Shadow Cat died.
She had been missing a week and came home last night. She was holding her head at a weird angle and dragging her back legs.
She was a feral cat. She lived in our shed for the first 2 - 3 years of her life. I saw her around, but she never came close...just looked at me.
Then, in 2001, when we brought home Clyde James as a kitten, she decided to come closer. She and Clyde got along well.
Over the years we were able to tame her a bit, and she'd come for food and water and petting.
She learned her name.
Unable to catch her to spay her, I managed to catch, tame and find homes for 3 litters of her kittens.
Earlier this year I was finally able to convince her I wasn't going to kill her, and I got her spayed and her shots.
She still hated the inside of my house.
So, last night when she came right inside and lay down, I knew something was wrong.
Nothing was broken. She had little feeling in her back legs and was unable to pee or poop.
I took her to the vet. Her thyroid was very enlarged and basically, the doc told me it was going to be over $500.00 to start the treatment, and there was no guarantee that she'd survive it.
It was either a stroke related to the thyroid condition, or a stroke related to something else...on top of other problems.
So I had to decide to let her go.
I feel like shit.
My kids don't know.
She had been missing a week and came home last night. She was holding her head at a weird angle and dragging her back legs.
She was a feral cat. She lived in our shed for the first 2 - 3 years of her life. I saw her around, but she never came close...just looked at me.
Then, in 2001, when we brought home Clyde James as a kitten, she decided to come closer. She and Clyde got along well.
Over the years we were able to tame her a bit, and she'd come for food and water and petting.
She learned her name.
Unable to catch her to spay her, I managed to catch, tame and find homes for 3 litters of her kittens.
Earlier this year I was finally able to convince her I wasn't going to kill her, and I got her spayed and her shots.
She still hated the inside of my house.
So, last night when she came right inside and lay down, I knew something was wrong.
Nothing was broken. She had little feeling in her back legs and was unable to pee or poop.
I took her to the vet. Her thyroid was very enlarged and basically, the doc told me it was going to be over $500.00 to start the treatment, and there was no guarantee that she'd survive it.
It was either a stroke related to the thyroid condition, or a stroke related to something else...on top of other problems.
So I had to decide to let her go.
I feel like shit.
My kids don't know.
