Saturday, August 6, 2011

Rest Peacefully

We had the unfortunate experience of having to put one of our pets to sleep on Wednesday, August 3.  Stormy had Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) and she also had worsening behavioral problems.  She was becoming increasingly unpredictable in her behavior and it became a concern of safety for the kids.  Stormy was clearly getting more miserable both physically and likely, mentally.  After a long talk with our very compassionate veterinarian, she advised that our only solution was not exactly the happiest outcome.  However, it would be a more peaceful and humane outcome for Stormy than other options.  Here a look back at our crazy cat…even if you don’t care or never liked her much, hang in there, you’ll chuckle…I promise!
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I brought the cute little girl home back in May of 2006 from a litter of kittens that was sitting outside the front door of the police department.
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Back then she loved to snuggle.

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She was tiny and needed replacement milk fed to her through a syringe.
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Stormy grew very quickly and became extremely playful as most kittens are.
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She was our little nutcase from the beginning.  And boy did she get herself into some interesting places through her life…

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…the cubby of the desk…

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…inside a flower pot…
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…into my scrapbooking tools tote…
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I’m noticing that she may have had a secret kitty thing for scrapbooking.
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She could jump onto the top of the cabinets and the bathroom door…yes I said door...
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…she had a thing for sleeping inside the couches… 
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…and for whatever reason every Christmas loved to squeeze herself into this garland box. 
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She made all kinds of messes.  She’d unravel toilet paper and paper towels, chew apart plastic bags, and with her FLUTD she just couldn’t always get her business into the box; right outside the box, but not INSIDE the box. 
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Stormy broke things too.  She peeked out the blinds so many times the slats snapped off. 
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She put up with the addition of a fur brother to help her learn to be a cat. 
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Jax kept her company after her spay while they watched the 6 o’clock news together.
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Sometimes he’d even help her to the restroom.
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Yep, once upon a time they were buds.
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Stormy had her favorite things.  She loved jingle balls and jacks.  Her favorite treats were the tender ones, not crunchy.  She had her way of things and the humans dared not bother her with any other way.
There is no denying that Stormy had issues.  She was our cat and we loved her, some more than others.
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She must have thought I was off my rocker on Tuesday night when I sat there taking pictures of her. 
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I found her a most cooperative subject and I was grateful.
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I felt almost like she was playing along.
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In the natural light of Wednesday afternoon, just a couple short hours before it was time to go, I took a few more pictures of her.  I spent some time with her brushing her hair, getting her to play with her favorite toys, and giving her treats. 
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She lounged “with” her brother for a bit.  She’d become increasingly intolerant of him too as of late. 
Before I knew it, we had to go.  I insisted on taking her myself.  I didn’t want the kids there for obvious reasons and because I brought her home I wanted to be the one to take her in the end.  It just felt like the way it had to be.  It is an awful feeling walking out of the vet’s office without your loved one that you brought in.  I do know that in her last moments Dr. C treated her with the utmost compassion, respect, and gentle demeanor that despite her crazy ways, Stormy deserved. 
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Rest peacefully Stormy girl.  I miss you. 

3 comments:

audrey said...

Oh, how sad. i know that must have been so hard, but you did the right thing. We had a cat the first few years we were married who's had similar bathroom manners/psychotic tendencies. She would attack people when they would come in our house. When I got pregnant the 1st time she turned on me and attacked me multiple times by biting and scratching my legs with her hind claws (she was declawed in the front) as I would walk through a room. I eventually couldn't take it and we gave her away. I also got tired of her using the restroom everywhere but her perfectly clean litter box. Every time I took her to the vet I would ask them about her strange behavior, but they never took me seriously. Maybe she had a similar disease as your sweet kitty?

Hopefully your Stormy is resting peacefully now :)

Angie F said...

Aww. Poor Stormy. :(

Anonymous said...

I am so sorry about Stormy. I know you will miss her. She was a cutie when she was little. I really enjoyed the photos. What a beautiful memorial to her.