A rough day indeed. I hate this loss for you Jody. RIP Toko. After a time of mourning, perhaps another fur baby will be in order, one that needs rescued and given a forever home with you.
Jody, I truly feel your loss and anyone that looses a beloved furry friend and loved one. I lost my fist cat Teak at fourteen and had just gotten Bella at three; she's now fifteen. She's still very healthy, but if we ever lost her I know it wouldn't be long before we got another kitty to love. My wife and I were in tears when I read your post to her. Our prayers are with you and God bless.
Thank you TSD family! It's definitely been hanging on me hard. Went through the chore of cleaning up and out everything kitty related... Litter box, gravity waterer, Smart Wi-Fi connected video pet feeder so I can always just watch him eat or when I push the button in the app to feed, watch him come running... Just walking and looking around the house, everything that was his has been cleaned and put away just in case I decide to love another furry friend. I had a huge man baby moment... I went out to run some errands which included shopping at different places. One of the items I purchased was my tobacco that I used to stuff my own cigarettes... They use black plastic bags and when I got back home I happened to sit that black bag down on the end of the couch where Toko always laid, which is literally right there next to the garage house door that I come through, and then I left again to go get some groceries. When I came back home, everything had totally slipped my mind and when I opened the garage house door, my eyes and brain saw that black mass, the black bag, sitting there on the couch in his spot and as has always come naturally and habitually, my brain registered it as being him and I immediately called out to him in my weird special little high pitch cartoonish voice, "Tooookooooo", like I have done hundreds and hundreds of times before when I've been gone from the house for an extended bit of time and returned. Then it hit me. That's not Toko. That's a black plastic bag with 2 bags of my tobacco in it. I literally felt my heart jump, like a hard palpitation and just lost it. Boohooing, crying, trying to get the groceries in the house. I made sure I got all of the cold and Frozen stuff in and then I sat down for about 10 minutes to collect myself. I know it will get easier with time, and I have all of my memories, pictures, videos... But the time right now is today and it's fresh hurt. Thanks everyone for letting me vent, complain and cry on your virtual shoulders. I live alone. My dad lives an hour and a half away. My mom is no longer here. My brother got his share of earful. So there's no one else here for me to talk to, or talk at. But even if there was, I would still talk and share with my TSD family. Cheers to you all, a toast to Toko. Biasedly, the best kitty that ever roared on this whole planet!
He was a talker and chatterer, a lot until he got older. Mellowed out probably around 3 years ago. Then it was just random but mostly when I would get home from a long day of absence and when he heard the can opener. He knew it was monthly can of T.U.N.A. treat time. lol I always gave him a can of albacore tuna once a month to sort of break up the monotony of his Blue Buffalo dry kibble. And speaking of, I definitely recommend Blue Buffalo. Every cat I have had previously all prematurely died from urinary issues, mostly crystals blocking up their bladder, having to take them to the vet to have all of that broken up and it would just keep coming back. When I got Toko, I said no more of that mass junk from The Big Box retail stores. He had been on Blue Buffalo Wilderness with Lifesource ™ Bits all his life, and no health issues whatsoever. Never any kind of illness or injury his whole life. Well, until now obviously. After 14 years, whatever he died from, I definitely don't blame it on Blue Buffalo. And his coat was always beautiful, shiny and not near as much shedding as is common. He always would, when I am stretched out in the recliner, crawl over onto my big old belly and up to my chest and lay down right in front of my face and start licking and giving little love nibbles on the tip of my nose. And purr so hard. And sometimes even in his older age, he would try and suckle on my earlobe. And the purring real hard and loud, I would tell him wow your motor is really running, you better be careful your engine is going to blow up! Something silly like that. And as most cat owners and lovers know, they really really love you and trust you when they will roll over on their back and let you scratch and pet their bellies. He absolutely loved it. When I would move up towards his chest area and be rubbing and scratching his chest he would nudge my hand back down towards his belly! The belly is their soft vulnerable spot which is why they really hate anyone to touch or mess with their belly. Defensive mechanism. Not him. He demanded it! lol
Mine loves belly rubs too, and grabs my arm if I try to stop before he's ready. Toko sounds like he was an awesome kitty and had a full and loving life. They are a true blessing!
Oh wow Jody, that's really sad. Very sorry to hear about the loss of your furry friend. My sincere condolences.
My cat, Bam Bam, started limping a few days ago. Just got home from the vet. Bone cancer. Needs the leg amputated. The leg is all eaten up with cancer. Cats really do hide pain.
Oh man I hate to hear this. Assuming it hasn't spread beyond the leg? Have you decided to go ahead with the amputation or... I always hate that other option veterinarians present us with. It's usually always one or the other, not one or several other options. Uhg. Hugs to you and nose rubs to Bam!
The vet said it doesn't do that in cats generally. Thankfully. The vet is sending the x-rays to a radiologist for further analysis. But she is 80% positive she is correct in her diagnosis. The other 20% is not better diagnosis options. BamBam's blood sugar was high today, but vet said it could be due to stress and etc. I need to take him back next week for another test. The amputation gives him roughly 4 more years. Not sure what a diabetes diagnosis would do. Lots of stuff to weigh. Not an easy decision. The vet said I had time to make a decision. Thank you, Jody!
Very sorry to hear this JoAnna.Wishing you well, as you think things through. Is there some sort of support device Bamb Bam can use as a "4th leg", should it come to that?
That's a drag. Best wishes and good luck. A number of years ago, I had a Great Dane Lab mix that was walking outside to do his business when his leg broke. Picked him up and went right to the emergency vet. Spiral fracture from bone cancer.
I don't know, but the vet said pets adapt very well to 3 legs. Oh my! How much longer did he live? Bone cancer sounds much worse for dogs from what I've read.
Unfortunately, by the time we found it with the broken leg, it was too late to help and I had to have him put down. I had no idea anything was wrong with him. Dogs are really good at masking pain and very stubborn when they want to be. He was about 130lbs and a guessimate of 8 yrs old. I adopted him and his brother elmo from the spca at the same time. Elmo lived about 2 years after losing max.