The mortality of pets

[sesfw]

We lost our Jessie-girl a couple of years ago to old age ..... 20.  We have her ashes on the piano.  I was in the hospital for surgery when DH had to take her to the vet the last time.

Our Hunter-boy is 6 1/2 and acting like he is an old man. He has had bladder stones and crystals in urine but seems to be filling his litter box as he should.

When we lost Jessie I said I wouldn't have another kitty unless one showed up on the door step.  Hunter was 4 when we rescued him from a sad situation.  We love our boy.

[Deleted]

Since I've been on my own, I've had 3 dogs and 2 cats (not counting barn cats).  The dogs all made it to about 12/13.  One cat I had put down at maybe age 12? The other one...the most annoying of the bunch...is still here at 15 and will probably live for many more years just to drive me nuts.   I'm not a huge fan of cats and the only reason he's in the house is he was hit by a snowmobile as a kitten and took pity on him. 2K in vet bills to fix up his busted legs and I decided I'd better keep him as house cat rather than risk him getting hurt again.  He's never been to the vet since then, so he's had a pretty healthy 15 years.

I really, really miss my black lab that I had to put to sleep Christmas 2013.  I would love to get another dog, but I'm not home enough.   Sometimes I think a small dog that is easier to take with might be ok.

[Phoenix84]

I appreciate the sentiments. I'm not too broken up over it, but still, it is a bit sad to see.  I am also a bit confused why the cat died so early, but I guess 10 or 11 isn't THAT old.

I guess ownership of the cat might be in question, since it was the family cat when we got him when I was a sophomore in high school or so. Then I left for college and then out into the world, but the cat was always there when I came back.  I live alone, and although I'd like to get a pet, I travel for work and it's not really feasible to keep a pet.  Maybe someday, when I can have a yard.

I guess it was "my cat" because it felt like my cat. The dog my parents got after I left home, it doesn't really feel like "my dog."

[Deleted]

When we lost our last cat his basic diet for about a year was chicken fat.

 He started eating only chicken , then only chicken with fat on top, finally only the fat.

It's incredible how good a cat can do only eating chicken fat.

We were eating chicken like crazy also of course because we were cooking like 3 a week.

 I rarely eat it now because #1 I got so tired of it and #2 it makes me miss him and wish he was still here to eat the fat.

[weltschmerz]

Apr 18, 2015 21:22:46 GMT -5 @xmascookie said:

When we lost our last cat his basic diet for about a year was chicken fat.

 He started eating only chicken , then only chicken with fat on top, finally only the fat.

It's incredible how good a cat can do only eating chicken fat.

We were eating chicken like crazy also of course because we were cooking like 3 a week.

 I rarely eat it now because #1 I got so tired of it and #2 it makes me miss him and wish he was still here to eat the fat.

Sushi the Siamese will eat anything, from stolen date squares to corncobs to hair gel to boiled cabbage he pulled from the trash.

The one thing he absolutely will not eat is chicken fat.

[zibazinski]

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Gomez was good at begging too.

His last meal was about half my strip steak.  At the time, it was a bit annoying because the steak wasn't that big.  But after the fact, I'm glad he got what he wanted.

[Bonny]

My 21 year old cat used to love graham crackers. Funny as heck to watch her eat them. She was missing several teeth so missed a lot but she sure enjoyed them.

Sad update on our boy. It looks like he's become incontinent. We'll check to see if it's a simple as a bladder infection but it's most likely that his little body is just wearing out. Vet isn't in until Tuesday and I'm in San Diego Tuesday and Wednesday.

[Tennesseer]

Bonny - one of the outdoor cats I allowed to live in my garage had a prolapsed rectum.  It first happened when she gave birth to her first litter of kittens.  For several years I called her 'Pigpen' after the Peanuts character because everywhere she sat or slept in the garage there would be poop.  She had no rectum control.  She was miserable.

I was finalky able to trap her and get her spayed.  I also had the vet add a few stitches to her rectum to tighten it up.  That fixed her problem.  For the next 18 months, she was healthy and happy.  She became the official garage greeter to the other cats who came into the garage for food and sleep.

Sadly, while she was outside of the garage, a discarded/loose pit bull got hold of her and shook her to death.  I found her on the front law with her rectum prolapsed again.  She's buried in one of the flower beds.

[Bonny]

Apr 19, 2015 12:09:49 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Bonny - one of the outdoor cats I allowed to live in my garage had a prolapsed rectum.  It first happened when she gave birth to her first litter of kittens.  For several years I called her 'Pigpen' after the Peanuts character because everywhere she sat or slept in the garage there would be poop.  She had no rectum control.  She was miserable.

I was finalky able to trap her and get her spayed.  I also had the vet add a few stitches to her rectum to tighten it up.  That fixed her problem.  For the next 18 months, she was healthy and happy.  She became the official garage greeter to the other cats who came into the garage for food and sleep.

Sadly, while she was outside of the garage, a discarded/loose pit bull got hold of her and shook her to death.  I found her on the front law with her rectum prolapsed again.  She's buried in one of the flower beds.

But wonderful she had those 18 months with you.

[cronewitch]

ISO's cat seems to want to be a house cat. He puts him out on nice days but he lays on the porch and yesterday got back in the house. He wants to go out at night to see the raccoons but isn't allowed out at night. He was a skinny stray but now fat cat with personal servant.

I have lost too many pets to count, they were all special at the time but now some I barely remember. Childhood pets are the hardest because children have them a big percentage of their life. My niece got cats before she had kids and had those until the kids were teens and another when after the kids were born but before they could really remember, then she got two more and one died after a couple of years. Now she has just one of those left, he disappeared for 4 days over Thanksgiving then magically reappeared Monday hungry so they think he may have been trapped in a garage for the long weekend somewhere. Even for the cats they got just a few years ago it is a big percentage of the kids lives. When you are elderly you want to outlive your pets like parents want to outlive special needs kids. Mom didn't want to get her last cat because she might not outlive him didn't want to leave him alone if she died. Great Grandma was over 90 when they told her that her son had been killed in an accident, she said "good". I think it was a relief not to have to worry about him, he was special.

[Formerly SK]

We lost our 9mo old cat this morning.  Neighbor found him dead in the street - had been hit by a car.  YDS is so upset I spent most of the morning holding him while he cried. 

[mmhmm]

Apr 19, 2015 14:58:06 GMT -5 Formerly SK said:

We lost our 9mo old cat this morning.  Neighbor found him dead in the street - had been hit by a car.  YDS is so upset I spent most of the morning holding him while he cried. 

Oh, dear! I'm so sorry! My condolences to all of you. It does hurt so. 

[Deleted]

Awe. I'm sorry.

[Bonny]

Apr 19, 2015 14:58:06 GMT -5 Formerly SK said:

We lost our 9mo old cat this morning.  Neighbor found him dead in the street - had been hit by a car.  YDS is so upset I spent most of the morning holding him while he cried. 

[zibazinski]

   How'd he get outside? So sad. 

[taz157]

Apr 19, 2015 14:58:06 GMT -5 Formerly SK said:

We lost our 9mo old cat this morning.  Neighbor found him dead in the street - had been hit by a car.  YDS is so upset I spent most of the morning holding him while he cried. 

[Deleted]

I have loved many cats over the years, some for longer and some not.  One of the most painful things when I lost one was a "friend" telling me how they saw on the 'Net that cats live to 18 and 20.  Wow, that's really comforting when I've euthanized my 12 year old in the last stages of renal failure.  And then there was the former friend who asked me if I thought I had killed my cat with a high quality diet b/c hers live forever on WalMart crap.   

We currently have a 11 or 12 year-old cat (original owner is a little fuzzy on details) who seems in great health.  He's due for his annual soon but all the usual signs such as appetite, thirst, urinary and fecal output are normal.  My "friends" think he's fat but the vet says he is just big b/c he's a Maine Coon cross

[Deleted]

I got my first dog when I was around 9yo. My Mom isn't a dog person, but she got me a puppy because I liked dogs. Some years later, we went on vacation and the dog stayed with a relative. The relative claimed the dog got hit by a car while we were gone and he just put him in the backyard and left him, to die, I guess! Ugh! We didn't even know anything had happened until we got there to take my dog back home. We took him to an emergency clinic, he'd obviously suffered some kind of trauma but they didn't know exactly what all was wrong with him and there was only so much they and his regular vet could do for him. He was never quite right after that.

He died when I was in high school. I had been so upset about that dog so many times and crying and crying when he died, my Mom said "that's it, no more dogs. It's too hard when something happens". A few months later we were at the animal shelter looking for me another dog. My poor Mom, fooling with me and "those damn dogs" lol.

These past 2 years have been the longest time that i've not lived with a dog since my Mom got my first puppy. I've had 6. The one I had for 14 years was the one that lived the longest. I was a mess every time one of my dogs died. And after what happened with my first one, I didn't trust anyone but their vet to take care of my dogs if I went out of town.

[TheOtherMe]

I've had many cats since I've been out on my own.  Only one is alive and she is 4.  The oldest lived to the ripe old age of 16.  He fought UTIs his entire life.  He was very good at hiding pain.  I should have had him put down before I did due to his suffering.

My youngest cat that I lost was only a year old.  She got FeLV back in the days before you could vaccinate for it.  All of a sudden, she could not breathe.  Vet said she would not live until morning, but I had her put down.  

I have had several cats live in to their teens, but 16 was the oldest.  Either cancer or something with the kidneys got each of them except for the one who got FeLV.  So glad their is a vaccination for that now.

I don't allow my cats to go outdoors as the average lifespan of an outdoor cat is 3 years.  At least that is what a vet told me years ago.

[mollyanna58]

I had read this a while ago, and liked it:
Note: the following paragraph was written by someone else.

I really would love to know the author of this poem. I have Googled and searched to no avail. The following was the best information found:“A Dog’s Last Will and Testament,” (Author anonymous) included in a recently published book in Germany “Der Verlust eines Hundes,” (The Loss of a Dog) by Elli Radinger, translated by Janet Beasley.'





“Before humans die, they write their last will and testament, give their home and all they have to those they leave behind.

If, with my paws, I could do the same,

this is what I would ask …


“To a poor and lonely stray, I’d give my happy home, my bowl, cozy bed and all my toys, the lap which I loved so much and the tender loving touch.


Also the hand that stroked my fur and the sweet voice, which called my name.


I’d will to the sad, scared shelter animal, the place I had in my human’s loving heart of which their seemed no bounds.


So, when I die, please do not say,


‘I will never have a pet again, for the loss and the pain are more than I can stand.’


Instead, go find an unloved animal, one who’s life holds no hope or joy and give my place to him.


This is the only thing that I can give ... the love I left behind. This is my inheritance — my last will and testament.”

[sesfw]

SK I'm so sorry about your baby kitty.  Give your DS many hugs from all of us ....... and hug yourself also.

[msventoux]

I have a herd of animals now.  I lost my oldest kitty a few years ago, I think he was only 10 or 11.  I woke up one morning and he was dead.  He seemed pretty young to die so suddenly and he hadn't been having any health problems, so I'm not sure what happened.

My oldest dog is approaching the end and probably only has another year or two left.  He's slowed down a lot and now we're in the phase of making sure any pain he has is kept under control.  He still seems happy and wants to go and do things even though he's really not physically capable.  I'll try to keep him comfortable as long as possible and include him in as many outings as I can. 

[Anne_in_VA]

We lost our last cat a couple of years ago and she was about 18 yo. We weren't sure how old she was as the shelter said the original owner didn't know as they took her in as a stray. She died within 6 months of our dog dying. They were only together 1-1/2 years, but were devoted to each other.

We're in the process of adopting a new cat soon. A friend has been taking in strays for some time and she's just got too many, so she's looking to rehome some of them as her husband is very ill and she just can't take care of them all - along with the peacocks, chickens, pea hens, goats - yes, she's got a small farm.

We hadn't planned on getting another pet yet as I wanted to wait until I retire in 2 years, but the opportunity presented itself and we'll take at least one of the cats.

I wish I could take some of the chickens, but we don't have enough land and our city doesn't allow it unless you've got a certain amount of land.  She gives us eggs all the time and I love that!  They are sooooo good when they're fresh!

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I am also a bit confused why the cat died so early, but I guess 10 or 11 isn't THAT old.

It is for a cat.

It's similar with dogs. Some dogs can live to be quite old but that is often an exception to the rule.  11-13 years is usually the average lifespan for a lot of dogs and when a lot of health issues start to rear up.

My parents are on their 5th pug.   Penny lived to be about 11 when she ended up with kidney problems.  Kidney issues are common in pugs and there isn't a lot you can do to prevent it.   Nickles (pug #2) lived to be 19 which is impressive for ANY breed of dog.

Brutus lived to be about 10-11.  We are not sure of the cause of death, he got sick and passed in his sleep so we are thinking it may have been cancer.

Junior lived to be about 15.  He had to be put to sleep due to various health issues due to age.

Our basset hound Leonard died of liver cancer.  We are not 100% sure how old he was, the vet guessed about 9 years old.  Him dying at that age was not the result of us doing something wrong as owners.  I looked it up and liver tumors are quite common in basset hounds.  It's something to watch for if we ever own another one.

Labs and Shepherds usually live on average to the age of 14.   Our dogs are going on 10-11 years old.  So far no signs of health problems though they are starting to slow down.  We need to watch for hip dysplasia in Midnight as she gets older.

[weltschmerz]

Who would trust this vet?

A 31-year-old veterinarian in rural Texas captured the web's attention this weekend after appearing in a Facebook photo holding up a dead cat she claims to have killed with a bow and arrow.

"My first bow kill [cat emoji] lol," read the photo's caption, which was uploaded to Dr. Kristen Lindsey's Facebook page on Wednesday. "The only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through it's head! Vet of the year award … gladly accepted."

The graphic image in question shows Lindsey smiling widely while holding up a slain orange cat with what appears to be an arrow lodged in the back of its neck.

www.cbc.ca/news/trending/veterinarian-fired-for-facebook-post-about-killing-cat-with-a-bow-and-arrow-1.3040681