My cat died yesterday

[Ghost]

Hello all,

I am back and with a rather sad story, yesterday I got to discover that my cat Twizzel, a cat I had for a year now and have raised since he was a kitten was found dead near a busy road.

Twizzel had gone out last Sunday evening and when he didn't come back later I first thought he was after female cats (its the season) but three days later I still hadn't seen him and I had already looked through the neighbourhood for him.

I decided to call the animal ambulance, a first aid service for wounded and stray animals and pets and asked them if they had found him.
They had indeed found a cat but they needed some information to verify it was him, fortunate I had a photo of him and sent that to them, but when I received a phone call back five minutes later and they told me they were sorry it suddenly felt all over again like the passing of my mom.

Apparently the ambulance had picked him up a couple of days earlier.

They first offered that I should come to their office so that I could say goodbye and arranged the cremation of the corpse but because of my phobia for the bus that was impossible for me so instead they visited me and brought him along.

I did cry out loud after the phone call but managed to keep myself together when the ambulance team came by, I said goodbye to my little cat and arranged that he would be cremated and his ashes spread out.

Some hours later after I had laid down for a while it truly hit me, I don't care what people think on the moment but I cried my guts out and started to ask why my cat had to die.
Having already lost my mom in 2006 I felt I have had experienced enough of my share of misfortune, I got the cat to sheer me up and not to feel alone anymore.

Well since that moment I have been quite angry at the world, and nothing would please me more than to get back at it, do something back to show that you can push people only so far before they have enough of it and fight back.

But what can I do, I don't even know who hit my cat, but his or her fate would be very dire indeed if I ever manage to find this person.

[Buleste]

I'm sorry for your loss. I know how you feel as at the begging of last year my cat of 6 years got hit by a car and passed away. Fortunatly for me the car driver took her too the vets which was a about 500 yards away from the accident but her injuries were too severe and she died. It was a blow because she had been shot at least twice in the past and made it but i guess this time it was not meant to be. Alice was a cat who got me through some very dark times and shall always miss her but I'm very philosophical about her death. She got me through when i was ill and now that i was better she needed to pass so that i could have the impotice to move on to bigger and better things. I still miss her but i dwell on the good things rather than the bad as it's the only way to carry on.
Whatever you do don't let anger control you as in the end the only person who gets hurt is yourself. Trust me i know. Things will get better and the pain will ease as i'm sure you know but if you do get another cat make sure you get them microchipped as if the worst should happen then at least you can be informed sooner.

[Bloodwych]

I'm really sorry to hear about your Cat. There's nothing wrong with feeling emotional over a pet you'd obviously grown very close to and probably offered a lot of comfort after the loss of your mother.

My deepest condolences and hope in time you manage to find a way to deal with how you're feeling right now.

Road accidents are always a possibility with Cats. They are the only pet that people are permitted to let roam freely and of course like any animal they don't have the best road sense. The person who hit your Cat may not have even been aware of the situation, but even if they were it's hard to tell whose pet it is so many might just take the easy option and drive on.

If I'd hit a Cat, I would have taken it immediately to the nearest Vets and then gone back to knock on people's doors in an effort to find out whose it was. That's what a responsible person would do.

[Sharingan]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

Don't have any pets myself, but I could imagine how a bond could form between a pet and its owner.

[Buleste]

If you do get another cat i recommend that along with chipping you also get him/her "done" as this reduces the area that the cat will wander. Males generally have a larger terretory than females and so wander a bit more but if they are nutered then they wander a little less. Females just need doing as otherwise you will have a house full of kittens before you can blink. Cats are almost as bad a Tribbles.
Again i'm sorry for your loss especially when you are still feeling raw over the loss of your mother.

[Submeg]

Damn man, sorry to hear about that. We can down a couple drinks for each other, I've had a rough day too. (I won't hijack your thread though)

[Harrison]

Sorry to hear about your cat. Anyone who has never had one doesn't seem to quite understand how attached we can get. They do become a part of your family.

When my last dog had to be put down it was very sad. Having owned him for over 13 years since he had been 6 weeks old. And regardless of any replacement animal you do sometimes catch yourself thinking and remembering them just as you would a close friend or family member.

But as Buleste said, don't get angry over this. It doesn't help. I know it can be hard to control your emotions when something like this happens but I also don't think the driver of a car can be held completely accountable as cats can sometimes be unpredictable and do sometimes just make a run for it across a road at the wrong time. Often coming from a hiding place so the driver has no time to prepare just in case.

Cats are free spirits and unlike any dogs we don't fully ever own them. They have their own mind and go where they like. Sometimes to where they should not be.

However I do agree that if a driver hits an animal they should stop and see if it is injured.

[toomanymikes]

I hate it when pets die - I was totally distraught for about 2 months when my dog passed away when I was a kid. My mum ha two cats and they really are members of the family - I just hope they stick around for a long time cos it will be awful when they go.

[J T]

We had a cat for about 13-14 years. I grew up with that cat and he felt like a best friend to me. Taking him to be put down was one of the hardest things I had to do - especially as my Dad was dying of cancer at the time.

But shit happens you know. Life can be a bitch but you have to pull through with the love and support of your family and friends. Concentrate on the good things. I feel for you pal, and I hope the sad feelings pass. Keep your chin up, don't let the negative feelings overwhelm you.

And this may seem a bit sudden, but we got another cat shortly after and it was one of the best things we did. We got a rescue cat that was lovely and affectionate but had his own share of misfortune so we all benefitted from it. Would you consider getting another animal?

[sarek2k]

I know how you all feel we had a dog called Amiga for nealry 15 years of course i named the dog after the Amiga computer cause it sort of meant friend!

Our dog was terrified of any loud noises like drills/thunder storms/any loud vibrations generally any loud noise that wasn't in our flat but the worst of all was fireworks she used to tremble like hell and try and dig thru the floor with her front paws. for the first 10 years we lived in a quiet village called garstang so we didn't often get too much noise when we moved to morecambe (lancs), it was a different story every year it got worse with the new millenium etc. More and more fireworks, our dog just couldnt take it we tried sedatives to try and null the pain she was going through but it didn't work in the end we took her to the vet @ age 14 and he saw what she was like and said it was best to have her put to sleep it was the worst thing i've done in my life. it cost 80 quid but i couldnt even count the money i was so upset! We tried over the weekend of bonfire night but when i went in the bathroom and saw her sprawled out on the floor in the corner looking like she'd broken legs that was it i couldnt take it any more for her or me.

loosing a pet (friend) can be just as bad as loosing a person cause you are just as attached!

Just the same as you i was angry for a few years Ban fireworks (or the silly insane ones) as well as a neighbour playing films too loud thru a hifi that i'd given him!

I've often thought of getting another pet but just can't go thru the loss again!

Added a picture of her.

@Ghost i know the hurt you felt as it seems others here do to you never do forget i still have pics of my dog now and will have them forever i doubt i'll ever get another one as loosing Amiga was so upsetting i'm talking from the heart here!

[Puni/Void]

Hi Ghost,

Truly sorry to hear about the loss of your pet. :( Loosing a pet, like others have said here, is very, very sad. Hope you'll be ok mate.

[Tiago]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

I remeber how i felt when my dog past away.

think about getting a new cat. It could be good for you.
No animal will replace your cat, but it could help you a bit.

[Harrison]

As others have said, although it is very sad, getting another pet soon after the loss is a really good thing to do as it takes your mind away from the emptiness left from their passing. And getting to know, love and enjoy a new pet really does help you get over it much more than just morning your loss.

My dad takes that idea a bit further. He has black Labradors which he uses as gun dogs. He always has two of them, and when one dies he gets another puppy to start training so he is never without one trained dog and one either being trained, or older and retired. Having two also gives them company.

@Sarek

My last Jack Russell was also really scared of fireworks and would often hide under whatever he could find and wet himself. But many dogs are like this and it is only a couple of nights of the year at most. I expect your dog was much worse than ours, but there was no way I could have put him down just because of that. Sadly mine had to eventually be put down because he had leukaemia.

[Ghost]

Dammit, I had wanted to respond to you all but I have been so distracted.
I will try to respond to all of you as of tomorrow.

[TiredOfLife]

It's natural to be upset when losing a pet because they do become part of the family.
I would definitely recommend getting a new pet soon.
Nothing replaces the lost one but it does give you something new to focus on.

[sarek2k]

@ghost you don't need to reply to all these posts just take ur time m8 we all know the score, ppl without pets don't understand our attachment to them till they have one or two themselves!

[Harrison]

Exactly. We have all just posted some comments here to try and express that we were sorry to hear of the loss of your cat, and a few words to try and help you through the feelings you are experiencing due to the loss.

The comments mentioned by many of us about moving on and getting a new pet are from our personal experiences of losing a pet. I know that when I lost my last two dogs, if I hadn't had another dog the blow would have been much worse as the space left from them being gone would have been much bigger in my life. I replacement pet will never replace the old one; it will however fill the space they have left behind and help you move on, instead of dwelling on things that cannot be changed.

[Buleste]

Slightly off topic but to replace the cat that died last year we got 2 cats. One of whom got hit by a car last year but managed to get away with just a broken wrist (which has been pinned). In september we rescued another cat which has had bowel problems since we had it has also been to the vets numerous times. Now the third cat had been fine up until December when he was struck down by a major Bladder infection and was on anti biotics for around 6 weeks. Within 1 week of coming off the anti biotics he became ill again and it was found he had cholangitis which again like the bladder infection could have killed him. He's now off the anti biotics for the cholangitis and has today been down to the vets for a blood test as appears that whilst his immune system is there (i.e he doesn't have FIV or feline lukemia) it's not working properly. The blood test has been for sent off to America as it requires a lot of speciallised testing. The end result being that todays blood test is £250.01.

In conclusion all i can say is Pet insurance is well worth every penny. The other good side is our vet is going to be so well educated after all this it's going to be great for his patients.

[Ghost]

Dammit, I should have started earlier with this but I have been postponing it long enough.
First of all, thank you all for responding,

While I was the first couple of days at somewhat of a loss at some point I pulled myself back together, just that I had to remind myself during the first couple of morning that the cat wasn't there anymore and that any sounds I hear at the backdoor are something else.

As most people here have suggested I have been considering getting a new cat, not so much to replace Twizzel (that is not possible) but because my house suddenly felt so empty with him gone, I was so used to look after him that it feels strange not doing that anymore.

My first choice was to adopt a rescued cat from the local animal shelter, I visited them in the weekend to look around but to be honest, it was a rather disappointment; the young animals were all reserved and the older cats... well there problems with them that made it very difficult for me to adopt one.
Some cats were very anti social and others could be violent when they had grown tired of affection, of course this could have changed once in a home but I thought it was best not to take one.

So back at home I started to ask friends and family if they knew people who have a nest of kittens are are looking for homes for them.
I have also spoken with someone from the animal ambulance again and they told me that when they have cats again who need a home that they will contact me.


Buleste, I find it a bit difficult to respond to your first post, especially the philosophiocal part about "Moving on to bigger and better things".
While I could understand that in the context of a job or something like that, it gets a bit 'weird' when one speaks like that over living beings.
Sorry.


The rest of you, I will try to get to your message tomorrow (its late here)

[Harrison]

Good luck with finding one from the animal shelter. I always think it is nice to get a pet from there as you know you are giving a home that is needed rather than from a breeder who is only doing it for money.

[Buleste]

Buleste, I find it a bit difficult to respond to your first post, especially the philosophiocal part about "Moving on to bigger and better things".
While I could understand that in the context of a job or something like that, it gets a bit 'weird' when one speaks like that over living beings.
Sorry.


You misunderstand me. I wasn't telling you to move on to bigger and better things i was merely advising how i turned the death of my cat into a positive thing by realising that lifes too short to be moping around.

As for the anti social cats. I have one and as long as you show affection on his terms it's fine and eventually the bad behavior lessens.

[Ghost]

Hello Harrison and Buleste,

Buleste

I guess I misread your response, for a while I was rather confused about what you were trying to say but yes, after a couple of days I decided to move on though I miss Twizzel a lot.

I started to look for another cat and tried to pick up things again I was busy with before this happened.

I had participated in a contest on the No Mutants Allowed forum, writing a different background and explanation of what the Brotherhood was doing on the US East Coast rather than the explanation Bethesda gave.

Well I didn't get a place amongst the winners but I was one of the runner ups.
The judges liked my story ideas a lot but it was somewhat confusing for them, the original text was at least six pages but because the word limit of the competition was 1200 words a lot of editing had to be done to fit that.

It definitely has inspired me of trying such things more often in the future.

[Puni/Void]

@Ghost


had participated in a contest on the No Mutants Allowed forum, writing a different background and explanation of what the Brotherhood was doing on the US East Coast rather than the explanation Bethesda gave.

Well I didn't get a place amongst the winners but I was one of the runner ups.
The judges liked my story ideas a lot but it was somewhat confusing for them, the original text was at least six pages but because the word limit of the competition was 1200 words a lot of editing had to be done to fit that.

Congratulations on a job well done. Being one of the runner ups is impressive and it shows that you've done some good writing. I can also understand that it can be difficult handling a limit on the amount of words one can use. When studying at uni, this was always a challenge. Anyway, keep up the good work! :thumbs:

[Ghost]

Hello P G,

Thanks, I still have a lot to learn but this has definitely inspired me.

[Puni/Void]

That's good to hear. Good luck with your future projects! :)

Have you looked into helping out the FanMade Fallout project by the way? I think they are searching for people who can contribute with writing dialogs and such.

[Ghost]

Hello P G,

I know of Fan Made Fallout, I actually signed up for that a while ago.

But on the moment I need to get my life straight and become more productive on school as I am already running behind :(

I have looked up some help, I hope that will work out.