I can’t believe I’m writing another post like this only a month after I wrote this one. It just hasn’t sunken in quite yet because it happened so fast. Now about a month ago we made the decision to put down one of our two cats, Indie, because she was pretty sick and not getting any better. One of the things that made that easier was that we still had Oliver, the big fat cat that my daughter loved so much. Well, after we got home from the Halloween festivities of last last night and put the girls to bed, we sat down to relax a little when we heard Oliver, from the dining room, make a strange vocalization. Amy went to see what was going on and saw him basically scooting across the floor and dragging his rear left leg. We watched him for a minute or two more as he dragged himself around and continued to meow and started panting very heavily. We quickly made the decision to rush him to the closest animal hospital with emergency hours, but by the time we got him in his carrier as best we could, both his hind legs and tail seemed to have gone totally limp. I put Oliver in the car and even though I was petting him and trying to reassure him, he continued panting and meowing; he sounded scared. Not even 10 minutes into the drive, Oliver started struggling and began making low-pitched guttural sounding noises that were uncharacteristic of him but he soon stopped and everything was quiet. I knew. I pulled over to the side of the road and checked him for a pulse or to see if he was breathing and he wasn’t. When I arrived at the animal hospital, the vet tech checked him over and confirmed he had indeed passed in the car on our way there. Most likely he had a stroke or released a blood clot that just started affecting him. It all happened so fucking quickly that it really doesn’t seem real just yet. I sobbed like a baby when I just saw him laying lifelessly in his carrier. Oliver was a good and friendly cat; a cat that we knew and loved for the past 10 years. After Indie left us a month ago, he was noticeably around more. He was more tolerant of Hailey and let her snuggle with him… a lot. It makes us feel better about losing Oliver if we think that he just missed his sister, Indie, and needed to be with her. This loss, unlike with Indie, was totally unexpected and something we had no time to prepare for, and it’s different but still difficult and still very sad. Oliver will most certainly be missed around here.
R.I.P Oliver (3/17/99 – 10/31/09)
We just went through a similar thing about six weeks ago. Sorry to read about you having to go through this twice in such a short period.
my 14 year old tabby is named Ollie. We had an experience in July that has made everyday since incredibly grateful to still have him (don’t know what happened, exploratory surgery and 5 days at the vet, we had signed the paperwork and the vet told us it was far from promising, but he got through). I am so sorry for the loss of your cat. I wish the best for you and your family right now, as the emptiness can be so difficult. My heart truly cries for you.
I’m so sorry to hear this. I’ll be thinking of you.
I am so sorry to hear about Oliver.
UGH! Tough break. Let me use this sad incident to recommend your local animal shelter. There are hundreds of pets that would love a good home waiting at the shelter every day. 2 of our last 3 cats were shelter cats (the other was a stray) and I swear, you cannot beat them for having good temperaments… it’s like they KNOW what you saved them from, and are eternally grateful. If you aren’t sure where to find a shelter nearby, the hospital you visited this weekend should be able to direct you to one.
I’m no cat fan — and am only starting to warm up to my girlfriend’s dogs — but I can certainly tell how much Indie and Oliver mean to you and your family Eric…. I’m so sorry for your loss and my thoughts are with y’all.
Damn it dude… I’m really sorry to hear that.
Oh my god. I’m so sorry. =(
I’m very sorry for your loss.
Ugh, can’t believe you guys have to go through this again, let alone within such a short time period. Again, I wish you guys the best during this difficult time.
Hey Eric,
I’m so sorry to hear about Oliver. I read about it in Twitter, but didn’t feel like an @reply would be the best play to share a condolence (not that a blog comment is better…). I hope the next few months go better for you all…
Thoughts are with you and the gals in your life. Tough times, especially when kids are involved.
That’s horrible. I’ve lost five cats in 2 months because I moved out of my parent’s house and couldn’t take them with me. They suck at taking care of them or watching them. It’s such a terrible feeling. I hope things get easier soon.
So sorry. That hurts to read.
All the best.
Thanks for all of your comments. It’s still so surreal that Ollie is gone now too. We’re dealing. It’s been sad around here but our girls make us smile. We’re thankful for them, especially during this time.