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Author Topic: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(  (Read 6711 times)

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Offline sweetasmeli

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A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« on: August 02, 2006, 08:02:36 pm »
Me and my friend had been feeding it and its family for a few weeks. This one was the runt. It had a problem with its back legs, couldn't walk on them, but it was still a feisty little thing, always first to drag itself to the food!

Then about a week ago we found it drenched through in the road. Some bastard had thrown it in the sea! So we took it to the vet, who diagnosed cat flu and a severe case of worms (that’s why it couldn’t use its back legs). So I took it home to take care of.

But this morning, it could barely lift its head. It was off its food yesterday and today and had no energy. As soon as I finished work tonight we took it to the vet. She said it had pneumonia and water on the lungs. She gave it shots and water. We considered euthanasia but because it had been such a fighter so far, we thought it was worth one last try. But it wasn’t strong enough.

It died while I was stroking it earlier this evening. :'(

We called it Mikrouli (Greek for ‘little one’). We don’t know if it was a boy or girl, that’s why I refer to it as ‘it’. It was so tiny and cute. It used to follow me around and fall asleep on my foot!

Even though I only had it for a week I loved it and my heart is heavy tonight.

Melia :(
/\___/\       /\__/\
(=' . '=)    (=' . '=)
(,,,_ ,,,)/   (,,,_ ,,,)/ Cats rule!

The difference between cats and dogs is that dogs come when called, whereas cats take a message and get back to you.

Yeia kai hara (health and happiness) to everyone!

Offline jkinatl2

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2006, 08:09:39 pm »
Melia, I am so sorry.

People like you, who accept the burden of heartbreak and pain on behalf of innocent creatures, are true heroes. You are stronger than I can articulate. Little Mikrouli spent his last week on earth with a home, and with people taking care of him. Whatever horrors were visited upon him beforehand, you should take comfort in knowing that.

World needs about three billion more like you.

"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

-Kimberly Page-Shafer, PhD, MPH

Welcome Thread

Offline Mouse

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2006, 08:15:03 pm »
If everyone - human, animal, whatever - had someone that cared about them the way you cared for that kitty, can you imagine how much better the world would be?

You did the right thing, you cared for it, and you loved it, and you gave it a chance, which is more than what an average person would do. Instead of dying alone and frightened, it was with you, comfortable and knowing it was loved.

Offline AlanBama

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2006, 08:21:00 pm »
Melia,

I'm sorry about the kitten.  I wish he had been able to survive.   He died in loving hands, and that is a pretty big thing when you think about it.

You're an angel.

Hugs,

Alan
"Remember my sentimental friend that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." - The Wizard of Oz

Offline Joe K

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2006, 08:30:49 pm »
Dear Melia,

I have to echo Jonathan on this one as there is nothing more selflish than caring for an innocent creature.  While Mikrouli had a short and difficult life, it never lacked for love and died in your arms.  Would we all be so lucky when our end came.

Offline anniebc

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2006, 08:36:02 pm »
Dear Melia

You did what you could...God bless you for that.

Hugs
Jan :'(
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Never knock on deaths door..ring the bell and run..he really hates that.

Offline Teresa

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2006, 10:57:34 pm »
Melia,

So sorry about the kitty. At least it had you to give it love.

Hugs
Teresa :'(
Hubby HIV+ 5/5/06
CD4:320
  %: 26.7
 VL: <20
Atripla (started it 8/24/06)

Offline The Canuck

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2006, 11:09:47 pm »
Melia,

You did well and brought some comfort to the kitten for what he had left to live.

Then about a week ago we found it drenched through in the road. Some bastard had thrown it in the sea!

I still don't understand why some people are so cruel with animals..and it really makes me mad. The day I'd see someone do something like that..I'd surely loose control of myself.  >:(

Regards,

The Canuck

Offline jkinatl2

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #8 on: August 02, 2006, 11:30:15 pm »
One thing I cannot abide, is a bully. Who, by definition, is anyone who takes advantage of their (often temporary) physical or mental superiority over another creature. Human or animal, child or frightened and vulnerable person.

Thing is, those of us with the ability to assist others have, in my opinion, the moral obligation to do so. Whether it be a kitten, a child, a fellow human in distress, whatever.

Its what makes us fundamentally not mean people. The moment we choose to help instead of hurt, the moment we choose to risk looking like a fool, we are heroes. The times we take the bullets meant for others, when we shield with our words or bodies another creature from the arrows, literal or figurative, we transcend our primate past and become something sacred.

We are not always strong. But when we are, when we dare to break our hearts against the stones of evil, we are heroes. We imbue that touch of the Divine that knows no articulation. Melia, you get it. You do.

 
"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

-Kimberly Page-Shafer, PhD, MPH

Welcome Thread

Offline MSPspud

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2006, 11:46:38 pm »
As Teresa said, at least it had some love in it's short life.  Poor kitten...

Offline allopathicholistic

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #10 on: August 03, 2006, 01:45:24 am »
the little kitty's passing was peaceful, near your loving aura, **because of you** and your respect for life and innocence  :-*

the little kitty did not die under violent impersonal waves

it could be whereever the kitty is now, he/she remembers only the good, and *none* of the bad - in eternity maybe? Heaven some call it .... it's what i believe --- for all of us



Offline Nadine

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #11 on: August 03, 2006, 06:57:51 am »
Melia,

Bless your heart for all you did for Mikrouli. You will be rewarded for your kindness.

((HUGS))

Offline sweetasmeli

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #12 on: August 03, 2006, 01:05:23 pm »
So many kind words. Thank you so much for that. I still feel sad today but I know that I did what I could to help Mikrouli. As painful as it was for me, I also know that I would do it again if needed. Your comments helped me come to that decision.

I've decided I don't like referring to her as 'it', so I'll call her 'her' now (for arguments sake) and because I referred to her as ‘her’ while she was here. For some reason I always think of cats as ‘she’ and dogs as ‘he’ when I know no different.

To some it may seem insane for me to be so bothered about the death of a little kitten, but the truth is it’s the first time I have had anything or anyone I care about die in my adult life. I lost grandparents as a child but to be honest I don’t remember much about that. So this feels like a first for me. And to see her die, well that was definitely a first.

I hope you don’t mind me going on but I want to share something else with you that has been troubling my conscience a bit:

When I took her home originally my plan was to get her better then put her back with her family. But that obviously wasn't meant to be. After she died last night my friend came up and we drove to a quiet place, where we left her in an open box with a catnip mouse she liked to sleep with. We didn't bury her. This is what my conscience is struggling with.

Some may disagree with leaving her exposed for other animals to find, but where I live is very rural. There are many wild/stray animals that die here every day, often from starvation. Mikrouli was an outdoor/wild cat who would have died outdoors anyway. Plus in true nature that is what happens anyway, as horrible as it is for humans to imagine. I had trouble sleeping last night thinking about her alone out there. However, I believe her spirit/soul or whatever we call it left the moment she died. Once she took her last breath, the real Mikrouli – the true essence of her – left. As callous as it sounds, all that was left was a carcass. My reasoning is if that can help another wild/stray animal survive, then that has to be a good thing surely, especially bearing in mind the area I live in and the problem we have with stray animals.

Like I said to Ann last night, humans hold donar cards to pass on their organs to save other humans. In the animal world - wild not domestic - animals that die become food for other animals/insects. Not a nice fact for humans to accept I know, but nevertheless a fact.

With it being my first time I really didn’t know what to do for the best. I want to believe I did the right thing but I’m not sure.

Melia
/\___/\       /\__/\
(=' . '=)    (=' . '=)
(,,,_ ,,,)/   (,,,_ ,,,)/ Cats rule!

The difference between cats and dogs is that dogs come when called, whereas cats take a message and get back to you.

Yeia kai hara (health and happiness) to everyone!

Offline allopathicholistic

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #13 on: August 03, 2006, 01:16:58 pm »
I think you did the right thing. When our souls separate from our bodiees, the body is then an empty vessel, a carcass..... This is what I believe is true - For animals, for humans

(Human carcasses become food too - for microorganisms and critters - Fact - It will happen to each and every one of us - all your relatives too, your friends too, your neighbor across the street, etc)

Offline sweetasmeli

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #14 on: August 05, 2006, 04:28:20 am »
Thanks for that Allopathicholistic.
I was really struggling with my conscience but I feel pretty sure I did the right thing in step with nature.
It's not a pleasant thought or image to imagine, but like you said, it's a fact.
Thanks again!

Melia :)
/\___/\       /\__/\
(=' . '=)    (=' . '=)
(,,,_ ,,,)/   (,,,_ ,,,)/ Cats rule!

The difference between cats and dogs is that dogs come when called, whereas cats take a message and get back to you.

Yeia kai hara (health and happiness) to everyone!

Offline lydgate

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #15 on: August 05, 2006, 08:49:23 am »
Melia,

You absolutely did the right thing. The fact that in your grief you still thought about other animals speaks volumes. I don't know you, but I do know that if we ever meet you'll get a big long hug from me.

Jay
Her finely-touched spirit had still its fine issues, though they were not widely visible. Her full nature, like that river of which Cyrus broke the strength, spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.

George Eliot, Middlemarch, final paragraph

Offline Andy Velez

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #16 on: August 05, 2006, 10:30:49 am »
May we all find such care and compassion when we need it.

Cheers,
Andy Velez

Offline Christine

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #17 on: August 05, 2006, 06:47:51 pm »
Melia,
I think souls come in and out of our lives for a reason. You gave Mikrouli compassion and love when she needed it the most.
Christine
Poz since '93. Currently on Procrit, Azithromax, Pentamidine, Valcyte, Levothyroxine, Zoloft, Epzicom, Prezista, Viread, Norvir, and GS-9137 study drug. As needed: Trazodone, Atavan, Diflucan, Zofran, Hydrocodone, Octreotide

5/30/07 t-cells 9; vl 275,000

Offline david25luvit

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #18 on: August 05, 2006, 08:05:38 pm »
God Bless You Melia..........

                              Echoing Jonathan's original response........We need billions more like you.
You have a heart as big as TEXAS...{{{Big Hug}}}
In Memory of
Raymond David McRae III
Nov. 25, 1972- Oct. 15, 2004
I miss him terribly..........

Offline Eldon

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Re: A kitten I was taking care of died tonight :(
« Reply #19 on: August 05, 2006, 08:28:51 pm »
Hello Melia, it is Eldon. I too have a kitten and I know exactly what you went through to give it all of the love and support it needed. Just as John said it we need more people like you. God bless the little kitty.

 


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