goodbye jean claude.

by **Bendy Kitty** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:05 pm

four vets reviewed his x-ray, they all agreed - mediastinal mass, that is cancer of the breastbone.
when i first saw the x-ray yesterday i yelled "what the f**k is that?" we had an older x-ray to compare it to which got the point across even more horribly.
he had had some trouble last September that we pulled him through, vet says may have been the start of this but heck she saw him 2 weeks ago and didn't see this coming.
she said she had seen this before with this type of cancer. suddenly the lungs fill, and outside the lungs was filling.
in spite of a high dose of lasix this morning, he was worsening as i watched him here at home. he struggled for every breath, his heart was racing and arythmic and you could actually see the fur on his chest moving with the beats.

when i put him on the table and looked down at him he looked up and me and stretched his head up for noserubs. the noserub was a signature of his. ever since i got him, first he nursed on my nose then he licked my nose. he liked to sleep with his nose on my nose.

he went very fast and very peacefully.

i have cried more today than i have all year. He was 9 years old. he has been asthmatic since '03. he survived being bitten by a black widow when he was under a year old, tho it cost him his tail. he was heartworm positive for a year. he had multiple bouts of pneumonia as a side effect of the asthma. he had stomatitis, i don't remember when that started but i'd say for about five years. he had a hard life but was a very loving boy and i will miss him very much. my nighttime feeding routine revolved around him and Bast and now they are both gone.

by **CarolC** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 6:01 pm

Nine years is a long time, but never long enough. Your first post about him was in 2002.

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=701&p=2333

I wish I could say anything to make anything better, I'm so sorry.

I am glad he had someone in his life that he loved so much he wanted to sleep nose to nose with them, that says it all. Hard for you to lose him, but he had love his whole life thanks to you.

by **janew** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:30 pm

Sorry you lost Jean Claude...it never gets easier, you do not get 'used to it', that is why you are a special care giver, you love them like family for the time they have & it is never 'long enough', you gift so many with a loving time. Thank you...
jane

by **Jean** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 8:12 am

Dear Bendy,
I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope your memories bring you comfort./Jean
PS: Last year about this time I lost 4 in 6 weeks. It about killed me. A family member asked me why I would continue to rescue and put myself through such loss. I thought about that for a long time.
It is because this is what we were met to do. It is our calling.
You are a very special person Bendy and your kitties are so lucky that you are there to give this love and comfort. It is what YOU were met to do !!!!!

by **Bendy Kitty** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:57 pm

thank mew.
we still miss him so much esp at bedtime.
and now Hugo is gone too.

by **CarolC** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:12 pm

I saw you had posted about him since 2004. I don't know what to say. You can look at it that maybe it was getting to be his time, there's no way to know how long he was positive before you got him. But there is still the "Why me, why this, why now?" I am so sorry. I know you're a pro, you've cared for so many special cases and loss is unavoidable, but your heart is still in each one. It isn't much help to say it, but hang in there.

by **LisainCAN** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 8:49 pm

I don't know what else to say other than I am so, so sorry. :angel:

by **Christine** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 9:53 pm

Crying as I type...don't know how I missed this the day you shared it. I am just so sorry...he loved you and knew he was cherished..that's how he pulled through so much. You have a large troup of angels watching over you.