I was with her every minute of her last day. She made it to 18 years and her kidneys failed. We are so so sad.
I know that cats often search for a secluded place to die. But I believe / hope it was comforting to have her humans at her side.
Who else has this special experience of being with your cat in the final moments?
Our 17 year old kitty passed a few weeks ago too. She went peacefully but it’s still painful for us. You don’t care for something that long without it affecting you. We went to a cat cafe connected to the humane society last week and donated her food and treats and spent time with the kittens. It really helped.
Sorry for your loss. Could you be home when she went? We were actually lucky to be flexible that day.
Thank you! I’m not generally a sharing kind of person, but am touched by the empathy of cat lovers. She went blind then catatonic very suddenly. We took her to the vet when we realized she wasn’t coming back. We had waited too long with her sister and she died in pain. It was traumatic for us and committed to not letting that happen again. We work from home, so she was with us at all times. The vet was very compassionate about the whole ordeal. They saw us early without waiting and made her and us as comfortable as possible. Whenever I get up from the couch to go to bed at night, I reflexively walk to her spot to say goodnight still. It’ll be a while but we intend to get some kittens to fill the void.
I also have the same nightly reflex.