We went away for an overnight youth retreat this weekend. We had only been gone a little over 27 hours, but we came home to find that that he had died while we were away. A big surprise for us.
He was over 12.5 years old, so not a kitten anymore, but some housecats live quite a bit longer. Still not completely sure what happened, but it appeared to be simply of a natural cause. We had noticed a few minor things lately (a couple of very small growths on his head/neck.....his fur not being as well groomed as usual), but nothing that would have led us to think that he was going to die soon. Thankful that he did not seem to be in pain prior to this or have a lingering and long illness to suffer through.
We haven't shed any tears over him. I know some pets take on extreme familial roles for some people....but well, we'll be honest, he was our pet. We enjoyed him. We were glad to have him in our home and to allow our kids to interact with and care for an animal. And when kids came into the picture, he was probably mildly neglected and occasionally his food dish would not be filled as quickly as it used to be. :) We think he was happy and content in his life. He'll be missed....but not mourned like a human life.
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| We got him within our first year of being married....when we lived in an apartment that did not allow pets. |
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| Our other cat, Daisy, will certainly miss him. They've been together for almost 9 years. |
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| He was such a good, tolerant cat to have with young kids! If he got fed up with kids or didn't like all the noise, he would simply go hide somewhere. |
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| He had always moved with us.....from an apartment to a 95-year old house that we remodeled...to a 2-month temporary mission house....to our large family home......to our current house in a new state. |
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| One of the most recent pictures taken of him. And probably one of my favorites. So peaceful. Clyde was a very good cat and we will miss hearing his large, padded paws come around the corner on the wooden floors. And how he didn't always want to be petted, but he would rub against your hand to let you know when he did want to be petted. How he seemed to have a bit of a fetish for heads/hair. How he would sit on your lap and knead his paws back and forth on your legs. How he would come when you would whistle for him. Thanks for letting us take care of you Clyde! |
