A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
misses you so much".

--
ღ.¸¸.œ«*¨`*œ¶
Cheryl

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 16:52:50 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

>A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
>yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
>was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
>him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
>wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
>failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
>because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
>rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
>tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
>wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
>decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
>Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
>misses you so much".

I am sorry for you loss
I dread the day one of my two go, they are part of the family as I'm
sure your boy was. I'll bet he had a wonderful life with you.

Cheryl wrote:
> A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
> yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
> was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
> him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
> wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
> failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
> because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
> rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
> tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
> wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
> decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
> Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
> misses you so much".
>
Very sorry for your loss, but 15 is a good age to live to, even for a cat.

I'm sure each one of those years was a delight for him.

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 16:52:50 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

>A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
>yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
>was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
>him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
>wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
>failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
>because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
>rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
>tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
>wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
>decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
>Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
>misses you so much".


So sorry, it's a tough decision. I sincerely believe though that it
is good that we can make this decision rather than them struggling to
live on a little longer. I did the same one with my cat in early
December.

"Cheryl" > wrote in message
b.com...
> A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
> yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he was
> struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave him, but
> long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he wasn't on
> oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart failure but
> after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs because both were
> suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to rule out heart failure
> and try to treat his lung disease she needed more tests. In the meantime
> he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix wasn't helping. I had to
> make a decision quickly which way to go and I decided to end the
> suffering. He was only 15. He has left a Shamrock-shaped hole in my
> heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already misses you so much".

I am so sorry, Cheryl. I feel so for you


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 1:53:07 PM UTC-8, Cheryl wrote:
> A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
> yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
> was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
> him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
> wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
> failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
> because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
> rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
> tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
> wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
> decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
> Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
> misses you so much".
>


People who don't have pets never seem to understand the place they hold in our hearts....and the hole they leave when they are gone.


> --
> ღ.¸¸.œ«*¨`*œ¶
> Cheryl

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 16:52:50 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

>A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
>yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
>was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
>him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
>wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
>failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
>because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
>rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
>tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
>wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
>decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
>Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
>misses you so much".

that's tough. I'm so sorry to hear that.
Janet US

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 16:52:50 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

> A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
> yesterday.

I'm sorry to hear about your loss and understand your grief.

--

sf

On 2016-01-23 4:52 PM, Cheryl wrote:
> A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
> yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
> was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
> him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
> wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
> failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
> because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
> rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
> tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
> wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
> decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
> Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
> misses you so much".

Sorry to hear about your cat. I hate those emergency vet clinics.
Around here they are very expensive. I had to take my Groenendahl to the
one near here when his hip went. It was $175 do get in... plus
treatment. They suggested hospitalizing him for 3 days to stabilize him
before they would be able to check it out. While checking him over the
vet found a tender growth in his abdomen... likely cancer. I really
liked that dog, but I was looking at massive vet bills for a very old
dog. He was 14 1/2 and the life expectancy for that breed was 12-14
years. He was in a lot of pain and we could not see him going through
the treatment so we opted to have him euthanized.

My brother called the other day to tell me about his Lab. The poor dog
had no energy and no appetite. He took him to the vet and the guy
suggested he take him to a clinic about 80 miles away for an ultrasound
which would cost $800. My brother is pretty frugal and was concerned
about the price. They did an X ray locally and it came back showing the
dog has lung cancer. It never occurred to me that a dog could get lung
cancer. They have no idea how long the dog has to live.

On 1/23/2016 4:52 PM, Cheryl wrote:
> A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
> yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
> was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
> him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
> wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
> failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
> because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
> rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
> tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
> wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
> decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
> Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
> misses you so much".

I'm very sorry to hear this. Terrible that he was so sick.

nancy

On 2016-01-23 5:01 PM, wrote:
> On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 16:52:50 -0500, Cheryl >

>
> So sorry, it's a tough decision. I sincerely believe though that it
> is good that we can make this decision rather than them struggling to
> live on a little longer. I did the same one with my cat in early
> December.


I wish that we could do it for people too. There comes a time to let
go, and the decision to try to keep someone alive when they have a
terminal condition is, IMO, more to do with selfishness than the best
interests of the person who is suffering. We don't want to pull the plus
because we don't want to lose them.

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 17:29:04 -0500 (EST), Cheryl
> wrote:

>ImStillMags > Wrote in message:
>> On Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 1:53:07 PM UTC-8, Cheryl wrote:
>>> A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
>>> yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
>>> was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
>>> him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
>>> wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
>>> failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
>>> because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
>>> rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
>>> tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
>>> wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
>>> decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
>>> Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
>>> misses you so much".
>>>
>>
>>
>> People who don't have pets never seem to understand the place they hold in our hearts....and the hole they leave when they are gone.
>>
>>
>>> --
>>> ?.¸¸.?*¨`*?
>>> Cheryl
>>
>>
>
>He was one of my surrogate kids. My only child my son died 13 years ago on Monday.

So sad, a double whammy

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 17:57:39 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

>On 2016-01-23 4:52 PM, Cheryl wrote:
>> A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
>> yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
>> was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
>> him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
>> wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
>> failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
>> because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
>> rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
>> tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
>> wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
>> decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
>> Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
>> misses you so much".
>
>Sorry to hear about your cat. I hate those emergency vet clinics.
>Around here they are very expensive. I had to take my Groenendahl to the
>one near here when his hip went. It was $175 do get in... plus
>treatment. They suggested hospitalizing him for 3 days to stabilize him
>before they would be able to check it out. While checking him over the
>vet found a tender growth in his abdomen... likely cancer. I really
>liked that dog, but I was looking at massive vet bills for a very old
>dog. He was 14 1/2 and the life expectancy for that breed was 12-14
>years. He was in a lot of pain and we could not see him going through
>the treatment so we opted to have him euthanized.

More or less the same with my cat, she would have been 19 in March and
I noticed she suddenly started drinking large quantities of water,
spending 10 or 15 minutes in the litter box to produce no pee. I was
thinking diabetes but the vet could feel it was the kidneys, he
offered treatment but I refused. She really didn't like people and to
have stayed at the clinic for a week or two, amongst strangers, not
really an option.
>
>My brother called the other day to tell me about his Lab. The poor dog
>had no energy and no appetite. He took him to the vet and the guy
>suggested he take him to a clinic about 80 miles away for an ultrasound
>which would cost $800. My brother is pretty frugal and was concerned
>about the price. They did an X ray locally and it came back showing the
>dog has lung cancer. It never occurred to me that a dog could get lung
>cancer. They have no idea how long the dog has to live.

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 18:01:17 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

>On 2016-01-23 5:01 PM, wrote:
>> On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 16:52:50 -0500, Cheryl >
>
>>
>> So sorry, it's a tough decision. I sincerely believe though that it
>> is good that we can make this decision rather than them struggling to
>> live on a little longer. I did the same one with my cat in early
>> December.
>
>
>I wish that we could do it for people too. There comes a time to let
>go, and the decision to try to keep someone alive when they have a
>terminal condition is, IMO, more to do with selfishness than the best
>interests of the person who is suffering. We don't want to pull the plus
>because we don't want to lose them.

I told the doctor in ICU when David was dying that he did not want any
nonsense with resuscitators etc. but when I went for a coffee this new
from Ireland, doubtless RC prolifer, put him on the resuscitator. I
called a person I knew who was then Chairman of the National Ethics
Committee and she came in, checked David, checked his file and told me
she knew exactly how angry he would be and not to worry. She then
spoke to the doctor who flounced in and switched off the machine.

After David died as I was leaving with my kids, in front of them, he
said "I suppose you think you won?" so I told him that I supposed if
he didn't move out of my way my knee could really damage his testicles
- he moved.

So what I learned was (in Canada) you need a medical power of
attorney. My daughters have mine and if I can't speak what they say
goes. Forget about 'living wills' they carry no weight for us, but
medical P of A's do. Nothing short of that is guaranteed.

On 1/23/2016 6:15 PM, wrote:
> On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 17:57:39 -0500, Dave Smith
> > wrote:
>

>>
>> Sorry to hear about your cat. I hate those emergency vet clinics.
>> Around here they are very expensive. I had to take my Groenendahl to the
>> one near here when his hip went. It was $175 do get in... plus
>> treatment.

Thank you Dave. Try $1700 just to leave him. but i didn't care. they
gave me a $700 refund the next morning because they didn't have to do
everything after my decision but it wasn't based on that.

They suggested hospitalizing him for 3 days to stabilize him
>> before they would be able to check it out. While checking him over the
>> vet found a tender growth in his abdomen... likely cancer. I really
>> liked that dog, but I was looking at massive vet bills for a very old
>> dog. He was 14 1/2 and the life expectancy for that breed was 12-14
>> years. He was in a lot of pain and we could not see him going through
>> the treatment so we opted to have him euthanized.
>
> More or less the same with my cat, she would have been 19 in March and
> I noticed she suddenly started drinking large quantities of water,
> spending 10 or 15 minutes in the litter box to produce no pee. I was
> thinking diabetes but the vet could feel it was the kidneys, he
> offered treatment but I refused. She really didn't like people and to
> have stayed at the clinic for a week or two, amongst strangers, not
> really an option.

Shamrock had some high kidney values at his last exam a few months ago
and we were supposed to watch it. I'm so sorry for your loss too.
Agree, Shamrock was already freaked out when I went in to visit him in
the back when he was in the oxygen chamber. There was a dog barking non
stop and the accoustics in the glass chamber probably made it sound even
worse along with oxygen being pumped in. Having a pet is fun and they
love you unconditionally and it is a given how hard it is when they
aren't well.
>>


--
ღ.¸¸.œ«*¨`*œ¶
Cheryl

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 18:28:20 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

>
>Shamrock had some high kidney values at his last exam a few months ago
>and we were supposed to watch it. I'm so sorry for your loss too.
>Agree, Shamrock was already freaked out when I went in to visit him in
>the back when he was in the oxygen chamber. There was a dog barking non
>stop and the accoustics in the glass chamber probably made it sound even
>worse along with oxygen being pumped in. Having a pet is fun and they
>love you unconditionally and it is a given how hard it is when they
>aren't well.
>>>
I think it is probably harder on cats to be out back at the vets than
it is for dogs. I knew mine was such a retiring cat she wouldn't
handle it well.

The whole problem is that they have much shorter lives than ours
OTOH there are so many needy cats and dogs if we can help one or two,
it helps. A friend called me almost right away desperate to find a
home for a cat she had been fostering/sheltering that was giving her
elderly cat hell. So I said yes and you know, it probably was a good
thing not to wait too long this time.

On 1/23/2016 6:23 PM, wrote:

> I told the doctor in ICU when David was dying that he did not want any
> nonsense with resuscitators etc. but when I went for a coffee this new
> from Ireland, doubtless RC prolifer, put him on the resuscitator. I
> called a person I knew who was then Chairman of the National Ethics
> Committee and she came in, checked David, checked his file and told me
> she knew exactly how angry he would be and not to worry. She then
> spoke to the doctor who flounced in and switched off the machine.
>
> After David died as I was leaving with my kids, in front of them, he
> said "I suppose you think you won?" so I told him that I supposed if
> he didn't move out of my way my knee could really damage his testicles
> - he moved.

What an asshole that doctor is. I would have kneed him anyway. That must
have been traumatic. And at that time. sheesh my BP is going up just
reading this.
>
> So what I learned was (in Canada) you need a medical power of
> attorney. My daughters have mine and if I can't speak what they say
> goes. Forget about 'living wills' they carry no weight for us, but
> medical P of A's do. Nothing short of that is guaranteed.

It was very easy for my brother to get power of attorney when my sister
was on life support. Our mom didn't want to have to deal with it because
it was too hard for her, and we'd lost our dad only a few years earlier,
so to spare her my brother moved very quickly. She was moved to a
hospital room without life support and overdose of morphine in the drip.
Not enough time for hospice, again she wouldn't have lived without life
support. I think it is the most humane way to go and that is my wish.


--
ღ.¸¸.œ«*¨`*œ¶
Cheryl

On 2016-01-23 6:23 PM, wrote:

> I told the doctor in ICU when David was dying that he did not want any
> nonsense with resuscitators etc. but when I went for a coffee this new
> from Ireland, doubtless RC prolifer, put him on the resuscitator. I
> called a person I knew who was then Chairman of the National Ethics
> Committee and she came in, checked David, checked his file and told me
> she knew exactly how angry he would be and not to worry. She then
> spoke to the doctor who flounced in and switched off the machine.
>
> After David died as I was leaving with my kids, in front of them, he
> said "I suppose you think you won?" so I told him that I supposed if
> he didn't move out of my way my knee could really damage his testicles
> - he moved.

What a *******. My SiL had a similar problem with her mother. The woman
had died and a nurse resuscitated her. Her excuse was that the woman
was such a dear that she could not let her go. The woman had been
suffering from vascular dementia for years.


> So what I learned was (in Canada) you need a medical power of
> attorney. My daughters have mine and if I can't speak what they say
> goes. Forget about 'living wills' they carry no weight for us, but
> medical P of A's do. Nothing short of that is guaranteed.

My father had PoA for his older sister (whose daughter was not
competent) and before he died he arranged for me to take over the PoA.
It didn't last long. He died in October of that year and it was mid
January when I got a call about 4 am on Sunday morning. It was a doctor
from a hospital in Toronto telling me that my aunt had had a (another)
stroke and that his file showed I was the new PoA and that there was a
DNR and wanted to know if the DNR still stood. I remembered what my
wife's family had been told when her mother was dying. I asked him to
call me back in 5 minutes. That gave me time to wake up and think about
it. When he called back I asked about the prognosis. It was not good.
Hell, she already suffered from dementia. I said that the DNR was her
wish when she was well and that it was by responsibility to ensure that
her wishes were carried out... so yes, the DNR stood.

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 18:42:16 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

>It was very easy for my brother to get power of attorney when my sister
>was on life support. Our mom didn't want to have to deal with it because
>it was too hard for her, and we'd lost our dad only a few years earlier,
>so to spare her my brother moved very quickly. She was moved to a
>hospital room without life support and overdose of morphine in the drip.
>Not enough time for hospice, again she wouldn't have lived without life
>support. I think it is the most humane way to go and that is my wish.

I can understand your mother found it hard and it was a good thing
your brother could step up for your sister and your mother.

BTW how are your sisters kids doing now? Have they managed to digest
what happened and move on with being kids?

wrote:
> After David died as I was leaving with my kids, in front of them, he
> said "I suppose you think you won?" so I told him that I supposed if
> he didn't move out of my way my knee could really damage his testicles
> - he moved.
>
> So what I learned was (in Canada) you need a medical power of
> attorney.


And your doctors are arrogant ASSHOLES!

On 1/23/2016 6:41 PM, wrote:

> The whole problem is that they have much shorter lives than ours
> OTOH there are so many needy cats and dogs if we can help one or two,
> it helps. A friend called me almost right away desperate to find a
> home for a cat she had been fostering/sheltering that was giving her
> elderly cat hell. So I said yes and you know, it probably was a good
> thing not to wait too long this time.

Completely agree. I used to say 2 was my limit. Then I took in 2 kittens
that were found of a litter of 4 under a friends shed, mom hadn't come
back and they were only about 4 weeks old. Luckily old enough to start
on wet cat food. So then ok, 4 is my limit. Then someone was going to
have to either find a home for the Maine Coon they took in, 9 years old,
or he'd be off to the shelter. I waited 2 weeks, her limit, for another
home to be found, then I took him. So 5 was my limit. See how easy that
is? See how people can be hoarders? I have been in the situations with
rescuers looking for homes and I JUST COULDN'T take anymore. I'm still
not going to take another because I'm way over my limit for food, kitty
litter, vet bills. But you just never know.

--
ღ.¸¸.œ«*¨`*œ¶
Cheryl

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 18:44:14 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

>
>What a *******. My SiL had a similar problem with her mother. The woman
>had died and a nurse resuscitated her. Her excuse was that the woman
>was such a dear that she could not let her go. The woman had been
>suffering from vascular dementia for years.
>
>
>> So what I learned was (in Canada) you need a medical power of
>> attorney. My daughters have mine and if I can't speak what they say
>> goes. Forget about 'living wills' they carry no weight for us, but
>> medical P of A's do. Nothing short of that is guaranteed.
>
>My father had PoA for his older sister (whose daughter was not
>competent) and before he died he arranged for me to take over the PoA.
>It didn't last long. He died in October of that year and it was mid
>January when I got a call about 4 am on Sunday morning. It was a doctor
>from a hospital in Toronto telling me that my aunt had had a (another)
>stroke and that his file showed I was the new PoA and that there was a
>DNR and wanted to know if the DNR still stood. I remembered what my
>wife's family had been told when her mother was dying. I asked him to
>call me back in 5 minutes. That gave me time to wake up and think about
>it. When he called back I asked about the prognosis. It was not good.
>Hell, she already suffered from dementia. I said that the DNR was her
>wish when she was well and that it was by responsibility to ensure that
>her wishes were carried out... so yes, the DNR stood.

Yes if you have a DNR that's fine but otherwise, if you are suddenly
struck down, you best have someone as a medical P of A. That's not
the same as a regular P of A, it is a specific medical one and it is
best to pay the lawyers fee to make sure it is written correctly. It
goes into quite some detail in order to cover all eventualities. My
daughters know my wishes and they also know if they didn't do what I
would want, I'd be back to haunt them

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 18:49:40 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

>On 1/23/2016 6:41 PM, wrote:
>
>> The whole problem is that they have much shorter lives than ours
>> OTOH there are so many needy cats and dogs if we can help one or two,
>> it helps. A friend called me almost right away desperate to find a
>> home for a cat she had been fostering/sheltering that was giving her
>> elderly cat hell. So I said yes and you know, it probably was a good
>> thing not to wait too long this time.
>
>Completely agree. I used to say 2 was my limit. Then I took in 2 kittens
>that were found of a litter of 4 under a friends shed, mom hadn't come
>back and they were only about 4 weeks old. Luckily old enough to start
>on wet cat food. So then ok, 4 is my limit. Then someone was going to
>have to either find a home for the Maine Coon they took in, 9 years old,
>or he'd be off to the shelter. I waited 2 weeks, her limit, for another
>home to be found, then I took him. So 5 was my limit. See how easy that
>is? See how people can be hoarders? I have been in the situations with
>rescuers looking for homes and I JUST COULDN'T take anymore. I'm still
>not going to take another because I'm way over my limit for food, kitty
>litter, vet bills. But you just never know.

No, you are more than doing your bit! I hope the others are being
especially good to you just now, they do seem to know.

Cheryl wrote:
>> After David died as I was leaving with my kids, in front of them, he
>> said "I suppose you think you won?" so I told him that I supposed if
>> he didn't move out of my way my knee could really damage his testicles
>> - he moved.
>
> What an asshole that doctor is. I would have kneed him anyway. That must
> have been traumatic. And at that time. sheesh my BP is going up just
> reading this.

I don't even like her and I would have decked the SOB on the spot.

Socialized medicine people, learn from this.

Dave Smith wrote:
>>
>> After David died as I was leaving with my kids, in front of them, he
>> said "I suppose you think you won?" so I told him that I supposed if
>> he didn't move out of my way my knee could really damage his testicles
>> - he moved.
>
> What a *******. My SiL had a similar problem with her mother. The woman
> had died and a nurse resuscitated her. Her excuse was that the woman
> was such a dear that she could not let her go. The woman had been
> suffering from vascular dementia for years.

Quality Canuckleheaded health care, do you doctors major in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NOcRIHiRtc

http://www.houseofhorrors.com/re-animator.htm

On 1/23/2016 6:42 PM, Cheryl wrote:
>
> It was very easy for my brother to get power of attorney when my sister
> was on life support. Our mom didn't want to have to deal with it because
> it was too hard for her, and we'd lost our dad only a few years earlier,
> so to spare her my brother moved very quickly. She was moved to a
> hospital room without life support and overdose of morphine in the drip.
> Not enough time for hospice, again she wouldn't have lived without life
> support. I think it is the most humane way to go and that is my wish.

I should probably reword this. We don't know exactly that it was an
overdose of morphine but we know she only had a morphine drip and she
was gone within a few hours after being moved.

That's exactly how I want to go if I'm terminal. She even raised her
arms in praise when her church friends came to be with her and were
singing.

--
ღ.¸¸.œ«*¨`*œ¶
Cheryl

On 1/23/2016 6:46 PM, wrote:

> On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 18:42:16 -0500, Cheryl >
> wrote:
>
>> It was very easy for my brother to get power of attorney when my sister
>> was on life support. Our mom didn't want to have to deal with it because
>> it was too hard for her, and we'd lost our dad only a few years earlier,
>> so to spare her my brother moved very quickly. She was moved to a
>> hospital room without life support and overdose of morphine in the drip.
>> Not enough time for hospice, again she wouldn't have lived without life
>> support. I think it is the most humane way to go and that is my wish.
>
> I can understand your mother found it hard and it was a good thing
> your brother could step up for your sister and your mother.
>
> BTW how are your sisters kids doing now? Have they managed to digest
> what happened and move on with being kids?
>
They are both doing amazing. They have assimilated to this area and
their new school. My niece volunteered as a stage manager for a play
last fall and she did so well that they hired her for pay. She was found
to be on the autism spectrum, but the higher side of the spectrum, still
issues in areas of human contact. things are still hard for her, though.
I think autism might even be the reason she did so well at stage
management because she can get so focused, but she can't really focus on
multiple things. Nephew is a little jealous she found a job before she
did, but he'll look during summer break. He got his learners permit and
wants to drive desperately. LOL Niece probably won't drive, at least
not any time soon.

My brother and especially my sister in law have changed their lives.
They were so used to being the caregivers and now they are the ones
being cared for.

--
ღ.¸¸.œ«*¨`*œ¶
Cheryl

"Cheryl" > wrote in message
b.com...
>A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
>yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he was
>struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave him, but
>long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he wasn't on
>oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart failure but
>after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs because both were
>suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to rule out heart failure
>and try to treat his lung disease she needed more tests. In the meantime he
>was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix wasn't helping. I had to make a
>decision quickly which way to go and I decided to end the suffering. He
>was only 15. He has left a Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good
>boy, mommy already misses you so much".
>

Very sorry. I always miss Maui when I am sick. She always knew when I
wasn't feeling well. She would get on my pillow, on top of my head and fix
my hair for me. Took me quite a while to undo all of the damage that she
created but I know she loved me.

On 2016-01-23 7:01 PM, Cheryl wrote:
> On 1/23/2016 6:42 PM, Cheryl wrote:
>>
>> It was very easy for my brother to get power of attorney when my sister
>> was on life support. Our mom didn't want to have to deal with it because
>> it was too hard for her, and we'd lost our dad only a few years earlier,
>> so to spare her my brother moved very quickly. She was moved to a
>> hospital room without life support and overdose of morphine in the drip.
>> Not enough time for hospice, again she wouldn't have lived without life
>> support. I think it is the most humane way to go and that is my wish.
>
> I should probably reword this. We don't know exactly that it was an
> overdose of morphine but we know she only had a morphine drip and she
> was gone within a few hours after being moved.

That's the way my father went. I was the last one to talk to him. He was
in a lot of pain and before I left I asked him if he wanted more
morphine. He said yes, so I went an talked to the nurse. He slipped off
into a coma, but last three more days



We have a neighbour who worked in a hospital and was quite proud of he
fact that when terminal patients came in the first thing they did was to
take them off their pain medication. She said the pain meds kill the
patients. Yeah.. and? I think it is much more humane to let them go
pain free even if it is a little sooner.

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 19:01:28 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

>On 1/23/2016 6:42 PM, Cheryl wrote:
>>
>> It was very easy for my brother to get power of attorney when my sister
>> was on life support. Our mom didn't want to have to deal with it because
>> it was too hard for her, and we'd lost our dad only a few years earlier,
>> so to spare her my brother moved very quickly. She was moved to a
>> hospital room without life support and overdose of morphine in the drip.
>> Not enough time for hospice, again she wouldn't have lived without life
>> support. I think it is the most humane way to go and that is my wish.
>
>I should probably reword this. We don't know exactly that it was an
>overdose of morphine but we know she only had a morphine drip and she
>was gone within a few hours after being moved.
>
>That's exactly how I want to go if I'm terminal. She even raised her
>arms in praise when her church friends came to be with her and were
>singing.

It has long been that way here - my bestest friend was at home and the
nurse was coming in to see to her then suddenly her daughter called me
and said if you want to speak to mum one last time, come before lunch.
I was out there soonest and while there the nurse came added more to
the drip and we sat with her while she went.

The only problem is sometimes people are not terminal but for a
variety of quality of life problems, would like to end it. Hopefully
soon it will be allowed.

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 19:09:31 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

>On 1/23/2016 6:46 PM, wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 18:42:16 -0500, Cheryl >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> It was very easy for my brother to get power of attorney when my sister
>>> was on life support. Our mom didn't want to have to deal with it because
>>> it was too hard for her, and we'd lost our dad only a few years earlier,
>>> so to spare her my brother moved very quickly. She was moved to a
>>> hospital room without life support and overdose of morphine in the drip.
>>> Not enough time for hospice, again she wouldn't have lived without life
>>> support. I think it is the most humane way to go and that is my wish.
>>
>> I can understand your mother found it hard and it was a good thing
>> your brother could step up for your sister and your mother.
>>
>> BTW how are your sisters kids doing now? Have they managed to digest
>> what happened and move on with being kids?
>>
>They are both doing amazing. They have assimilated to this area and
>their new school. My niece volunteered as a stage manager for a play
>last fall and she did so well that they hired her for pay. She was found
>to be on the autism spectrum, but the higher side of the spectrum, still
>issues in areas of human contact. things are still hard for her, though.
>I think autism might even be the reason she did so well at stage
>management because she can get so focused, but she can't really focus on
>multiple things. Nephew is a little jealous she found a job before she
>did, but he'll look during summer break. He got his learners permit and
>wants to drive desperately. LOL Niece probably won't drive, at least
>not any time soon.
>
>My brother and especially my sister in law have changed their lives.
>They were so used to being the caregivers and now they are the ones
>being cared for.

Funny how it works out - I expect your sister is pleased if she can
look down on them. Likely a new school was a good thing for them,
even if it seemed hard at the time. Kids can bounce and a change just
then was probably good.

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 16:52:50 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

>A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
>yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
>was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
>him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
>wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
>failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
>because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
>rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
>tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
>wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
>decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
>Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
>misses you so much".

You made the correct decision, you did your best but 15 is old for a
cat, and no point in him suffering. I hope you laid him to rest in a
peaceful spot you can visit. I'm so sorry to hear of you loss.

On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 16:52:50 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

>A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
>yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
>was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
>him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
>wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
>failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
>because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
>rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
>tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
>wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
>decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
>Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
>misses you so much".

So sorry Cheryl. I've been there before, and I know how hard it is.

Doris

On Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 3:53:07 PM UTC-6, Cheryl wrote:
>
> A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
> yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
> was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
> him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
> wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
> failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
> because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
> rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
> tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
> wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
> decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
> Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
> misses you so much".
>
> --
> ღ.¸¸.œ«*¨`*œ¶
> Cheryl
>
>
I awfully sorry to read this and I know just how you feel.
In December I had to put my Smitty to sleep for kidney
failure.

"Cheryl" > wrote in message
b.com...

> Shamrock had some high kidney values at his last exam a few months ago and
> we were supposed to watch it. I'm so sorry for your loss too. Agree,
> Shamrock was already freaked out when I went in to visit him in the back
> when he was in the oxygen chamber. There was a dog barking non stop and
> the accoustics in the glass chamber probably made it sound even worse
> along with oxygen being pumped in. Having a pet is fun and they love you
> unconditionally and it is a given how hard it is when they aren't well.

I do know. My last dog was so ill the vet told me to take her to the vet
hospital in Glasgow. It broke my heart to leave her there but she had a
cardiac arrest that night. I am not sure how I would have coped with that at
home. It was hard enough to hear when they phoned us.

If I could hug you I would!

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

"Brooklyn1" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 16:52:50 -0500, Cheryl >
> wrote:
>
>>A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
>>yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
>>was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
>>him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
>>wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
>>failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
>>because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
>>rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
>>tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
>>wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
>>decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
>>Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
>>misses you so much".
>
> You made the correct decision, you did your best but 15 is old for a
> cat, and no point in him suffering. I hope you laid him to rest in a
> peaceful spot you can visit. I'm so sorry to hear of you loss.

My previous dogs are sitting in boxes on my fireplace. If our wishes are
respected their ashes will be scattered with ours.



--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

In article >,
says...
>
> On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 18:01:17 -0500, Dave Smith
> > wrote:
>
> >On 2016-01-23 5:01 PM, wrote:
> >> On Sat, 23 Jan 2016 16:52:50 -0500, Cheryl >
> >
> >>
> >> So sorry, it's a tough decision. I sincerely believe though that it
> >> is good that we can make this decision rather than them struggling to
> >> live on a little longer. I did the same one with my cat in early
> >> December.
> >
> >
> >I wish that we could do it for people too. There comes a time to let
> >go, and the decision to try to keep someone alive when they have a
> >terminal condition is, IMO, more to do with selfishness than the best
> >interests of the person who is suffering. We don't want to pull the plus
> >because we don't want to lose them.
>
> I told the doctor in ICU when David was dying that he did not want any
> nonsense with resuscitators etc. but when I went for a coffee this new
> from Ireland, doubtless RC prolifer, put him on the resuscitator. I
> called a person I knew who was then Chairman of the National Ethics
> Committee and she came in, checked David, checked his file and told me
> she knew exactly how angry he would be and not to worry. She then
> spoke to the doctor who flounced in and switched off the machine.
>
> After David died as I was leaving with my kids, in front of them, he
> said "I suppose you think you won?" so I told him that I supposed if
> he didn't move out of my way my knee could really damage his testicles
> - he moved.
>
> So what I learned was (in Canada) you need a medical power of
> attorney. My daughters have mine and if I can't speak what they say
> goes. Forget about 'living wills' they carry no weight for us, but
> medical P of A's do. Nothing short of that is guaranteed.

In UK, the patient themself, while they are mentally competent, can
lodge a legally binding medical directive refusing named end-of-life
treatments

http://www.nhs.uk/Planners/end-of-li...e-decision-to-
refuse-treatment.aspx

We also have POAs in case we lose capacity

http://www.publicguardian-scotland.g...rney/power-of-
attorney/types-of-power-of-attorney


Janet UK

Cheryl wrote:
>
> A few here know about this but my oldest cat had to be laid to rest
> yesterday. On Thursday he was acting not himself and by around 2am he
> was struggling to breathe so we went off to emergency. I had to leave
> him, but long story short, by morning he'd gotten much worse and if he
> wasn't on oxygen he struggled. Vet at first thought congenital heart
> failure but after xrays wasn't sure if it was his heart or his lungs
> because both were suspect. After the radiologist came in she said to
> rule out heart failure and try to treat his lung disease she needed more
> tests. In the meantime he was going downhill because oxygen and Lasix
> wasn't helping. I had to make a decision quickly which way to go and I
> decided to end the suffering. He was only 15. He has left a
> Shamrock-shaped hole in my heart. "Goodbye good boy, mommy already
> misses you so much".

Cheryl, I'm so sorry to here this. You even mentioned him to me just
the other day about his hard breathing. I'm sure that making that
final decision was so hard but it sounds like you made the best one.
He's at peace now.

I sure hope that all this "crossing the rainbow bridge" stuff turns
out to be real. Wouldn't it be nice, when you finally die, to actually
be reunited with all your old pets, relatives, friends that have gone
before and live forever together in a good place? *That* would be a
true Heaven to me.

Give your other 4 kittys big hugs and love. They'll miss him too.

Ophelia wrote:
>
> My previous dogs are sitting in boxes on my fireplace. If our wishes are
> respected their ashes will be scattered with ours.

That's very cool. I've told my daughter to have me creamated then
scatter my ashes in the nice clearing in the woods were all my beloved
ferrets are buried. I don't think you can legally do that but she
could always do it "off the record."

http://i43.tinypic.com/157iuyc.jpg

"Gary" > wrote in message ...
> Ophelia wrote:
>>
>> My previous dogs are sitting in boxes on my fireplace. If our wishes are
>> respected their ashes will be scattered with ours.
>
> That's very cool. I've told my daughter to have me creamated then
> scatter my ashes in the nice clearing in the woods were all my beloved
> ferrets are buried. I don't think you can legally do that but she
> could always do it "off the record."
>
> http://i43.tinypic.com/157iuyc.jpg

Nice! I am hoping we will all be scattered in a favourite place too.



--
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