Losing a Friend
Nearly every one of us has had a pet in our lives. Be it a dog, cat, bird, fish or other animal we’ve known what it’s like to have an animal depend on us for everything they need to survive. At the same time we develop a love and affection for these animals, as if they are a member of our family. We do whatever we can to ensure they’re happy and healthy.
I have two cats. I’ve posted their pictures on this space before. They bring a lot of happiness to my life, which is particularly welcome during the stressful times of my life (of which right now is).
Eve is the older of my two cats. She’s been a part of my life since 1998. In May 1998 I started to see Eve around the neighborhood. She was this beautiful long haired Calico kitten with a green collar. As we got into June and July every time I saw Eve she looked dirtier and seemed to be getting thinner. As time went on I realized that she was a stray with no home. May is the end of the academic school year, with many students leaving Bloomington for the summer (or if they graduate, leaving permanently). I’ve read that the number of strays in Bloomington seem to go up in May due to students who adopted a pet not being able to take them home with them to wherever they come from.
Seeing as how she was obviously a stray, my roommate and I took Eve in. We fed her, cleaned her, and she never seemed to want to leave. Though at first she did try to run out of our apartment whenever we opened the door, she soon stopped that. With her finding a way into our home, Eve quickly found her way into our hearts.
Over the years Eve has had her ailments. At one time she had a hyperactive thyroid that was causing her to lose weight. It was becoming a life threatening situation and the vet recommended that we have her dosed with radioactive iodine in order to jump start her thyroid. A trip to Radio Cat and about $1,000 later she was fine.
She’s also had a chronic ear problem. Eve had a tendency for ear infections that we were never able to figure out. The vets had lots of different theories as to what could be the problem, but nothing was ever conclusively decided upon. We became resigned to the fact that every few months Eve would have to go to the vet to get her ears cleaned and checked.
Now you’re probably wondering why I’m writing all of this about Eve. Well a little over a week ago Eve developed a growth the size of a golf ball on her right side. We took her to the vet in order to figure out what it was. In trying to figure out what it was Eve became very lethargic and sickly. However, this was alleviated when we found the right dose and type of antibiotic.
All the fluid around the mass quickly disappeared. The mass did not. On Friday we scheduled to have a biopsy of the mass. Eve had some blood tests done to make sure she was OK for anesthesia. The results that came back told a very grim story. Eve was anemic, which made her going under anesthesia very dangerous. But the biggest problem was her while blood cell count. The normal average in a cat is 15,000. Eve’s reading was hovering around 100,000. After review by a pathologist it is now the vet’s belief that Eve is suffering from leukemia and that the mass on her right side, which appeared in an x-ray to be bigger than is seems, is another form of cancer. At this point there is not much that we can do for her.
I guess that’s the reason for my writing this. A member of my family is dieing. And soon a very important decision is going to have to be made.
As of right now the mass isn’t bothering Eve unless someone touches it. Only then does she seem to be in pain. In addition she is eating, though not a lot, and drinking a lot of water every day. Eve is able to get around our house pretty easily and can still jump up onto my bed, which has become her bed over the past few months. She’s doing very well, but the fact that the mass on her side sprouted so suddenly, and her anemia is so severe, it isn’t likely that she will remain this way very long. As soon as Eve stops eating, or as soon as it becomes apparent that it is painful for her to get around and do her normal daily routine, it is likely that Eve will have to be euthanized.
One of my best friends in the world will likely only be around for another couple of weeks. I’m not sure what I’ll do once she’s gone. Her death will leave a pretty big void. It will definitely be one of the darkest days of my adult life.
I have two cats. I’ve posted their pictures on this space before. They bring a lot of happiness to my life, which is particularly welcome during the stressful times of my life (of which right now is).
Eve is the older of my two cats. She’s been a part of my life since 1998. In May 1998 I started to see Eve around the neighborhood. She was this beautiful long haired Calico kitten with a green collar. As we got into June and July every time I saw Eve she looked dirtier and seemed to be getting thinner. As time went on I realized that she was a stray with no home. May is the end of the academic school year, with many students leaving Bloomington for the summer (or if they graduate, leaving permanently). I’ve read that the number of strays in Bloomington seem to go up in May due to students who adopted a pet not being able to take them home with them to wherever they come from.
Seeing as how she was obviously a stray, my roommate and I took Eve in. We fed her, cleaned her, and she never seemed to want to leave. Though at first she did try to run out of our apartment whenever we opened the door, she soon stopped that. With her finding a way into our home, Eve quickly found her way into our hearts.
Over the years Eve has had her ailments. At one time she had a hyperactive thyroid that was causing her to lose weight. It was becoming a life threatening situation and the vet recommended that we have her dosed with radioactive iodine in order to jump start her thyroid. A trip to Radio Cat and about $1,000 later she was fine.
She’s also had a chronic ear problem. Eve had a tendency for ear infections that we were never able to figure out. The vets had lots of different theories as to what could be the problem, but nothing was ever conclusively decided upon. We became resigned to the fact that every few months Eve would have to go to the vet to get her ears cleaned and checked.
Now you’re probably wondering why I’m writing all of this about Eve. Well a little over a week ago Eve developed a growth the size of a golf ball on her right side. We took her to the vet in order to figure out what it was. In trying to figure out what it was Eve became very lethargic and sickly. However, this was alleviated when we found the right dose and type of antibiotic.
All the fluid around the mass quickly disappeared. The mass did not. On Friday we scheduled to have a biopsy of the mass. Eve had some blood tests done to make sure she was OK for anesthesia. The results that came back told a very grim story. Eve was anemic, which made her going under anesthesia very dangerous. But the biggest problem was her while blood cell count. The normal average in a cat is 15,000. Eve’s reading was hovering around 100,000. After review by a pathologist it is now the vet’s belief that Eve is suffering from leukemia and that the mass on her right side, which appeared in an x-ray to be bigger than is seems, is another form of cancer. At this point there is not much that we can do for her.
I guess that’s the reason for my writing this. A member of my family is dieing. And soon a very important decision is going to have to be made.
As of right now the mass isn’t bothering Eve unless someone touches it. Only then does she seem to be in pain. In addition she is eating, though not a lot, and drinking a lot of water every day. Eve is able to get around our house pretty easily and can still jump up onto my bed, which has become her bed over the past few months. She’s doing very well, but the fact that the mass on her side sprouted so suddenly, and her anemia is so severe, it isn’t likely that she will remain this way very long. As soon as Eve stops eating, or as soon as it becomes apparent that it is painful for her to get around and do her normal daily routine, it is likely that Eve will have to be euthanized.
One of my best friends in the world will likely only be around for another couple of weeks. I’m not sure what I’ll do once she’s gone. Her death will leave a pretty big void. It will definitely be one of the darkest days of my adult life.
posted by IUAngelini at
6:36 PM
1 Comments:
Best wishes to Eve and you guys during this tough time. I lost my friend last year.
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Anonymous, at 7:38 PM
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