Dealing with a Cat's Passing Away

A while back I wrote an article on 'The World's Cutest Cat'. Since then a few events of adversity have struck Mew and a recent turn for the worse led to his death last week. It was nice we could be there for him during his last days and they were relatively painless for him but it was sad. This article is written for Cat owners who have or who will also go through this process at some time.

Mew started having balance problems in one of his back legs about a month or two ago. At first, speculation led us to believe this was symptomatic of old age or some kind of spinal degenaration. Mew continued to walk around, eat, sleep and lollygag after this new behavior emerged but was then found immobile on the kitchen floor about two weeks ago.

Luckily he already had a veterinarian appointment scheduled before he was found in the kitchen. However, after calling the cat clinic that deals only with cats they recommended an outpatient/mobile veterinarian because of the high temperatures and Mew's condition. The at home vet arrived with his portable equipment and was very professional. According to family present at the time of his visit, the Vet diagnosed Mew with multiple strokes and gave him a prognosis of a few hours to live. Luckily Mew lived for a few more days and I was able to spend his last day and half with him.

Mew's last few days were made comfortable with a water dropper, a comfortable place to rest, no drugs and good care. Since his condition included little or no pain no one thought drugs would be ideal and this made his last days more awake. Every few hours someone would pick him up gently and hold him and then put him back in a new position so as not to get to sore. We occasionally gave him water, sometimes mixed with vitamin gel to keep his mouth dry and quench his thirst. In Mew's last hours he stopped swallowing water so we ceased administering it. His last moments were preceded by heavy gasps that became longer and longer apart.

While I think the strokes were essentially unavoidable I have done a little research into cat health to see what I could have done better. Some websites I have visited recommend strong dental hygiene as plaque in the mouth can lead to eventual clogging of the arteries and blood vessels that can then cause heart and attack and/or stroke. I believe that a stronger dental regimen could have been the only thing done better.

Nevertheless Mew had a good life of 13 or so years. He went naturally and with love. Following his passing away we decided as a family to have him cremated and passed up the option for an autopsy as this would have been to upsetting for us emotionally. We found a crematory that were kind and professional and gave Mew a service he deserved.

All cats are different and have different health conditions. Also, all pet owners are different and have varying positions regarding their cats health and treatment. This is important to remember as each individual condition may warrant some kind of different treatment and concern. While it is ideal that every cat in the World have the very best treatment in every circumstance this is not always possible. Sometimes though, love, care and attention are all a cat needs.