It is with sad heart that I have to relay the passing of one of my beloved friends, Libby. I first saw her when she was about 6-8 weeks old, on the shoulder of one of the technicians at the large veterinary hospital in which I worked at the time. I thought she was the cutest kitten I had ever seen! Fast forward a few months, and I see her once more - again on the shoulder of the tech. I mentioned how she had grown and how cute she was, and the tech replied "do you want her?". I was stunned. Turns out she didn't have the greatest home life. She was terrified of the large dog in the house, and spent all of her time hiding under a recliner. Also the tech's husband didn't like her, and he wanted her gone. So I took her! I brought her home, without telling my husband she was coming, and just silently put her in his lap. He didn't say a word... just shook his head. Libby was such a sweet girl - she was very affectionate, loved to be pet and held, and slept on my pillow every night.
A few years ago we found out she was developing mild kidney disease (extremely common in older cats), and started her on medicines and subcutaneous fluids (under the skin) at home. Her levels were stable for several years, and she felt good, had a good appetite, etc. Over the last few months I have noticed she was losing muscle tone, but she was 15 and very sedentary, so it didn't surprise me. Last week her appetite dropped off, and I called on Thursday to make an appointment to take her into the hospital I used to work at for a check up. Well over the weekend she really declined, didn't eat anything, and I could tell she felt terrible. Monday morning, on my birthday, I had her kidney values checked, and unfortunately they were so high the machines couldn't even read them. Several of her kidney markers were extremely elevated, and she had a grim prognosis. I elected to have her euthanized at that point, as it was the right thing to do for her. She cuddled in my lap until the time came, and she passed peacefully. My kids were devastated when they found out, as she was their favorite cat of all of them, but they knew it may happen as I had prepared them over the weekend, letting them know she was very sick and didn't feel well.
It's been strange without her - I keep expecting to see her in her favorite places, and my pillow feels empty and silent at night without her cuddling against my hair purring. But I know she is better now - she doesn't feel bad any more, and that's the most important thing. I am grateful for all the years of happiness we had together, and I will love and miss her always.
