The end of the line for Cassidy and Sundance No, not in a blaze of gunfire. At the veterinary clinic. When they were 8 weeks old I noticed they looked uncoordinated and Sundance had a tremor. The veterinarian examined them and diagnosed neurological damage, probably resulting from their mother catching a viral infection during pregnancy. The kittens were rescues, born feral. Because they could not run, climb, or jump normally, they could never go outdoors. A bummer when I have such a big garden that they could not play or hunt there. But it was possible they could live a normal lifespan as uncoordinated cats. We also hoped their awkwardness would improve when they grew and got stronger. With no basis for comparison, they thought the way they were was the norm. There are no feline schoolyard bullies or presidential candidates mocking disabled kittens. Despite their lack of coordination, they wrestled, played tag and soccer, and chased their toys and everything they could get their paws on around the floor. Unlike many cats, they were outgoing and welcomed visitors. When my kitchen wiring went out, they followed the electrician around. I offered to close them up in their room if they were in the way, but he said no, he likes cats. The whole time he was fixing the wiring he kept talking to them. They had a blast! Unfortunately instead of improving as they grew, the opposite happened. The heavier they got, the more trouble they had managing their bodies. They had increasing difficulty doing anything that requires coordination of multiple muscle groups like walking or eating. By 5 months they had stopped most of their play. Their cat box had high sides and a lid. This was a problem; every time they were finished, they would fall on their faces climbing out. I put a mat there and finally had to take the lid off, even though it meant kitty litter all over the floor. They are such good cats, to the very end, when they could barely stand and walk, they still used the box. By the time they reached 6 months they could hardly walk. Cassidy was the worst. He would fall down just standing. But they still came stumbling and tripping to welcome me when I arrived home, rubbing my ankles and purring. In the evening when I was done with all the stuff that needed doing, I would lift them onto the couch (they could no longer get there on their own) and they would sit by me or on my lap, purring. As they had trouble grooming themselves, I brushed them every evening. There are also less pleasant aspects to grooming cats, which I did with disposable gloves and damp paper towels. On March 19 I made carne asado tacos and cut up some meat into tiny pieces for the kittens. I set the meat on a plate. When they get excited, like for a treat, they have even more trouble with coordination. Cassidy could not manage at all. He fell, tried to get up, fell again, and the more frustrated he got the more uncoordinated he got. I picked him up, held him firmly in one arm and offered his share of the carne on my other palm. Even holding him still and holding the food close to his face, it took multiple tries before he could get it into his mouth. Sundance fared a little better; he also fell and overturned the plate but was able, with difficulty, to feed himself. The next morning I brought their breakfast into their room. The feeding station has a mat to give traction for their paws. I carried them over and set them carefully on the mat. Cassidy fell, and when he tried to get up, skidded into their saucer of milk. That is funny when it’s Keystone Kops. This was not funny. I knew then it was the end; they were going downhill so fast in another week or so they could be completely helpless, unable to walk at all, possibly unable to chew and swallow. I made the appointment for Friday afternoon. That gave me a week to spend as much time as I could with the kittens. Friday I groomed them so they would be their prettiest. I hand fed each a small piece of filet of sole, so they would have one last treat. Then I put them in the carrier. No one ever said life is fair. But it is so egregiously unfair that two friendly, loving, cute cats, who should have had a happy life, never had a chance. Their fate was sealed before they were born. Caring for them had become so complicated – cleaning the box, cleaning the cats, sweeping up the food they spilled in their feeding station and the litter they kicked out of the box – I had to start getting up 15 minutes earlier. When she was still singing and not promoting phony psychics, Dionne Warwick made a record called One Less Bell to Answer. She was singing about a man (of course!) but it is still applicable: One less bell to answer One less egg to fry One less man to pick up after I should be happy, but all I do is cry A few months ago my siblings and I went to pack up our late father’s house. He had willed me his Japanese tea set and also had some glassware I liked a lot. All very fragile. He had drawers full of cloth napkins, not something I normally used but perfect for wrapping and transporting fragile items. Cassidy and Sundance went to their grave wrapped in old lace-edged linen napkins. I buried them behind the nectarine tree. They finally got to go into the garden. People, spay and neuter your pets. Don’t let them keep producing unwanted litters generation after generation, living in the shadows of cities on whatever they can find. Unhealthy mothers, feline or human, have unhealthy babies. Oh very young, what will you leave us this time? You’re only dancing on this earth for a short while Oh very young, what will you leave us this time?
It's amazing how much we all love our pets. My wife feeds our dog by hand - not because he's sick, but because my wife loves to spoil him. Twice over the holidays we almost put our sweet old kitty down, shes losing control of her bodily functions, but I just couldn't bear to do it. So now we have extra cat boxes around the house and give her medicine every night. I'll get another few months with her. So sorry for your loss. The cats were lucky to have such a mom.
I'm sorry, at least you were able to have given them as comfortable a life as they could have had in the time they were given.
We may not see eye to eye on politics or religion but i admire your heart when it comes to gods little critters. I do hope and pray you find comfort in your time of loss.