Thread:Llyssa1020/@comment-37437697-20190827034838/@comment-38558458-20190827052829

Thank you so much Mirage! ~  I didn't think I would be so affected by him passing, but now that the evening is here and I've been alone, it has sort of set in and I am grieving. Thank you for understanding. Nick was a big boy and sounds a lot like your "Squeak". He has a sister, Natasha (Sasha for short), who is still at home. I have a temporary one day picture of Nicholas on my FB avatar. He was 16 years old and I was around him for about 10 of those early years. He was my source of comfort and my fierce guardian when I broke my leg 12 years ago. He would never leave my side (or maybe I didn't realize he slept so much in one place 🤔). Anyway, he is very close with my Father and leaves behind his twin sister Natasha (who looks nothing like him - light tan with siamese type stripes). They will miss him the most.

I had my first cat out of college, Bandit, and he lived only 10 years. I always thought cats lived longer (16-18 years) and it affected me deeply when he passed right in front of me, unexpectedly at the Vets. I took him into the Vets office because I didn't think he was his spunky self and I thought he needed grooming for the summer. He was a long haired cat and came from a feral family of cats from my uncle's farm. He did not do well with being groomed, but the long hair was difficult, so he would be sedated while they groomed him, then they would bring him out of sedation and have him ready for me to pick up. Now that I'm older, I don't think that sedation was probably an easy thing on his body. When I took him into the Vet's that day, I had them groom him and we had him shaved for the first time. Then when they went to bring him out of the sedation, he didn't wake up. They tried Cat CPR in front of me and injected his heart - it was all very surreal and I didn't quite comprehend that it was actually happening. Then they just apologized and said he was gone. I could barely sit down on the rolling chair behind me and it nearly went out from under me. I was having a hard time catching my breath. My Mom and Sister (and year old niece) dropped everything and drove 2-3 hours to be with me as soon as possible - that was 20 years ago and it doesn't get any easier. It was much gentler with Nick today, but it still hurts. I later found out that Bandit also had some kidney issues that we missed when I took him in on NYE. I don't think my Doctor got that message and a follow up wasn't really done.

A year later, I relocated closer so I could be with my family and lived at Mom and Dad's for awhile. It was 4 years after Bandit passed, when I thought it was time to have another cat and we decided to get two this time. After I moved out of my parents home, they kept the cats. So, Nicholas is the second boy I've really lost. His sister Natsha is very sweet and Nick used to dominate her and would get jealous of any attention she got, so she wouldn't come around my Mom and has become more secluded over the years. I'm hoping that she will come out of her shell a bit and enjoy her last few years. I now have two cats of my own that are 6 years old. Their picture is on my profile page. They are sisters - Emma and Bella. They got extra love from me tonight.

I know that your daughter is missing Pip and Squeak and they miss her too (as well as her parents missing her💕). I'm sure the 5 year old cat was a difficult loss for her as well as you (I would have a very hard time if something happened to one of my girls, at 6 years old). I think it helps having another cat once something happens to the other one. There are so many things happening at your home...going off to college can be a difficult transition on everyone. She will meet friends and it will get better. Is she very far from you? Can she come home easily? My niece went to college for a year. She was right here in town but lived on campus. She is now 21, trying to figure out this thing called life and where she is going. She has her own apartment and brought home her first kitten this summer. He is gray and white and his name is Jasper. She still has a 15 year old family cat at home with my sister and brother-in-law, named Buddy. She has had two other cats from her childhood that she has lost and it has been hard for her. I think Jasper is a good addition for her and it gives her some responsibility. It will make it easier for her when Buddy passes, although my sister will have the hardest time - Buddy is her boy. Your daughter might be in a similar stage in her life when Pip and Squeak are nearing the rainbows end. I think you are probably having the hardest time with this transition. I know that was the case for my own Mother when I was young and just starting out in life. She grew very close to our dog, Suzy.

Thank you so much for keeping me in your thoughts Mirage! I really appreciate your kind words and for sharing. ~  Llyssa