Back in March or so, I put my foot down around here with our pets. We have a houseful of cats and pretty much some super fat ones. Its relatively common for indoor pets to be overweight but since the obesity was affecting the kitty cat cleanliness, I decided to purchase the $35 a bag weight loss control organic stuff and put my 20 pound babies on the big boy diet. We were shocked when portion control and weight loss food kicked into gear. Our long time “fat kitty with a little head” Napoleon started losing weight.
We were proud.
For the first time ever, it didn’t hurt when he walked across your lap.
Now I have spoken about Napoleon numerous times on my blog, but he has never had a dramatic roll here. He was, as all of our pets have been, a rescue.
April 20, 2010 Blog Post: Not weeks later Napoleon came to us as a kitten. The irresponsible pet owners downstairs let their cat get pregnant, threw her outside to have the babies, then moved, took the mama and left the kittens abandoned. We only found the one kitten from the litter. We were also pretty sure the father of the kitten was the cat we had to put down. It comforted us. I trapped the kitten in a cage by luring him with Chinese food. DH will never let me live it down. Napoleon remains our sweetest (and largest at almost 20 pounds) cat and also our biggest baby.
He never had 3 legs like Sebastian:
or a deadly disease like Captain:
so while he has made many appearances…
he may have been overlooked.
But he was my best friend.
Friday morning I was looking forward to my husband coming home. He had been gone since the prior Sunday on a business trip and I was ready to be able to curl into bed and watch the 3 episodes of Big Brother next to him. The kids had been great while he was gone, I had gotten a ton of work done, and the weekend was looking like it was shaping up to include some family fun time. We had noticed that Napoleons weight loss had started getting really dramatic. So much so that I put the “big bowl” of food back down and decided a fat cat was better than a skinny cat any day.
When my husband came home I mentioned that the cat wasn’t acting normal and he noticed it right away and said to call the vet. I took Napoleon in a few hours later not sure what to expect. Turns out he had advanced diabetes. So advanced, in fact, that his glucose was in the 600s (normal high is 200) and was shutting down all his organs.
He wasn’t just losing weight, his body was living off of his fat and there was none left. The Dr said he probably hadn’t eaten in weeks. With 4 cats and a dog, it’s impossible to actually know who is eating and when around here, but I feel so terrible that I didn’t know. What kind of mother am I that I didn’t see this before?
At this point, like most pets, things just turned dramatic so quickly. My choice was to bring him down to the emergency vet and have him monitored for 48 hours while they tried to stabilize him on insulin. He would need it every 12 hours (at the tune of $108 every 5-6 weeks for the rest of his life, plus Dr visit costs) and even then, the Dr wasn’t overly sure at his stage and how bad he was already that it would help at all. She thought even the first shot may put him into cardiac arrest and said he barely had a blood pressure.
After a tough phone call with my family we decided to let him go. He was already so sick and barely moving and the thought of him suffering into a heart attack or worse…our hearts couldn’t take it. I stayed with him and held him while he was put down. He was understanding and loving till the last moment.
I felt his spirit leave his body before the Dr even pronounced him gone.
I will never forget that moment.
I really really loved him. He has been one of the few staples in my life since college. He used to jump into Charlotte’s crib and sleep with her when she was a baby. He purred at me when I said his name across the room. He was the ‘mama’ to all the new kittens that showed up here and was the first to accept Captain and Jedi.
A true best friend that let me cry on his fur in my worst times.
So while he has never had his “moment” on my blog, I want this to be his moment.
Napolean, Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your life for the past 12 years. It just wasn’t long enough.
I will always love you.
~trisha
I’m so sorry
He was a great cat!
Oh Trisha and family, I am so sorry. My heart breaks reading this. Hugs for all of you.
I’m so sorry, Trisha. I know how much losing a cat hurts. Thinking you.
That was very touching. Thank you for sharing more about Napolean
I can’t say how sorry I am
They are just not with us long enough, it’s never enough. Our Ginger is getting older and it scares me to think of life without her. Big Hugs to you!
I am so sorry.
{hugs}
I am so sorry. And I am sobbing right there with you. Hugs.
I lost my fatty cat in December to intestinal cancer (he was 19 and had also been in renal failure for 4 years – we were doing daily meds and sub-q fluids at home 3x’s a week) … he also had VAS, he was (amazingly! I am sure you know it isn’t common) a 12 year survivor, whether or not the intestinal cancer stemmed from the VAS that many years later or not, we’ll never know. He also went down in weight very drastically. It was so shocking. I spent YEARS checking for new tumor growth and worrying the VAS tumor would come back and in the end, it was something we couldn’t see. It is so hard. He was the one constant in my life, I got him when I was 16 and he’d been with me through so much. He wasn’t a lovey-dovey kitty but he SO knew when I needed some love and he’d cuddle then. He was constantly by my side, in my lap, sleeping on me for MONTHS when my daughter was stillborn. We also lost our dog 5 months prior (nasal cancer) and my dad passed away VERY unexpectedly two months before (I lost my dog, my dad and my cat in less than 6 months).
Christina, I am sorry for the loss of your two furbabies (and daughter). We also lost our dog less than two months ago, so I understand the loss of two pets so close. I am also sorry for the loss of your dad. Thank you for sharing your story. You need some hugs too.
trisha
My heart broke reading this. I’ve been through a similar experience and I know how tough that final decision is. He sounds like a great cat and friend. Hugs.
I am so sorry for your loss. I can only imagine the hole left in your heart. You and your family are in my thoughts!!!
I’m so sorry to hear about your loss, Trisha. My sincere condolences. Pets are truly members of the family, and very special friends. Sounds like you gave Napoleon a very happy forever home.
Aw geez, that made me cry too. I’ve had my own cats die in my arms and In know how much losing a beloved pet hurts. You gave him a good home and a good life.
So sorry, Trisha. We had to put our girl Trouble down in November. She was 18. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. We had her before kids, too. I still miss her so much.
Your post made me cry. I had to hurry and wipe my eyes before my hubby asked me what the heck is wrong with me.
I am sorry for your loss. I am a big kitty lover too so I know how you are feeling.
Hugs!!!
I’m so sorry for your loss, Trisha. We had to put our very old, suddenly very sick cat to sleep in the spring. He was our first baby and our boys didn’t know life without him. We all still miss him very much.
Please don’t be too hard on yourself for not noticing that he was sick right away. Even if you had, there probably wouldn’t have been much you could do in the long term. He was obviously loved beyond measure for many years, and he went peacefully when it was time to go. That’s a life well-lived.
Thinking of you,
Amanda
@stayathomemaven
Beautiful tribute. Rest in peace, Napoleon and big {{{hugs}}} to your mama.
I hate this, I hate that they come and go so fast.
Your story brought me back 3 years to when we had to have our boy Thor put down, and oh god it sucks so bad.
I’m crying tears with you for the loss of your beloved. I’m so sorry, I really really am.
Beautiful tribute to Napoleon. My heart aches for you and your family. I hope that one day you’ll be able to find comfort in your memories and photos of him. Hugs so very sad.
I’m so sorry sweetheart :*( Napoleon will always be your sweet boy <3
I’m so sorry. What a great post for him although I was bawling by the end.
I’m so sorry Trisha. I wish there were something I could say to make it suck less.
What a very beautiful cat Napolean was!
My thoughts are with you.
((hugs)) this brought tears to my eyes because it reminded me of my own kitty who i lost years ago. its amazing how a creature so small (or not) can capture a tight hold onto our hearts that when their not here with us they take a bit of us with them.
Awww, such a sweet tribute to a kitty who obviously was a treasure. I’m so sorry for your loss.
I’m so sorry! He made you happy for 12 great years – now THAT is a great pet! Thank you for sharing all this about Napoleon and I’m glad you could love him for the last minutes of his life.
This put a lump in my throat
What a great kitty Napoleon was, I’m so sorry you had to let him go.
Crying right along with you. Big hugs. He will be missed.
I’m crying
It’s sad to see a pet go. I’m so sorry for your loss Trisha. I sure hope your family has a better year now with your pets!