More Pet Stuff

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, Chihuahua is trying to jump on my head.

[Willets Point]

My 16-year-old cat Max has been missing since Sunday night. Last I saw him he was sitting contentedly on the front porch while I carried in the groceries. He never ventured far from the house. I know cats have an instinct when they're sick or injured to find some place out of sight to shelter as they quietly die, but all our searches in the area have turned up nothing. Anyhow, I am sad.

[The Hot Corner]

So sorry to here that Max is missing. Pets become a part of the family and it is always upsetting when something happens to them. Hopefully, he will turn up soon.

[Edgy MD]

Shit, Willets, I'm sorry. Best wishes.

[Fman99]

That is a bummer. I had a cat named Max when I was a teenager.

[kcmets]

Hopefully Max will surface safe and soon.

I've been feeding an outdoor (probably stray) cat the last few weeks. Rusty.
She is either pregnant or been milking the other driveways on the street too.
Rusty is one chubby mama!

[Willets Point]

Thanks, all! No sign of Max yet.

[whippoorwill]

Oh no! Come home Max! I would be devastated!

[Benjamin Grimm]

One of my two cats died a couple of weeks ago. She went naturally at home, on the couch, and my daughter and I were present. It's a terribly sad thing to lose a pet. I hope Max turns up okay.

[MFS62]

Come home,Max.
Later

[whippoorwill]

One of my two cats died a couple of weeks ago. She went naturally at home, on the couch, and my daughter and I were present. It's a terribly sad thing to lose a pet. I hope Max turns up okay.

Sorry Ben :~(

[Benjamin Grimm]

Thank you.

[MFS62]

Yes. Sorry to hear that, Ben. I know what you went through.

Later

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

Our 19-year old cat, Tug, has been having trouble walking, with one of his hind legs bothering him. This has happened from time to time and he bounces back in a couple days.

But recently he had the problem and it was just getting worse and worse. We took him back to the vet for x-rays, and learned today he has bone cancer and they think it is spreading. There is no cure. We are taking him in on Monday to euthanize him.

I know 19 years is a darn good ride for a cat. We got him when my daughter was in first grade and she’s now 25. But he’s such a companion, especially for my wife.

I know it is the right thing to do, but it sure is tough. We love the guy.

[kcmets]

45

[Edgy MD]

Sorry, Milky.

We feel like we may have just dodged the reaper with our shih tzu. She's only 10, but her companion (father? lover? brother? all three? their relationship was a mystery when we got them) made it to 20, so we're kind of spoiled and used to seeing our dogs get old and nutty. We've been "walking" her in a wagon, and the neighbors think we're nuts, but it appears she's had a slipped disc, and recovery is slow.

I'm glad Tugger has had a good life with you. My next pet is going to be a family of elephants. Tough to keep well fed, but at least they'll outlive me.

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

Thank you, guys.

[whippoorwill]

I’m so sorry. It is a very hard decision
Give Tug a big hug from me please

[whippoorwill]

Thought about this all weekend Marshy. I’m so sorry

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

Thought about this all weekend Marshy. I’m so sorry

Thank you so much. You are very kind and I appreciate your thoughts and words very much. I am really struggling today.

Here's what I shared today:

We lost our friend Tug today. He had been a member of the family for 19 years, which I know is an amazing run for a cat. We are heartbroken.

Technically he chose us. We went to the humane society in 2003 looking for a tortoise shell cat. But a tiny black kitten came right over demanding to be picked up, and started to cuddle Julie and purr. The tag said his name was “Chandler.” We thought “Tug” was a much better fit, named after the exuberant Mets reliever.

Tug was full of personality. He wasn’t the kind of cat that would run away and hide. He wanted to be in the center of the action, whether it was opening presents, eating dinner – an even memorably crashing a video job interview.

My wife was the center of Tug’s universe. Wherever she was, Tug was nearby, a wonderful companion. He would climb on the couch when she was knitting and watching television, either sitting on her legs, or taking up her legroom. He patiently modeled hats Julie kitted so she could post photos on her knitting website. He was deemed “knitworthy” – a special status in the family -- and appreciated the toys she knit for him.

Tug adored my daughter. He joined the family when she was just a first-grader. She could pick him up any time and carry him around. One of our favorite photos is young Caroline reading a bedtime story to kitten Tug, sitting happily in her lap. We still have the classroom assignment where she gleefully described her new friend, down to his “soft, padded paws.”

He liked to supervise me and my son when we were doing things, keeping an eye on the activity and likely judging.

Tug liked cardboard boxes, electric blankets – he has several around the house – napping in the sunshine beaming through windows or on the ottoman when it was placed in front of the fireplace. He enjoyed sitting on his perch in the sunroom, surveying the backyard, yelling at birds and chipmunks through the screen window. He came running when he smelled bacon sizzling or heard the clink of a nearly empty bowl of ice cream.

He was with us from our 30s through our 50s, and took the kids from elementary school through careers. He was there for job changes, graduations, a wedding, joyous celebrations and some painful losses.

Very much a member of the family, Tug was good at enduring hugs and absorbing tears. He packed a lot into his 19 years. We’ll miss him very much.

[MFS62]

Memories of Tug will be with you forever.
Cherish them.

Later

[whippoorwill]

Oh my. You have me in tears. Thank you so much for sharing…I know it must be hard to share these memories but he sounds like a fabulous member of your family and one that deserves his status as ‘son’ and ‘brother’
I’ll be thinking of you and Tug

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Nice tribute to the Tugger

[The Hot Corner]

Beautiful tribute to Tug. It sounds like he had a great life.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Here's a weird one: our cat Mars has lost his voice. He typically makes a racket when it's time to eat. The past 2 days, his mouth opens and no noise comes out. He's pretty much the same stupid cat he is otherwise so it doesn't look like a serious issue but perhaps a signal of some other trouble we don't know about.

Anyone deal with this before?