Pets

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

When we bought Pepper home, our cats stood in the hallway and hissed at him for some time. I am not sure what happened as I don't speak dog or cat but Pepper evidently did not respond in an aggressive manner and they accepted each other. One of our cats would even try to play with Pepper on occasion and missed him when he passed. When Silver arrived, she just fit in without that display of hissing.

 

[scotchandcigar]

Having a dog named Pepper reminds me of this

 

[JHDK]

Nico knows he's a pussycat so that's def embarrassing for him but he's doing his best to assert his authority.

"You wanna bring a Michael Vick fighting dog into my domain?.......I wont stand for this shit. Westminster growled once, that's all she has in her....looks like it is up to me and Penny to show pitty who's who around here."

 

[scotchandcigar]

Lazy Sunday

 

[JHDK]

Today was just fantastic.

Athena has had a few symptoms of not being well but I only put them all together a few days ago.

She has been meowing loud but I thought that cause she was deaf and trying to hear herself. I'd be pissed if I went deaf and would probably yell at myself to see how deaf I really was.

She has also been drinking a lot more and pissing a lot more.

She has been sleeping more than the normal even for a cat.

Then two or three days ago I was petting her and could feel her vertebrae distinctly. Somehow she got skinny and I didn't notice. As a middle age and senior cat she's always been a bit of a chonker. I would bust her balls about it and call her a fatass and Pam would call me mean but she's a dumb cat so she didn't understand.

Anyway the spine thing made me put it all together that shit is going bad. So I took her to the vet today. First time she's been to a vet since she was spayed.....so a bit more than 15 years ago. She's 16 now.

They weighed her and she's 10.17lbs. That was really concerning cause as an older girl she's always been around 15lbs. $650 worth of blood tests later and I got the great news that she has raging diabetes and kidney disease. The vet said I could take her to a cat ICU for a few days and then give her insulin and a whole bunch of other shots everyday and that would keep her alive. But she also said that even with all that it could mean she has a month left or a year left. So fuck.

Then the convo shifted to how killing her might be the best option.

Also shit about ketones was discussed. Those sound a lot like midichlorians to me but turns out they're a real thing. Apparently they are very bad and if that shit happens she will be in pain and die quickly. I could be wrong about all of that but they are bad......When ketones talk was happening I was having like a movie moment. I knew when I took her there it might be the end but I'm really good at pushing worst case scenarios out of my head so when I already was told she's at the end and then also shit about ketones was brought up I was standing there conscious and looking normal but all I could hear was like a ringing in my ears and I wasn't paying attention to anything except how I just heard I should put her down. Like I said, a movie moment. I was there but I wasn't at the same time.

They suggested I put her down right then, on the spot. That got me to snap out of the weird ringing ear thing and I told them to give her back to me that second. I need a few days to give her a proper farewell.

I'm gonna kill her this week. FUCK. I really don't want to. But it's the right thing to do.

Until I make that appointment she's gonna get all the treats and tuna and whatever the fuck she wants.

She is my first real pet as an adult. Every pet before her really belonged to my mom and dad. I got her in 08 as a kitten after my mom died. Also she knew Hendrik. So I'm losing that connection and that somehow makes me more grumpy about this whole thing.

Whatever. She's a cat. Cats die. She has given me a really fun 16 years.

FUCK.

 

[JHDK]

New photo · Monday, Jul 28

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I'm just letting her straight pound tuna at the moment. In normal times I would only give her like a tiny little bit.

What fucking difference does it make at this point? She doesn't know it but this is her extended last meal.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

I'm sorry. The only downside of having a pet is you know that this is the part that is coming. As someone who has had to do this before, I have 2 suggestions:

1. Don't second guess yourself when you finally decide it's time.
2. Invest in an urn so you can keep her after the fact.

I'm sorry. I hope you and her enjoy her last days.

 

[JHDK]

I'm sorry. The only downside of having a pet is you know that this is the part that is coming. As someone who has had to do this before, I have 2 suggestions:

1. Don't second guess yourself when you finally decide it's time.
2. Invest in an urn so you can keep her after the fact.

I'm sorry. I hope you and her enjoy her last days.

Thanks man I've definitely made the decision to do it. It's happening this week. I just haven't decided what day yet.

As far as the ashes go, I totally get how they can bring comfort but they mean nothing to me. Once life slips out of her, the corpse is no longer my little Athena. That life that made her all she ever was for 16 years might (hopefully) be with some sort of power we will never fully comprehend while mortal, or she will just be gone into nothingness.

What I care about is being there with her when she dies so she has the one person she's known her entire life by her side as her life leaves.

I just opened this email which was another delightful part of these past two days. It's going to cost $400 to kill my cat so that's wonderful. Not only am I the one who has to make the decision to end the life of a living being I've truly loved for 16 years, but doing it will wind up costing over a grand all told.

New photo · Monday, Jul 28, 2025

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[HecticArt]

Sorry Koop.
lt‘s a tough decision to make, but I’m glad that you aren’t dragging out her suffering.

 

[scotchandcigar]

Sorry about the situation. It's always inevitable, but heartbreaking. Be happy that you gave her a good run.

 

[JHDK]

Well Athena's dead sometime around 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. She's really gotten worse, like falling over now. I have a theory that the vet made her worse somehow. But that's ridiculous I know. Maybe the fact that she's eaten two full cans of tuna today could be why she's falling over. She's tuna drunk.

Also look at this crazy message Athena wrote and told me to send to somebody that I've definitely never talked about on this forum and none of you know anything about her and she's definitely not going to see this at some point and make me delete it.

New photo · Tuesday, Jul 29, 2025

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[IdRatherBeSkiing]

One or the symptoms of diabetes in humans is acting drunk. I think it happens in both cases of too much sugar and too little sugar (too much insilin). In humans they suggest giving the patient OJ or some fast acting sugar. Increasing the sugar if too much is not fatal while leaving the sugar too low is. In both cases you should call 9-1-1.

I don't think in the case of a cat that is necessary. But it may explain her behaviour.

My condolences and sympathies regardless.

 

[Wolf]

So sorry to hear about Athena's passing, my sympathies and condolences goes out.

 

[JHDK]

Last night sucked I was awake most of the night with her and tonight sucks even worse cuz I know I'm going to the vet with her in the morning at 8:00 a.m. So I'm sleeping on the floor tonight.

Every like 20 minutes she gets up to take a drink because she's super dehydrated cuz of the kidney shit and the insulin and shit or whatever the fuck who cares. But then she moves to a different spot and so I have to move with her and I don't know. I shouldn't be complaining about it. I'm happy that I'm able to be with her for her last night. She's definitely not happy. She doesn't seem to be in pain like real pain but it's like serious discomfort and maybe some pain but I don't know.

Anyway, this is the spot she just picked which is behind the television. So maybe she's trying to get away from cats right to hide somewhere when they go die. I've seen that before with my cat Rika when I was a little boy she hid somewhere in our shed and just died. Tom, on the other hand, which I probably talked about here, he was a polite good boy cat and he didn't give us any trouble. He was fine one day and then the next day he was just dead in my dad's socked tour. He was 16 too. So now I have two cats that made it to 16.

Anyway I feel kind of selfish but I'm kind of hoping she just dies overnight. I already spent $650 just to be told to spend another $380 to kill her. So if I were to just take her corpse to the vet tomorrow I bet it would be a lot cheaper and now I feel bad that I'm thinking about that but whatever.

Also I don't really care. Fuck it. She's a mess right now. If I have to pay $380 to like end what's happening with her right now it is $380 very well spent.

I'm not used to being awake all night unless I'm doing fun shit and usually Athena is right around to hang out with me. This is way different and it sucks.

New photo · Tuesday, Jul 29, 2025

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[JHDK]

Earlier today she wanted the tuna so I'm glad she was able to gorge on tuna but now she doesn't even want her treats and that's like usually even a bigger deal than tuna. I said fuck it like I mentioned in multiple other parts but who the fuck cares at this point? I've got 7 and 1/2 hours left with this cat 10 years at this point eat the whole goddamn thing of treats if that's what you want.

New photo · Tuesday, Jul 29

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Take a look at the cap I wrote down when I bought the last container of cat treats that was that same size and then when I finished it and bought the one you're looking at in the first picture. So it took a year and 7 months to get through one of those containers. That's how sparing I was with these treats and now right now just fucking go for it Athena. It sucks she doesn't want to though.

New photo · Tuesday, Jul 29, 2025

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Awesome update even before I posted so I don't have to call it an edit. She can't help herself even on Deb's door when the fucking giant treat container is spilled out on the floor she's got to at least try it so this makes me happy.

New photo · Tuesday, Jul 29, 2025

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[JHDK]

New photo · Tuesday, Jul 29, 2025

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All right, so apparently tuna is better than treats. A fresh can of tuna that I put right in front of her face is irresistible.

I mean really who cares if her stomach like feels like shit in a few hours because it is under 7 and 1/2 hours now until she's dead. So just go for it honey.

Fuck I'm going to miss this cat. I didn't know I was going to be such a pussy about it.

If this trend keeps up I'm going to be fucking crying in that vet's office tomorrow and I' haven't straight up cried since Hendrik died so that will be delightful I'm sure.

EDIT: Look at how she's standing in that pic. She's even standing weird now......supporting herself with her tail like a kangaroo.

 

[JHDK]

New photo · Tuesday, Jul 29, 2025

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Well this is what I've been doing for the past few hours.

I'm not sleeping tonight. It's that simple. I started this whole fucking thread because I wanted to talk about how Athena was awesome and I loved her so much.

She is and is about to be was the greatest cat in the entire history of cats. I've told her that a million times and I like to remind her that Egyptians used to worship cats and she's still the greatest cat in the history of cats. I've probably told her that exact thing around 4,000 times if you count them all over 16 years cuz I think that is funny. It makes me smile every time I say it.

So when I have 6 hours and 24 minutes I left with her. I'm not going to fucking waste them sleeping after 16 years of loving this fucking animal.

Work is going to suck tomorrow. Not only am I going to go to work with 0 hours of sleep but also I'm going to go to work after watching Athena die in a fucking sterile vet's office.

 

[JHDK]

New video · Tuesday, Jul 29

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[JHDK]

She wants to sleep in the hallway now so here we are. I think she likes the AC intake vent.

I have 4 hours 15 mins left w her.

And it's really 3:45.....left in her home cause I'll leave here at 7:30 and that will be stressful for her.

New photo · Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

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[JHDK]

New photo · Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

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I guess she's sick of me cuz she's now behind the TV so I'm not petting her but I want to be near. This night fucking sucks.