of a much better year to come.

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:05 am

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:33 am

The six months started with skepticism and trepidation and progressed through all of the emotions, always driven by anxiety. I was fretting over his food consumption and litterbox output and energy level right through yesterday, and I don't suppose I'll ever stop paying attention to those signs. But this milestone does mean that I can finally start to relax.

Next up: he's overdue for a rabies booster. The FIP warriors frown on vaccinations for indoor cats beyond the basic "kitten series" because you don't want to unnecessarily challenge an FIP survivor's immune system. Warren goes for a 20-min walk on a leash daily, and he's escaped and run wild a few times, but we always corralled him within 15 minutes; he's a 98% indoor cat. Pretty sure that MA mandates rabies vaccinations, but I also understand that vets can carve out medical exceptions. I have to discuss that with my vet pretty soon.

This is another area where veterinary science hasn't caught up to the GS treatment and the warriors are on their own.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:03 pm

Z-Corn · Post by **Z-Corn** » Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:31 pm

That's hilarious!

Glad your buddy bounced back...

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:50 pm

Dont think Ive seen a cat with glasses before.

You should get some yellow contacts

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Fri Jan 29, 2021 12:05 pm

Sad stories inbound.

Wednesday morning I had to stay home with my wife to dig a grave. One of her dogs, the great-great-great grandmother of our kennel had reached the end of her road, and despite being happy to see us, she couldn't easily walk anymore and wasn't eating. We made the not-so-hard call at the vet to ease her suffering and brought her home to join the rest of the pack we've had to bury over the years. She was with my wife from a time before we even met, and has been a fixture in the house for over a decade. We miss her.

This morning we got the news back on our 5-month old boy, another Husky. They say he's in late-stage kidney failure and the end is inevitable. This little guy came into the world struggling with dual neo-natal eye infections that left him blind in one eye and with scarring on the other. We literally had to hold his tiny body to keep him warm enough to fight for his life. He's had infection after infection and we've fought for him every time. We can medicate him to drag it out, but he's had a couple really bad seizures this week that left him somewhat incapacitated for an hour afterwards each time. When he's not out of it, he's a happy little boy that loves to be cuddled and run with the other dogs (as well as a partially blind dog can). He just can't keep going for long. We haven't been able to decide when the right time to take him in for his final visit will be, but I'm reluctant to do it while he still spends the majority of every day being a normal dog and loving life.

He's a bit of a goof.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Fri Jan 29, 2021 12:32 pm

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Jan 29, 2021 12:36 pm

Back to back hurt. Im sorry for the loss and the one to come. 5 months old is so young. 5 months or near 20 years doesn't make a difference when losing a little guy or gal. Thinking of you and them.

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:45 pm

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Fri Jan 29, 2021 5:58 pm

I know your pain. Last night I dreamed of some of my dogs who passed away. It was a sad dream.

Z-Corn · Post by **Z-Corn** » Fri Jan 29, 2021 8:00 pm

Sorry to hear Paingod.

That is one gorgeous puppy boy. His features are so symmetrical that he doesn't look real, he looks like a cartoon...and I mean that as a compliment.

Xmann · Post by **Xmann** » Fri Jan 29, 2021 9:24 pm

Paingod wrote:Sad stories inbound.

Wednesday morning I had to stay home with my wife to dig a grave. One of her dogs, the great-great-great grandmother of our kennel had reached the end of her road, and despite being happy to see us, she couldn't easily walk anymore and wasn't eating. We made the not-so-hard call at the vet to ease her suffering and brought her home to join the rest of the pack we've had to bury over the years. She was with my wife from a time before we even met, and has been a fixture in the house for over a decade. We miss her.

This morning we got the news back on our 5-month old boy, another Husky. They say he's in late-stage kidney failure and the end is inevitable. This little guy came into the world struggling with dual neo-natal eye infections that left him blind in one eye and with scarring on the other. We literally had to hold his tiny body to keep him warm enough to fight for his life. He's had infection after infection and we've fought for him every time. We can medicate him to drag it out, but he's had a couple really bad seizures this week that left him somewhat incapacitated for an hour afterwards each time. When he's not out of it, he's a happy little boy that loves to be cuddled and run with the other dogs (as well as a partially blind dog can). He just can't keep going for long. We haven't been able to decide when the right time to take him in for his final visit will be, but I'm reluctant to do it while he still spends the majority of every day being a normal dog and loving life.

He's a bit of a goof.

Really sorry to hear. My condolences.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Jan 29, 2021 10:43 pm

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:28 am

Every time this thread comes back, I hope it's for a happy story like mine:

Alefroth · Post by **Alefroth** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:38 am

Z-Corn wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:31 pm That's hilarious!

Glad your buddy bounced back...

Ha! I didn't even notice. I had to go back and see what was hilarious.

Alefroth · Post by **Alefroth** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:40 am

So sorry Paingod

Alefroth · Post by **Alefroth** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:41 am

Yay Warren, and well done Kraken, fighting so hard for him.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:30 pm

Remember folks theres a big ass dog food recall going on right now thats sickened and killed hundreds of dogs. Be sure you're not using any of it. Its posted in the recall thread here.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Fri Feb 26, 2021 5:27 pm

So last night just as I was going to bed I looked down to see one of the grandkids' hamsters running around in my room, apparently he had escaped his cage and had squeezed under the door. I attempted to pick him up gently but he scooted under the bed. I didn't want him to get nailed by the cat, so I read for a while to see if he would come out. I could hear him scratching around under the bed. I was about to give up when he clambered up on the bed. so I grabbed him and he bit the holy hell out of my hand. I held on long enough to get him back in his cage and secure it.

I asked the kids and apparently they have no problem picking him up peacefully. Bite the hand that saves you...

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Fri Feb 26, 2021 5:44 pm

Jaymann wrote: Fri Feb 26, 2021 5:27 pm So last night just as I was going to bed I looked down to see one of the grandkids' hamsters running around in my room, apparently he had escaped his cage and had squeezed under the door. I attempted to pick him up gently but he scooted under the bed. I didn't want him to get nailed by the cat, so I read for a while to see if he would come out. I could hear him scratching around under the bed. I was about to give up when he clambered up on the bed. so I grabbed him and he bit the holy hell out of my hand. I held on long enough to get him back in his cage and secure it.

I asked the kids and apparently they have no problem picking him up peacefully. Bite the hand that saves you...

With sad pet stories I was expecting,

so I grabbed him and he bit the holy hell out of my hand. So I saved the cat the trouble and killed him myself!

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Fri Mar 19, 2021 9:46 am

I hate to bump this thread, but unfortunately it's our turn.

19 years ago, my then-girlfriend and I each adopted two cats. Last night, we had to say goodbye to the last one.

She was nearing 20 years old, had been deaf for the past year, had arthritis in her rear legs, and has had slowly progressing kidney failure for years. But she'd been happy and still going strong (albeit slowly) until this week.

In true COVID-year fashion, we had to say goodbye remotely over Zoom. Fuck you, 2020-2021. Last weekend we left home for our first family trip since pre-pandemic times--a driving trip to an Airbnb in the sticks, to meet my (vaccinated) in-laws and college roommate (who like me works from home and has been quarantining for a month prior to the trip). My kids are still e-learning and also have quarantined. We're at the Airbnb and not going anywhere. Just finally seeing each other.

Our wonderful neighbors are looking after the cat for us. They let us know on Wednesday night that she didn't come greet them that day, and that she wouldn't leave the couch. Both very abnormal for her, as I'm convinced this cat is a dog who encountered an issue at the reincarnation station and wound up in a feline body. When she was younger she'd come running when her name was called and would even play fetch. Greeting someone while we're away was something she'd never skip were she feeling fine. But she did snuggle with them, and eventually they went home for the night.

Thursday morning they found her still on the couch, having peed on it. She's also had periodic urination accidents lately (she's approaching 20, after all), but still seemed mostly normal. She also has had her days over the past year where she'd have less energy than normal but would be fine a day or two later, so we held out hope that this was just another instance of that. Unfortunately yesterday afternoon she had clearly gone downhill. She had come down from the couch, tried and failed to jump back up for the neighbor, falling over in the process, and then wouldn't move from her spot on the floor (she's never in her life chosen to sleep on the floor other than on a heating vent for the warmth). The neighbor is a vet tech and reported that her paws were cold and her gums had started to blue, signs that her body was no longer properly regulating temp.

We considered piling into the car to return home early, but we are 16 hours away and didn't think 1) she'd make it that long, and 2) that it'd be fair to her to leave her suffering just for the hope that we could get home to have her euthanized. We contacted a vet who does house calls. The neighbor snuggled our cat while we and our kiddos said our goodbyes over Zoom. The vet arrived about 1 am (she had two other appointments last night--how someone can do that job is beyond me). She was wonderful: totally took her time to allow us to ask questions, say goodbye one last time, made sure our cat was as comfortable as possible, and took a paw print for our kids.

Having to do this remotely has been excruciating, especially with young kids (6/9). And it's going to take me some time to convince myself that we didn't make a mistake by going on the trip, even though logically I know that she was stable and acting completely fine when we left, and that this trip in particular was uniquely possible right now. But I will be forever grateful that she had the neighbors to at least ensure that she didn't go through it alone, and for modern technology that allowed us to see her and say our goodbyes.

RIP, girl.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Mar 19, 2021 10:01 am

Im so sorry. Long life and bet it was adventure filled and fun.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Mar 19, 2021 10:03 am

This thread reminds of something we discovered after my grandfather died in 1990.

Granddad has always loved animals, and the whole time I was growing up there were always two or three dogs in the house plus multiple neighborhood cats that knew they would be fed there. My dad said it had been the same while he was growing up too.

After his passing, my dad and I were cleaning out the house and discovered a small notebook in a desk drawer. It contained nothing but a list of all the pets my grandfather had ever owned, fed, or considered neighbors. Each animal had a name, and next to each was the date of its passing. The list went back to the 1940s.