RIP Princess Twinkle Toes 1997-2014
Princess Twinkle Toes is no more.
Last week I posted at length about my concerns for Princess, and whether it was her time to go. She'd taken a turn for the worse and I'd made an appointment for her at the vet for Friday thinking that would probably be her end, and it was. Those extra couple of days made it clear she wasn't going to bounce back which made the final decision much easier. In a way I'm glad Dr Laura was on leave and gave us that little bit of extra time to be sure, without being unnecessarily cruel to Princess.
Princess at the peak of her regal fluffy gorgeousness.
On her final morning I found her sunning on the windowsill, and she was wonderfully warm when I picked her up to take her away. I'm glad she got to experience something nice.
Princess' final morning. Much reduced in fluff and curves, but with all her Princessiness completely intact.
She was quiet in the car to the vet, another sign she was not her usual self, although she did make a few sounds of protest when I carried her inside. It's funny how I now miss her dreadful racket. We ended up having a bit of a wait, as the previous patient was another euthanasia and the dog's owner took seriously the offer to "take as long as you need to say goodbye". Fortunately we were in a good spot in the waiting room where Princess got a bit more sun while I could still curtain her off from most of the strange view.
Sultry classic Hollywood film star Princess.
When we got in to the consulting room and had Princess out on the bench, I said to Dr Laura "I think it's time to let Princess go." and gave my reasons, pretty much as laid out here. The final kicker though was the fact that she'd wee'd 6 times in the last 24 hours - her condition was clearly deteriorating by the day. But most of the vital information was derived from Dr Laura's familiarity with both Princess and I - she could tell that Princess wasn't her usual self, and understood and agreed when I said that Princess lacked the fighting spirit to benefit from additional attempts at treatment, and wouldn't ever get any better than she was that day. We were able to compare and contrast Princess and Cally's personalities in that regard, so I felt completely reassured. She was very positive about the decision, and said that too many people lets their pets go on too long.
Princess wanted, needed, and frequently demanded attention. This is her giving Husband the Over The Shoulder Dramatic Look Of Longing.
Unfortunately her final exit was not entirely as quick and peaceful as it might have been. Despite her delicacy, Princess turned out to have thick skin and elusive veins. It took a couple of attempts to find a vein and she did struggle a little, but mostly she just buried her face in my hands to shut out the nastiness. Once the needle was in she relaxed very quickly and was soon gone.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
Princess is now in Princess Heaven on the comfiest of indoor cloud cushions. There are no other cats in Princess Heaven, no litter trays or nastiness, no vets or medicine, just people who love and admire her and who know exactly where and when to scratch. (As far as those people are concerned they are in Frustrated Cat-Lover's Heaven. Don't tell Princess that there are other cats there as well - she never needs to know.) Meanwhile Angel Pumpkin is happily buzzing amongst the clouds outside like the fluffiest of bumblebees.
She leaves quite a gap, having been literally and figuratively in my face for a long time now. From four cats being an overwhelming mob, suddenly three seems like the barest skeleton crew. It's impossible to know how the other three feel about the change. Buffy seems to be taking most advantage of the newly vacated prime real estate on bed and couch. Can't say I see any difference in Boris Giles, but it must be nice not to be hissed at any more. Cally seems most affected, in that I've caught her scanning Princess' usual spots and perhaps sensing that something is amiss. Change of any kind (including moving furniture) can be upsetting to felines, even if there was no love lost between my oldies. I just hope Cally's health is not affected by this disruption.
Princess was voted 'Least Likely To Go Feral' every single year of her life.
I'd like to thank everyone who's expressed condolences for our loss, and the staff at Kingsway Veterinary Centre for their sensitive care. Princess was adopted from the Cat Haven in 1998 as a young adult stray (can you imagine?) - please consider supporting their important work.