On Thursday, April 24th, we had to unexpectedly put my cat, Misty, to sleep. We got home from the boys first soccer games and were getting the boys ready for bed when I realized that I had not seen Misty all day. Normally, she is all over me anytime I sit down, on the table eating, and, well, meowing really, really, loud throughout the day. (She is part Siamese . . .they are loud cats!) Darryl and I went looking just to make sure she was ok but, when I found her under the bed, I knew things were not right. She was struggling to breath and did not want to move. I was able to get her out from under the bed, set her on top of the bed, and she just wouldn't move. She stretched all out, which I learned from the Vet is what they do when they can't breath in order to try to open up the airway more. At that point, we knew she needed help so we called the Vet (who has a 24 hour emergency line) and, without hesitation, he told us he would meet us at the office in 20 minutes. So, we loaded up the boys and Misty and made a pretty quite 20 minutes drive. Darryl and I already knew what we were going to have to do but we still held onto a little hope that it would be ok. After checking her over our wonderful vet (yes, he really is - so kind and caring) told us that her lungs were filling up with fluid and her heart was struggling. At 19 years old, there really was very little to be done. I was able to hold her for quite a long time before the Vet took her away. It was a very, very difficult thing to do.
Misty has been my "baby" for 19 years. I got her from my niece and nephew because she was their favorite kitten and they had to get rid of all of their cats/kittens due to moving. They begged me to take her and how could I say no? She has always been a tiny thing - so tiny that when she was fixed and declawed, the vet had to give her special sleeping stuff to make sure that she didn't get too much medicine. She couldn't jump up on anything until she was well over 6 months old. Her favorite place to sleep was with me - as a kitten she would curl up in my hair. As she grew she loved to go under the covers and curl up by my feet. Other fun things she did - she would drag my jewelry all over the house - she loved gold chains! She used to get up on my stereo and lay her body over the lamp that was next to it to soak up all of the warmth. Every day when I took a shower, she would come in the bathroom and lay on my towels. She loved Doritos, Cheetos and drinking out of my glass (if I let her!) with her paw. Misty was my best friend and confidant for years! I loved her big eyes and pointy ears. She was soft and sweet and loved to sleep on my shoulder anytime she could. As you can imagine, she is missed very much. The house is quite and my feet are cold (since she isn't sleeping on them!). Even though I knew that she was nearing the end of her life I did not expect it to be this past week as there had been no other indication anything was going on.
This week, I've discovered so many things I will miss - seeing her curled up and as flat as pancake on the dishwasher in the sun, seeing her in "her" cupboard above the fridge (where it was always warm!), seeing her curled up in the laundry basket on top of the fresh, warm laundry, "fighting" with her when I made tuna salad (I always left a little in the can and let her enjoy a treat), seeing her waiting for me when I come home - and meowing at the top of her lungs, having her sit on my towels while I take my shower, and hearing her meow at the bedroom door when it gets closed while she is still in there sleeping, having her snuggle on my neck at night while I attempt to do things on the computer . .. all just to name a few things I will miss about my sweet Misty!
You will be missed, Misty!!
