This is Jasmine:


a 5 month old calico kitten & got 3 months ago. I've had cats all my life & she was amazing. So much fun & practically attached to my leg. I'd walk around my appartment & she'd be right there between my feet with her tail straight up in the air & trying not to get trampled. She was so friendly towards everybody, even my parent's yellow lab that is about 10x the size of her.

Every day she'd be waiting for me right at the door when I'd come home. She really loved to relax on my lap... Just quietly reading as I stroked her fur while she'd fall asleep... and sleep with me every night under the covers.



she was great...


When I got her 3 months ago, she had a little cold. I took her to the vet & got some medicine to give her which helped a lot for a while. Mainly her eyes were runny & she'd sneeze a lot. She seemed to have gotten over the cold... eyes a little runny now & then, but nothing to be too concerned about.

Then about two weeks ago it seemed to have rebounded, but worse. The runney eyes came back, and she'd slowly eat less & less. The strange thing was though, that her belly was growing quite a bit, even though she was hardly touching her food. I had a little bit of medicine left over from the previous vet visit that I tried giving her, but it didnt seem to help. Or she'd look a little better one day, then worse the next. The past few days she had practically no energy. Of course she'd be right there at the door waiting for me to come in, but then just flop. I decided to schedule a vet visit for this coming week, because things seemed to be getting worse rather than better, even with the medicine.

Last night she lost control of her body functions. Within 30 seconds of each other she peed, pooped, & threw up on my bed; I think without even realizing it. She's awesome w/ the literbox btw...

so at midnight last night I took her the the emergency vet hospital to get looked at. She was diagnosed with FIP. It's a mutated form of the cronovirus (about 80% of cats have the coronovirus), that travels through the body with the immune system. Basically the cat's belly and or chest fully up with a thick, yellow fluid which eventualy causes the organs to fail. That would explain her growing belly... It's 100% fatal. There's nothing they, or I could have done to save her  or prevent it.

FIP is one of those unexplained diseases that mainly kittens get. It's not contagious, but can be contracted through shared litterboxes, like the one at the breeder where I got Jasmine... There IS a vaccine, but can only be used once the cat is over 4 months old. So it's basically useless in any breeding scenario. It targets mainly kittens because of their low immune system for the first year of their life...


So after our final brief moments alone last night, the doctor came back in to put her to sleep. She was curled up in my lap & purring for one last time as I stroked her fur. After a few seconds she was completly calm w/ her face tucked in the blanket surrounding her. The doctor pushed the fluid in the IV into her body as I gently stroked her. Her muscles slowly relexed and she was gone in seconds...

I still cant believe it all happened. I've seen a lot in my life, had pets come & go, but this was one of the most difficult things I've eve had to go through. It's just completly heartbreaking... I cant even write this without crying...

Well, rest in piece Jasmine. I'll miss having you attached to my leg...

How sad.  Hope you feel better.

man that sucks.

I remember many years ago in college, I found an adorable little kitten in a grocery bag on the side of a dirt road (I don't understand some people).  I took it to the vet and they discovered that it had FIV, another terminal cat-disease.  I only had it for a day and I was distraught.  I can only imagine something like that happening after you have had time to bond.

RIP Jasmine 

I have a cat that has been with me through many moves, up and down the east coast, she's been all over, I acquired her after I moved with my mom to a house with a huge barn. There were two kittens(one of which was her) and two older cats. She was the one that stuck around, we nursed her back to health after she got into a fight with some stray cats, and she's been in the house ever since. I have since moved out onto my own, and she's right here with me, I live with roommates and she's practically one of the family with us, through all the parties, and her brief escapes outside, but she always came back.

I understand your loss, I can't imagine when my cat finally leaves my side, but just remember, she's still with you, doesn't matter if she's there or not. There isn't really much I can say on the subject, I tried to write more, but nothing seemed to fit. Sorry for your loss.

Steve

l3uddha, I'm so sorry for your loss.  Jasmine was adorable, and it's just so amazing how quickly we become attached to the little fuzzballs, isn't it. 

maN i know how youre feelin, ive been there had to deal with that, and ive got one now that over 16 years old, and shes startin to go downhill, albeit slowly but... anyhoo, yeah dealin with stiff like that is quite the Buddha Loves You 

my parent's cat, the cat I grew up with, is going on 15 & strong.

this was just such a punch in the face.... but such is life I guess.

I'm glad she's not suffering anymore or getting worse & dying alone & in pain. The doctor said she wouldnt feel anything & I'm happy I was right there holding her while it happened, keeping her relaxed & calm... even though it's a hard thing to do, she deserved a loving exit...

S3

Very Very sad...

  I feel for ya! I have my cocker spaniel and I dont know what I would ever do with out him. I hope that after some time you can get another little buddy to make your days brighter.

Sad, don't despair though, give it a while and get another cat, as different as possible and he/she will soon be ruling your life.

I got my present cat "Boris" a ginger and white tom after loosing Oscar, a Tabby who had been a friend and companion for many years, he was getting on a bit and the vet thought that some bas...d he kicked him leading to eventually fatal complications. I was not sure about getting another at first but it has been very rewarding, someone has to keep me in line........

I completely understand how you feel, and I am sorry that it had to happen this way. When I was younger my parents got my sister and me a cat. It was a runt of a kitten, and we named it Moondust. It was an indoor/outdoor cat, but he was the sweetest thing I had ever seen and was always with me in the bed every night. One night he didn't come in (exploring the area around our house), and we tried to find him but couldn't. That night I woke up to the sound of a very loud cry, and instantly I knew something was wrong. When we woke up in the morning we found him lying under our car, dead. Due to the season, we figured he was kicked by a deer, which are prolific around our house.

He was dearly missed, and was the inspiration for my parents' decision to begin breeding cats. After some research, Moondust seemed to be most like a Ragdoll, both in appearance and demeanor. My parents bred cats for a number of years, and the ones we have left over have attached themselves to us. My sister's cat "chose" her because the Ragdoll she had before chose her roommate. Another one now is only affectionate towards my father, and my boy Orion is always happy to see me.

I am sorry for your rloss, but do not despair, it will get better.

I'll try this again.   Computer issue killed my last attempt to post...

Anyway, we had a cat when I was in high school.   Crazy little bugger who never did officially have a name.   But he was VERY social with people.  He loved to roam the neighborhood, but he was fixed and never got into fights.  He once brought me *half* of a baby bunny rabbit, and man was he proud of himself!   LOL

Anyway, one day I was walking out the front door and I saw him across the street.   When he saw me, he just started running to me, but he never saw the car that was coming.  I just yelled "NO!",  but he kept running.  I still remember watching in slow motion as the car bumper hit him square in the head.   He convulsed on the asphalt for 2 or 3 seconds and that was it.   I musta cried for an hour.

I feel your pain!

Wow....really sorry for your loss.  I know how you feel though I had a dog that just started hanging around so I adopted it.  The absolute most loving dog in the world!! And completely fearless.   I loved that dog, she would sleep with her head on my pillow at night. then one day while I was at work she got sick with pretty much the same symptoms.  Took her to the vet and they were completely clueless. She tested negative for everything. Finally, they tried surgery to repair the damaged organs, but she died during surgery.  I only had her for about 4 months  but it hurt real bad.   The vet sent off bllod cultures to various labs and noone is real sure what happened still.   Anyway, a week later I went to the pound and adopted a dog that was seized because the PO beat her.  Today she's happy healthy and pretty much over all of her fears!!  And she gets along with my 100 lb  Lab that I've had forever!!   So I guess the moral of the story is take the opportunity to get a shelter animal it's a good thing.

l3uddha, I'm so sorry for your loss. Jasmine was a beautiful kitten. But if you've got to go, what better way than curled up and purring in the lap of someone you love?

We lost our Pixel about a year and a half ago in a house fire. Never got a chance to say goodbye. After a few months we picked up our Ollie from a shelter. It made us feel better knowing that we could give another kitten a good place to live.

-James

Sorry about your loss. It sounds like something my cat had when it was a kitten with Coxidia (sp?)... For two months he would poop/pi$$ uncontrollably and let out the grossest farts... sounded like squeezing an empty ketchup bottle with every step ... sad fella. He went down to weighing just half a pound (seriously) at his worst point. I kept him in the bathroom the whole time with the door shut, washed the floor daily with bleach to keep it clean, and had to shove pills down his throat 3 or 4 times a day... It's been about 3 years now, and he's up to 20 lbs (not fat, just BIG) and healthy.

sorry for your loss... you say you got her at a breeder, so you probably paid for the cat??  You should make it known to the breeder.  I have a cousin that paid a lot of money for a Maine Coon, had to sign papers that he'd never let the cat outside and never get its claws removed and all kinds of legal documents about care for the cat, only to end up with a very sickly cat that didn't live a year.  He didn't get his money back, but he got another cat and this one seems to be healthy (was about 3 years ago)

Anyway,  you should feel good about giving a great home to an animal that wouldn't have likely had a very good home otherwise.  That will probably be my only solice when the wife and I loose our cat, that he had a great life, attention, and someone that cared for the little critter

I found my kitten in a puddle when she was too little to even have her eyes open, she would have died for sure if I didn't make it my business to look after her. After weeks of bottle feedings she grew strong and healthy. She's giant now and coming on 5 years old. She was a barn cat but clearly maine coon...

A woman my mother worked with and was good friends with lost her cat due to diabetes (he wasn't over weight he just had it) so a couple months later when she started talking about getting another cat we plucked a cutie out of the barn cleaned him up, and sent him over in basket. That was about 3 years ago. She babied him, and he always went to the vet on time, etc etc. A couple of months ago she noticed he wasn't eating much, brought him in and found out he was chock full of cancer. She had to put him down and was heart broken  but she's awaiting our spring time litter so she can come and pick out another one.

It's hit and miss. I'm sorry for your loss. But please don't be afraid to share your love with another one. My parents are too scared to get another dog after losing their beagle. They don't want to get hurt like that again...and while its their choice in the end, they could give a loving home to an unwanted animal.

thanks for the kind words everyone.

I was completly crushed the past two days, but I'm feeling better now. I spent the last night down at my parents w/ my old cat & their lab. It helped. I've just been trying to keep my mind off things, as bad as it may sound....

I loved Jasmine to death, but literally feeling the life slipping out of her body is something I'll never get over. I'd be there to do it for someone else no question if I had to though.
I've had plenty of experience(way too much) losing pets & family before, but actually having her pass while in my hands, muscles slowly relax, and give out that last sigh... words just cant describe it...


I'm heading back to my appartment in a bit here, but I'm sure as many of you know it's just so boring & quiet there now, all by myself again. My dad already pointed out a newspaper clipping for two free kittens, but I'm gonna give it a bit of time first. Another cat/dog is guaranteed though, I'm just a pet person.

so Onlypastrana, you've got kittens coming in a little bit?

when i was 6 our dog Sydney had finally gotten to the end and we had her put down (dad had her for 17 years, she had a litter of puppies every time my mom had a kid and dad put each one of us in the dog bed when he brought us home so she knew we were her "puppies" too). I was the tough young lad that said he could stand it, but man that image of her give a last breath is vivid in my mind... I'm sorry you had to go through that man. Good luck with the next animal, i hope it lives a long and healthy life. I got my puppy right around the same time you got your kitten i bet, i'd have bloodshot eyes for weeks if i lost her.

l3uddha, you should feel very proud to have been there for your kitty in his last moments. Being there for our babies is one of the most difficult things we can do (I've been there every time I've had to help a kitty or doggie go to kitty/doggie heaven), but like you, I feel that it's important for me to be there, and I feel that our babies know why we're there. It still chokes me up to think of those last moments with each of my babies, but being with them and holding them during their last moments is the least I feel I can do after all of the love and companionship they've given me.

And....every time I SWEAR that I'm going to wait a LONG time before adopting another baby, some little fluffball comes along and wins my heart....like this fluffball.... He weighs about 20 lbs more now.... 

When you least expect it, some little fluffball is gonna steal your heart....