Very sad times....
We had noticed on Friday night that Nora didn't want to have any treats although she was out and about. This was unusual for her but other than that she seemed okay so i didn't think much of it. On Saturday night she didn't come out for dinner and by Sunday she seemed to be acting strange. (Not getting up off the floor and running away was very unusual for her). When we got home from the airshow on Sunday she was laying on the floor panting, still refusing to eat, and when i reached down and touched her, her back legs were cold to the touch. After calling around I decided she needed to go to the emergency vet and so we put her in her crate and took her.
The vet didn't really have much good to say and thought it was probably heart disease. Over the course of the night with many phonecalls from/to the vet the story just kept getting worse. They found 2 masses in her lungs and she wasn't able to breath without oxygen. Best case she was in heart failure and even with tests to prove it and treatment the absolute best she could hope for was 2 more months of life. More likely than that she was in the last stages of lung cancer.
I had to make the best decision for her that I could and have her put to sleep. Jeff's mom drove me to the vet and I got to say goodbye. She was so very very sick. Over the years I had cried so many tears into her fur and that day I cried a few more. I stayed with her until she didn't have to suffer any more. This past weekend we buried her in my parent's backyard with all of the other family pets we've ever had. She had been with me through so much in the short 4 years that I had her. It was so hard to make the choice and to lose her so suddenly when I had never suspected anything was wrong. I miss her so very much.
While I was feeling bad, my little wilbur, her brother, i think was feeling worse. He had never been without her since he was a really tiny kitten and followed her around and did everything she did. He was lost without her and lonely.
I decided that since we had room and cats were dying because the didn't have homes everyday that we would start looking for a new cat. Nora would have wanted me to help another cat much like I helped her 4 years ago and Wilbur desperately needed a companion.
3 shelters into the search we found her.
When we walked by her cage she rolled over on her back and put her huge double paws up on the window. The shelter was crowded so we had to wait a bit to meet her but as soon as we got in the room we knew we'd be taking her home. She played, and rubbed, and purred, loved to be brushed. She was by far one of the friendliest cats I had ever met. We filled out all the papers, paid the adoption fee and she was ours. Of course since we were visiting my parents who have a brand new cat that hasn't been neutered yet, and she has yet to be spayed, she had to spend the weekend in the bathroom. It was ok though 'cause it turns out she likes to sleep in the sink.
So, our house has a brand new cat to keep Wilbur company. We think they like eachother pretty well...
Plus Maggie now has her forever home. I guess she can thank Nora for looking our for her from up there.