COLOURFULWORLD

Wednesday 10 February 2021

RIP Fluffy

Instead of the usual Wednesday signs meme, I'm posting a tribute to our lovely Fluffy.


Fluffy along with 7 other kittens came into our lives on the 17th September 2007, when Mommy and Baby gave birth to 4 kittens each, just outside one of our bedroom windows. The mothers weren't really our cats, they had pink collars, were well fed, but used to came around to our house just after we moved in, came inside, jumped on to the sofas....end even though I would put little notes on their collars to find out who they belonged to nobody ever owned up to them. The house had been empty for quite a while, as the previous owner had died, so they didn't belong to the old owners. Eventually they just moved in, and just a couple of weeks before they gave birth did I notice they were pregnant when I saw they were getting a bit fat .

Mommy with the 8 kittens - Fluffy to the right, Shelley next to him and Twiggy is the dark one squashed between the two cream kittens




















We adopted out all but 3 of the 8 babies through an organization called "Safe - Saving animals from euthanasia" - my son Michael wanted Fluffy, and the other two girls Shelley and Twiggy sadly just didn't get adopted as they were the "ugliest" little kittens.  Mommy and Baby have sadly also passed away in March 2014 and February 2015.

Fluffy with Mommy, which must have been his natural Mom as he was very attached to her


Mommy, Fluffy and Twiggy, Fluffy sleeping on top of Mommy, Fluffy and Twiggy in a sandbox,
Fluffy found an egg box to sleep in.
































As the only cat male in the household Fluffy was always the boss and a bit of a bully, but at the same time he was very loving, very social and when sleeping next to us on the sofa he always made sure he had one of his paws on top of us. If Jose did gardening he would be next to him and help him dig. He loved to lie on top of my desk at night when I was at the computer and he would go to sleep with his head on top of my left hand as I typed away, or would rest his head on the keyboard and send off a bunch of weird characters.



He was the perfect model too.



At 13 1/2 years of age Fluffy was put to sleep yesterday, 9th February. He was only diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease stage 4 on the 29th January. His diet was changed to low phosphorus kidney food and he was given medication for blood pressure.

I joined a wonderful Facebook group - Feline Chronic Kidney Disease that I came across when searching for info online. They have a wealth of information and lots of caring fur parents.

In the last 3 days he was constipated, and I was having trouble syringing food and water into him, he just closed his mouth and I had to force it into him. He didn't even want to lick a bit of cream which was a favourite before. I tried all sorts of foods, bits of liver, bits of boiled chicken...he would take a few licks, eat a bit or two and then turn away. All he did was sit in corners or hide somewhere, he could hardly walk he had lost so much muscle mass. 

I took him to the vet again on Monday 8th and she said his kidneys were highly enlarged, she suspected lymphoma and he had lost a further 400gr. In total over 5 weeks he had lost 700gr.  

Even though he was so sick, at the vet he would just purr away which was quite strange as most cats would be quite scared. She could hardly listen to his heart as he just purred.

She gave him fluids and constipation relief and suggested I either take him for an ultrasound and we would go from there with medication, but she thought this would only prolong his life by a couple months, and at a great monetary cost to us, or let him go which would be her option if it was her cat. She asked me to discuss the options with Jose and she would call me later that night to discuss, as whatever option we had to act quickly as Fluffy was really very sick.

As hard as it was we made the option to let him go, as we could see he was suffering a lot, and when she called at 8pm on Monday we arranged for an appointment for Tuesday 6,15pm after all her consultations, so that we could have some quiet time.

He was surrounded by me, Jose and Michael who also wanted to be present in Fluffy's last minutes.

In his last moments at the vet :(



















I've been changing his two sisters diet from all dry to wet food and hope that they don't get this debilitating disease.

I will miss my computer buddy, RIP sweet Fluffy 😢.

 

50 comments:

  1. sorry to hear of Fluffy Sami, it's always a sad time when they go. It may help to keep remembering all the happy times with him,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, it's always good to remember the funny things he used to do that brought a smile to our faces.

      Delete
  2. You sure have me in tears, Sami, I am so sorry.
    At least he had a very good life in your home, having been the boss of a lot, huh. What a beautiful cat he was, inside out.
    Having had a dog who suffered too much until her body died on her own (I was too young and Mum wouldn´t let her go) I think you made the right decision. Big hugs from here xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Iris. Just yesterday a friend was telling me her sister in law has a very old dog, blind, deaf who bumps into things, pees all over, and she won't let the dog go. I suppose it's a hard decision, but with Baby, that died 6 years ago I prolonged her lung cancer life by about 5 months, and later regretted it. Even with Fluffy I kept on looking for tiny signs of a recovery, but then he had a lot more setbacks, so I needed to spot believing he would get healthy again and just let go for his own benefit.

      Delete
  3. Doctors don't have the privilege of pointing out to patient that they have reached the end of their life and to go peacefully, but vets do and your vet gave you wise advice. I know that doesn't make it easier to say goodbye to a pet you love, but as you know, it is about quality of life for your beloved pet. Fluffy will we there to greet you if heaven is to be believed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Andrew, you are right, some people I'm sure wish they could also just go peacefully in their own time but can't.

      Delete
  4. Oh so sad to read this, it is always heartbreaking to say goodbye to a companion of so many years. She had a good life I can read . We always know we don't have them for ever but it is always a shock to loose them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's true, we think they will live forever, but they don't. It was just a bit of a shock with such a quick end.

      Delete
  5. ...Sami, I've sorry to hear of your loss. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Losing a member of the family is always hard, but he had a good life reading your story about him. Lucky you still have his two sisters and the photo's to remember.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's right SC, we enjoyed his time with us and now we still have Twiggy and Shelley.

      Delete
  7. Oh Sami, I'm so sorry for you. It was the best decision, but it is difficult

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Always sad for the "parents" but I'm sure it was the best for him, thanks Bertie.

      Delete
  8. I'm so very sorry. They are most precious in our lives. They will be missed forever. Your walk though this was one I too, over five years ago. We still miss our Angel.

    Big healing hugs. ♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sandee. It's a terrible sickness that I was totally unaware of. A hug to you too.

      Delete
  9. I feel super sorry for this post dearest Sami. but I am sure you just gained another angel! Love for Fluffy, thanks to the memories that you and my friend Sami shared in the past decade!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Stevenson, he had a happy life with us.

      Delete
  10. Difficult but necessary decisions. Thanks for being so caring.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh that's so sad Sami, it's really the only downside to having pets, generally they pass before we do and it's heartbreaking. So glad Michael was there for you 💙

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Grace, always sad to see a loving pet go.
      Thanks for the lovely day spent with you today.

      Delete
  12. So sorry to hear this news, Sami. It is so hard to lose a pet, like a piece of yourself is gone.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dearest Sami,
    So sorry for the loss of your very sweet Fluffy boy! Love his 'hand' on your arm! I've always called them hands as they really can use them as that and they can caress and hold you so sweet. That's what my Barty boy also did, he was very much a 'lover' and he could hold me when coming back from surgery; guess they sense what we are going through. He also wrote many a blog with me; just like your Fluffy. Oh, you miss them but also rest peacefully in the knowledge that we did not prolong their suffering. Very thoughtful of Michael for being there, with him in his final moments. We were so lucky that our Vet Amanda came to our home and while I held Barty boy in my arms on my lap, she injected one of his hind legs. So peaceful and later we buried him after all his siblings by adoption had seen him...
    Big hugs!
    Mariette

    P.S. We never gave them all dry food...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Mariette. One of our earlier cats "Cusca" who my daughter later took with her to France and then Holland after we moved to Australia, got quite sick at a very old age, and her vet also came to the house.

      Delete
    2. Found this great post today: https://www.tabbysplace.org/uncategorized/what-you-cannot-lose/

      Delete
  14. Adoro ese buen grupo de gatos, en el que Fluffy se ha convertido en mi favorito.

    Besos

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh Sami, I am just so sorry to read this.
    RIP Fluffy.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sorry to hear. Rest in Peace Fluffy

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am so, so sorry, Sami. That's a long, wonderful life with a very loving family and I know that final goodbye had to be a hard one. Big hugs to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jeanie, Fluffy certainly had a great life with our family.

      Delete
  18. I'm sorry about Fluffy. My daughter recently lost a dog to kidney disease. Eventually our pets reach a point where they are so uncomfortable and unable to eat and the decision has to be made. Hugs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Linda, not an easy choice but certainly the best one. Hugs to your daughter too.

      Delete
  19. Fluffy was so beautiful, and it's always so wonderful the way our fur babies take over the house. My heart goes out to you and your family, and I'm sending lots and lots of hugs. May Fluffy lovingly RIP. RO

    ReplyDelete
  20. So sorry to hear about Fluffy. It's been a long journey with the illness - it must have been challenging for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Ju-Lyn. Sadly Fluffy didn't last long since he was diagnosed, but it's a terrible disease.

      Delete
  21. Oh Sami, a massive hug to you, so sad to read this. RIP Fluffy.
    Wren x

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear from you, please leave a comment.