I Loved Lucy

On February 2, Groundhog Day, we had to put dear old Lucy to sleep, on the advice of her vet. I felt very badly about it because I had made an appointment with the vet in December for Lucy to have a check-up January 5. I was at the vet's picking up Lucy's special low-protein cat food and it occurred to me that Lucy hadn't had a check-up in some time.

Lucy went in twice; the second time was to get blood and urine samples. She apparently had a "mild" bladder infection and came back with all kinds of medicines: an antibiotic, some blood pressure powder and some Omega-3 oils to help her coat and joints.

She had a lot of trouble with the antibiotic and started not eating, even after we stopped it a bit early. She became confused, staggering when she got up, and wasting away. Even her favourite, bacon, wouldn't tempt her, although she licked a bit of another favourite, sour cream, off my fingers. She drank a lot of water, as cats with failing kidneys do, and mostly made it to the litter box. She even jumped up to the window seat one sunny morning (via the chair we leave there for her to make it easier).

I feel like my decision to have her checked speeded her demise. She was 19 years old, poor girl. She had a good long life, but there's a hole in our lives now, where a sweet gentle cat used to be. She was always very gentle -- never bit or scratched anyone. She missed her companion, Daisy, after Daisy passed at the age of 14, but seemed to perk up a bit after the little dog came on the scene last year. She never quite figured out what the heck that was: some kind of weird cat? Lucy still had 3 pounds on the dog!This picture of Lucy was taken January 3, 2011, just two days before her first vet appointment. Andrew took the picture. As you can see she had jumped up on the bed, which is fairly high.

Lucy's friend Deb, of "Just Cats" cat-sitting service, posted a lovely farewell to Lucy, with nice pictures of Lucy in the sun room and on the window seat. Deb is a delightful woman in a nearby town who not only looks after cats while you are away, but updates you on their progress via email and blog. She also volunteers with shelters and fosters.