Thank you, everybody, for the well-wishes and advice. It helps.
Thank you, everybody, for the well-wishes and advice. It helps.
In reply to John Welsh :'
Some weeks ago when I had to find a place to put my 13 year old dog to sleep, my plan going in was having a vet come to the house. However, 450$ made me figure out plan B. It's a great service, but I don't understand why driving to my house costs an extra 400$. I ended up going to a vet for 60$.
pet loss sucks. Its been 8 weeks and we all think about her daily. It just feels so different in the house not having them where they are supposed to be.
I'm so sorry, I hope you can make the most of the time you have left with each other. So hard to lose them.
So sorry. We recently had to put our 14 year old dog Bailey down. We got him when our boys were 6 and 8 and we had him for most of their memorable years. It was hard to tell them even at 20 and 22. They do make your life better.
So, so sorry to hear this. Thankfully you will get the chance to spoil him and keep him comfortable. We have used Lap of Love for two of our cats. Yes, it is more expensive but we really liked not stressing the animal with a ride to the vet. Doing it at home, on their favorite blanket was calm and peaceful. The 2 vets that we interacted with in this group were really wonderful.
You do have to schedule them, often a few days out, which can be both good and bad. Our goal was always to try and keep them as comfortable as possible. Sending peace your way. Going through this is so tough.
We lost our cat Malcolm after only 9 years to kidney failure. The only thing worse that losing our pets is not having any, dammit. Ya've done right by Data and I know he appreciates it.
Sorry to hear Tom, give him all the love and treats you can. We really don’t deserve them, so much unconditional love.
I'm so sorry to see this, he's obviously a very special cat. I hope all of the days he has remaining are good days.
After years of interaction here, you guys feel like extended family. I'm sorry to hear this really sad news. Wishing comfort for the three of you.
Data looks like a really great cat. His coloring and markings remind me of our first rabbit, Sam. We lost Sam suddenly and horribly about 15 years ago and I still think of her pretty often. It doesn't hurt much any more, only fond memories, but I really do still miss her. It's amazing how much space in your heart that a pet can hold. Glad Data found such a great family to make his days brighter.
Quick update here:
With steroids and appetite stimulants Data seemed to have a good weekend. He chased lizards, lounged on the couch, and even cleaned up at his own private cat treat Golden Corral we set up in the kitchen. He seems quite content.
I'm back at work today, and he's back in his spot on my desk.
In reply to Tom Suddard :
That's wonderful news!
Thought I would jump in here and share more about our boy.
While he's always Tom's companion during the work day, he's my buddy when Tom is away at events and races. He greets me at the door when I get home from work or a late dance practice, we do our stretches together on the living room floor, and he wakes me up in the morning by sitting on my chest (and sometimes poking at my face with a paw if I'm sleeping through an alarm).
He's been on my lap to comfort me through panic attacks, depression, the losses of family members, you name it. And as you could see in one of the photos Tom posted, he gives the best hugs.
Every day we have left with him is a precious one.
Data has some nice pinkbeans(toe pads)!
he looks like a happy content kitty.
My motto with animals is to not let them suffer.
That can be hard to determine sometimes, but it's really the best thing we can do for them.
Usually with cats, once they start hiding, stop eating, etc, you know it's time.
Treating our cat's cancer is all based on minimizing her suffering and stress. We're not going overly aggressive on chemo, we're able to treat at home, minimize costs (still too expensive), minimize suffering.
In my mind, $450 is nothing for a home visit euthanasia. Especially if an animal has given you a decade of partnership.
Yeah, we're on the same page there. I found a home visit service, and don't care what they charge as long as it means no stressful trip to the vet. For now, though, he seems to be enjoying life. I would too if somebody went to the store and bought five different types of treat for me to eat.
As I mentioned, we were already a customer of our home vet, so maybe that kept it cheap. I also did not take any of the internment options. It's been 15 years but I don't remember it costing more than a standard visit.
I do remember the nice sympathy card she sent.
We used her again a few years later with Louie's companion dog, Mindy.
It was the best of an otherwise bad situation. Actually, full disclosure, you know when THAT DAY is the right day. Yeah, it just so happened that "that day" was my birthday.
A little update on Data here: He managed to get about a month and a half of pretty good days from the medication the vet prescribed, but this past weekend he had a bit of a downturn again. We had to make the tough call to summon the end of life vet, and his appointment is this afternoon.
We've been agonizing over whether we made the right call or whether it's the right time. It's just so hard to know.
In reply to Nicole Suddard :
I'm sorry to hear that, Nicole. When the time is right, you know. It sounds like the time is right.
My thoughts are with you folks.
In reply to Nicole Suddard :
if you actually made the call, its the right call and the right time, don't beat yourself up. So sorry, it sucks.
I'm so sorry to hear this, and it is hard to know if it is right, but at least the decision is being made out of love and care for him.
I'm really sorry to hear about Data. I recently had to make the same decision with my 20 year old cat, Rosie. The last few weeks have been awful for me but I know in my heart that I did the right thing for her.
Distractions in your life will help. Zzzz Quil will make you sleep. The book PS I Love You More Than Tuna will give a daily cry.
In my very limited experience, I don't think there's ever a right time. All I've been able to do is take solace in the fact that there was no more suffering.
Those first few days are hard, but it gets better in time.
From my experience cats only start to act like they're sick when they're right at death's door, I lost two teenaged cats I had since they were kittens (half-siblings) months apart due to lung cancer, each one was fine until they were suddenly immobilized with difficulty breathing 
My dad took in a neighborhood stray that turned out to be 10lbs of health problems in a 5lb bag, the only odd thing that cat ever did was meow at people for attention a lot.
So at his point if Data starts acting sick...you know it's time.
You're giving him the gift of a comfortable end of life on top of him being able to live his best life.
This morning I thought, "I think I'll get Chipotle for lunch today." Must have been a sign. Mowing down a burrito for Data today.
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