The inevitable pet tragedy

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so... one of my parents' beloved Siamese cats has reached the end of the road, and they have to do The Deed tomorrow... So SO sh*t, especially because he's young - only 7 years old. Damn you cancer! Having pets is so great, so fulfilling, so rewarding etc (for us 'animal' people, its damn near impossible to live without them), but man it's kak when they inevitably shuffle off the mortal coil...Such is the conundrum of life I guess...

Warren

Shame man, yeah that sucks.

I recently lost one of my best little buddies (a tabbie cat called Hamlet) and I still miss the little guy. ☹

He gave me many years of happiness though, so I guess it all balances out, as you said.

vic

So sorry to hear guys.

We are also big into animals...currently 9 cats, 2 dogs. ? However over the years we also lost some of the "extended family" and every time is just sooo painful. Best thing to do is to replace...we recently lost our 12 yo boerboel...the vet came to our place to do the Deed...very sad. I still miss him.

Then we got this little one... Jasper...also a Boerboel...great temperament

relaxing at the pool ?

Hammeron

vic wrote So sorry to hear guys.

We are also big into animals...currently 9 cats, 2 dogs. ? However over the years we also lost some of the "extended family" and every time is just sooo painful. Best thing to do is to replace...we recently lost our 12 yo boerboel...the vet came to our place to do the Deed...very sad. I still miss him.

Then we got this little one... Jasper...also a Boerboel...great temperament

relaxing at the pool ?

Shit he's sweet! Wait till he grows up tho! ?

Tonedef

Sorry to hear of the tragedy, MCB. The mrs and I are devout kitty people, and I love our three little shits dearly.

We will be moving into a new house soon and the thought of one of them going missing keeps me up at night.a

arjunmenon

Very painful indeed. I lost one of my best friend's (Morgan, 12 yr GSD) close to 2 yrs ago.
It'll take me some time before i get another GSD.
My extended family includes 9 cats, 4 dogs and a cuckatoo.

Sorry for your loss(es) MCB, Vic.

NorioDS

It's terrible when they move on but, as Tanya has taught me, she would rather have them around for all those years, and then experience the huge loss at the end, than not have them (to save herself the pain) but also miss out on the years of love and fun with them. She's so wise ?

We used to keep rats -> that's rough. They're such sweet, cute little buggers and so intelligent. You really get super-attached. But they only live for about 2-4 years and, depending on where you get them, often get cancer. It's tough to watch.

singemonkey

Norio wrote It's terrible when they move on but, as Tanya has taught me, she would rather have them around for all those years, and then experience the huge loss at the end, than not have them (to save herself the pain) but also miss out on the years of love and fun with them. She's so wise ?

+1

Yeah. Sorry to hear MCB. Sterkte for the day.

We used to keep rats -> depending on where you get them, often get cancer. It's tough to watch.

What's up with that? Inbreeding? ???

Tonedef

Norio wroteWe used to keep rats -> that's rough. They're such sweet, cute little buggers and so intelligent. You really get super-attached. But they only live for about 2-4 years and, depending on where you get them, often get cancer. It's tough to watch.

Try Campbell's hamsters (Russian Dwarfs)... they're the cutest bloody things, but a long lifespan is only around 18-24 months. We've had two over the last few years... it's simply too heartwrenching to find them permanently asleep in the morning (even though the signs start showing a month or two in advance). So no more.

NorioDS

singemonkey wrote
We used to keep rats -> depending on where you get them, often get cancer. It's tough to watch.
What's up with that? Inbreeding? ???

Most pet store rats come from an ancestry of test lab rats, so they don't tend to be particularly healthy. Generally, you want to buy your rats from ratteries if you'll be keeping them as pets. The good ratteries will have a bit of family history of the rat and have strict rules on who they'll sell to and how you can keep your rats. Our next rats will be from a rattery for sure!

Jack-Flash-Jr

Sorry to hear it... I know how much your dad loves those chatty siamese... ah well. Hugs (and vodka) all around.

Highway-Chile

So sorry to hear about your family's cat MCB. There's nothing I can say other than that......it sucks and you just have to get through it best you can..... as you already know. Sorry. Yeah that's it isn't it? We get them knowing they will die at some point, knowing the burden of the sadness, at the time of loss, is so damned heavy. Yet we keep doing it to ourselves. It just goes to show how invaluable they are and how what they do bring into our lives ......... is just so damned rewarding.

In the past 14 years we have lost 2 dogs, 2 cats, an iguana, around 20 finch's over time and multiple fish.

Even now, I am still an absolute basket case when I lose a pet. No less than when I was a kid. A few years ago I had to take my boy Stuka, a Samoyed who was with me faithfully for 12 years, and put him down. He had developed hip dysplasia real bad. What sucked is that his mind was totally fine and he was always such a happy dog, with that incredible Samoyed smile! Even at the end......I held him and talked to him as the vet administered the shot. Effing sucked!!That was really rough.

In January 2007 we lost Tonto, our part wolf part dog who was the most low maintenance dog I have ever "owned". Never a problem, not a barker, digger, chewer.... healthy as all get out-never had to go to the vet other than maintenance and phenomenal with my kids, one of whom was a baby at the time. Came home one day and found him stone dead laying at his food bowl. It was traumatic and my eldest daughter saw him before I could shield her from it. Again, I had to try keep it together as I took care of business.

So........there we were at the beginning of 2007 and we were down to only one bird....my sole Finch survivor, Snappy Bird. It was then that I laid down the law in my family.........I was like.........

"That...... is IT!!! No more dog's, cat's, iguana's, fish, bird's, cow's, sheep, Tasmanian Devil's, hamster's ........ NADA!!!!" >☹
"PLEEEEEEEEZ daddy......"........
"NO WAY JOSE!!"......... >☹ >☹

?Murphy, our GoldenDoodle that we bought from a breeder in Montana in July '09. Hey, I held for a year and a half before I caved!!! ?

From this........

To this..................

LOL........although, this is how I know him best........... a bit of a ragamuffin here......LOL......his flipping grooming costs a fortune, going in at 12:30 today actually.

I'm glad we got him....he is great with the girls and a good friend to me also. We got off to a rocky start.........damn dog will chew anything and resents me having grass in my backyard, so he digs it up......the ivy I have been nurturing on my wall for about 8 years also....finally took and spread nicely across my cinderblock wall, a year or so before Murphy arrived on the scene.............. he love's attacking that ivy........Grrrrrr!!!

Anyway, sorry to hijack your thread a bit with our story........just conversation.

Oh.....now they are on me again, big time pressure........ for a flippin' horse!!!!! ? ??? ☹ ?

Sorry again about your folk's kitty.

Sean

Highway Chile wrote ?Murphy, our GoldenDoodle that we bought from a breeder in Montana in July '09. Hey, I held for a year and a half before I caved!!! ?

What a strange looking dog, the pic where he is with your daughters, he looks a little scary ?

singemonkey

Ah he looks hella cute. But also a little like something out of the Edward Gorey comics for anyone who knows them. Highway Chile, have you considered something insanely long-lived? Like an African Grey Parrot?

Hammeron

Aaaahhh pets !
I got 3 daschunds, 2 cats, 4 homing pigeons, 8 Burmese jungle fowl, 4 rats {left over snake food!!} and 28 Tarantulas. { We recently donated our Boa constrictor to the local snake park cos she was getting too big}.
And, yea when you lose one it hurts big time.

singemonkey

Hammeron wrote Aaaahhh pets !
I got 3 daschunds, 2 cats, 4 homing pigeons, 8 Burmese jungle fowl, 4 rats {left over snake food!!} and 28 Tarantulas. { We recently donated our Boa constrictor to the local snake park cos she was getting too big}.
And, yea when you lose one it hurts big time.

Jungle fowl. I was in a wildlife park in India and this gold and green thing darts through the undergrowth. A Canadian in the vehicle says, "Hey man. A chicken." I'm thinking, "Nah. That's where chickens come from." It's an awesome and bizarre experience to see a wild chicken.

vic

Our Jasper has also grown a bit from this at 2 months

to this (5months) and 40kgs ..... and growing ?

Highway-Chile

Hammeron wrote Aaaahhh pets !
I got 3 daschunds, 2 cats, 4 homing pigeons, 8 Burmese jungle fowl, 4 rats {left over snake food!!} and 28 Tarantulas. { We recently donated our Boa constrictor to the local snake park cos she was getting too big}.
And, yea when you lose one it hurts big time.

LOL Hammeron.......that's quite the menagerie!!! The....er.......28 horribly large spiders.........YIKES!!! Where do they hang? In an enclosure or just sorta boppin' around the joint? Do you get to go see your Boa and handle her or is she now off limits and only available for viewing? If so, it must be hard to not be able to get close to her?

MCB........ I am sorry if we have hijacked your thread into a post or list your animals instead, I apologize for my involvement in that.

We can easily take it back on topic if you like?

Hammeron

HC, here's my brother with one of the T's, we have 4 that are 3-4 times bigger than this but they cannot be handled.............

[deleted]

Thanks for all the sympathy folks... I was very teary on Friday, needless to say, and it's weird to think that Louis (his sister, my cat, who thankfully is in bonny health, is called Ella... hehe) isn't cruising around my folks' house in Jozi anymore, but I gather at the end he was so weak he couldn't even get to the litter box to pee, so the poor boy had no dignity left - a terrible thing, especially for a Siamese... Nothing for it now but to get a kitten of course - Ms. Ella desperately needs a little kitty companion... Damn animals - how dare they be so awesome and so loveable and so necessary for human well-being?!
I would post of a pic of them kitties, but it'll just make me too sad, so instead, here's a pic of my & EZ's gorgeous (if I may say so myself!) Rough Collies, Sophie & Dexter:

Tonedef wrote Sorry to hear of the tragedy, MCB. The mrs and I are devout kitty people, and I love our three little shits dearly.
We will be moving into a new house soon and the thought of one of them going missing keeps me up at night.

EZ's parents just moved down to Cape Town (drove down with 3 cats loose in the car), and we're cat-sitting their 3 cats (1 of whom is going to live with us permanently) until they can move into their new house. So far, 2 of them haven't budged from under the bed, and are hemmed in by the Dog Force Field at the door, so there's no way they're getting out of the house... Though one did spend a freezing Thursday night on the rood of their B&B in Colesberg - stupid cat! hehe

Highway Chile wrote We get them knowing they will die at some point, knowing the burden of the sadness, at the time of loss, is so damned heavy. Yet we keep doing it to ourselves. It just goes to show how invaluable they are and how what they do bring into our lives ......... is just so damned rewarding.

So, so true. Your hound is beautiful btw. Never even heard of the breed before though? he also looks frikkin enormous, especially in those Wellies! lol!

@Vic: your 'hondjie' is divine! But sheesh he's enormous?(Says she, who's decided her 3rd dog (once we own that little wine farm in Franschoek... HAHA) will be a Bernese Mountain Dog) Love that soulful face.

@JackFlash: ja, Louis was my Dad's 'half-cat' (he was half my Mom's cat too) and there was always some debate as to which half belonged to whom... hehe