We lost him on Friday. He was with me his whole life and I’m so thankful he chose me. Even with 4 cats left behind, the house feels weirdly silent without him. I’ll love and miss him for the rest of my life. 🩶

Had Lap of Love come last night, after rescheduling the appointment once already, and I am really struggling with it.

This was my companion for 17 years, had moved all over the country with me, and has given me everything. For some context, the last week or so he was vomiting, and then stopped eating almost altogether except a few spoonfuls of baby food and whipped cream. Bloodwork showed his thyroid (which I had managed well with meds the last few years) was literally off the chart, liver values astronomically high (had doubled since his last bloodwork 2 months ago) and kidneys had further declined. He was drinking a little and peeing about once a day, but had not gone #2 in a week.

He crashed on Sunday. On Monday, vet gave him fluids, ozone, and vitamins along with some anti nausea and antacids, told me had only days left. She was shocked when he showed some improvement but when I offered to bring him in for more treatments Tuesday/Wednesday, reiterated that I should just focus on being with him.

This is where I’m struggling- he was improving a little, had really perked up and had his spark back. Jumping in the bed with me, following me around, wanting belly rubs. I rescheduled the lap of love appointment once, but against every instinct I had, went through with it last night. It was so hard to say goodbye to my boy when he was having a good day. I almost asked her to stop, and now I’m disgusted with myself for cutting his time short when he was not in acute distress. I know people say better a week too early than a day too late, and I know he had bad days ahead, but this is really tearing me apart.

I’m so grateful for the last 2 days we had, which were such a gift. I will cherish the last cuddles we had together, the last morning he pawed at my face at 5am.

I know I did everything I could to give him this last year- all the appointments, treatments, meds and supplements, hand feeding him. I know we were at the end, and were in palliative care mode. I just feel like it was too early, like he wasn’t ready.

For everyone who read all of this, thank you. He will be missed by so many, and most of all by me. And I will carry this burden for a long time.

This is long, you don't need to read it. I just feel really alone right now and had to tell my girls story.

2 and a half years ago I came across a poorly looking cat living amongst the tractors and hay at the farm where we have a small office set up.

It was just before the winter in 2024.

She looked just like one of my childhood cats who would have been the same age.

I coaxed her into my office with some treats and got her to sit on a thick blanket on one of the chairs. She fell asleep soon after and from that day onwards, she became my little companion.

Soon after taking her in, she became unwell. I took her to the vets and we learned 3 things; 1. Her name was Sprocket, 2. She was 17 years old. 3. She had late stage 2 kidney disease.

We left with new meds and new diet instructions. I had the thick matted fur gently shaved off her and bought her a new heat pad to sleep on.

I learned that she had been left to live in the farmhouse by her first owner who went into a nursing home. That must of been about 8 years ago or more. The people who moved in must of made it so she wasn't allowed to sleep inside any more. On rainy days she would sit outside the front door crying her heart out.

Winter 2024 came and went, I wasn't sure if she would it but she did. It was a hard winter. Summer came and she started perking up, she started exploring the farm again, spending more and more of her days in the sunshine rather than sleeping on her bed.

Sprocket, for the first few months going on a year, didn't really like lots of scratches and strokes. She would try and nip at you if you ever tried to stroke her. It was during that summer that her behaviour started to change for the better and I could tell that she felt loved.

The seasons changed as her visible love for me did.

Winter 2025 came around and we were prepared. Multiple blankets, heat pad, new renal food selection, new heater for the office. We managed to keep it warm in there all Winter. It was about this time where she developed a daily habit of jumping onto my desk and let me actually stroke and rest my hand on her without trying to nip at it.

She made it through another Winter. And I made sure that winter was as gentle on her as I possibly could. We grew closer over that winter. Some days I set up her heat pad on the side of my desk and she would just curl up there and sleep. Or she would just spend the day lying on the sofa on her heat pad and she was peaceful. She had one up or down during that winter but she did very well.

And this summer we were blessed. Albeit being a bit slower, eating a bit less, and sleeping more, she continued desk hopping, she went back outside into the sunshine, and she let me love her deeply. And I felt her love back.

And then 3 weeks ago, I could tell from the way she looked at me that time was running out. This good spell was coming to and end.

Over these 3 weeks she ate less and less. Slept more and desk visits became noticeably less frequent. As the days are growing colder, her bones were becoming painful. She started showing signs of intense nausea, she wouldn't get her meds in her, and yesterday, when she refused her chicken completely (she normally always eats some chicken) I felt like I had to make the hard decision.

Sprocket went to sleep for the last time with her head resting in my hand at 11:40am yesterday, the 14th October.

I know that I only had and was able to care and love her for 2 years of our lives, but im so sad man. Im so so sad. Im dreading walking into the office today.

I keep telling myself I did the right thing. And that above anything, she left this world feeling loved. Unconditional love. And she knew it. She still knows it.

Sorry I just didn't think id grieve this hard and I just had to speak about her.

I wish I could know her full story. I wish I knew why she was left here by herself. I wish I knew why they didn't let her sleep in the farmhouse and put her out into the cold. I wish I was a witness to her entire life and not just the two or so years I had with her. I miss you, Sprocket, so much already and I keep seeing your fur lying around my desk. I can still smell you on my hoodie. I miss you.

Edit: Just want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to read this and share such lovely words with me. Knowing I'm not alone in this is comforting. And knowing so many more people now know Sprocket is amazing. Thank you

Yesterday at 1:15pm, my sweet old girl who had been diagnosed with kidney disease and arthritis about 3 years ago has peacefully left us. Things will never be the same without her, I miss her so much already❤️‍🩹

10/14/26, what a gift it is to be able to grow old with your childhood pet 💕

(mojave is on instagram and tiktok if you’d like to see more of her: @Ursa__Minor)

I was often around this subreddit earlier this year because my boy got unwell and sadly lost him 14th Feb. I then dipped in and out because it was hard seeing stories of all the gorgeous cats nearing the end of their life. After losing my boy Timo, we were left with just Evie who is about year and half older. They were together most of their lives really minus a year or so. Evie was older, so I distance myself from here, reddit( the senior sub reddit) because I knew Evie was on the home stretch, at 16... She could have a year left, maybe 5. You just don't know, I've spent days sometimes wondering that I know I'll have to go through that pain again that I went through earlier this yeat and I pray I have Evie for many years to come. She's a beautiful white tortie, doesn't have any health issues atm minus missing a few teeth. I'm going to start doing regular check ups for her with vets, she was last there in March and absolutely everything was fine. She looks fantastic for her age and I joke she ages backwards because I look at her and thing, yeh.... Yours looking good girl. I'll continue to treasure every moment with her and hope we can get her to 20yrs old. Just wanted to add a nice post here about my lady. No real reason 😊

Most of these snaps, in fact all were taken within the last year. She going strong 😍

Miss Bella Shark turned 11 on September 23rd and I’ve been waiting to post her here!

even though she’s in her senior years, she loves to play especially with her younger brother and with her mousy toys.

she is inbred though and has no teeth but did get a clean bill of health from the vet before her birthday.

🖤🖤

I will be at the vet in 1 hr, I have called them already

The left side of meatloaf face is completely drooped, she doesn't seem to have a way to lift her left lip, close her left eye, and she is repeatedly scratching her left ear. She is walking toward the left, seems to be struggling to chew her food so she is only licking her food. It seems difficult or impossible for her to look up at me, when she does I can clearly see the droop. If I pull on her whiskers she doesnt respond compared to the right side where she makes an effort to pull them away from me

The rest of her body seems normal. It is only her face

UPDATE UPDATE

I just talk to vet a few minutes ago.

she said there is a mass of clotted blood inside her ear but it is impossible to see where the bleed is coming from since its clotted already. When I was checking in her ears earlier I thought thats what I was seeing, but it was deeper than I could really see. They started an IV antibiotic for now and running a sample of the blood from her ear.

So it is possible the clot is so deep it is pushing on one of the nerves in her face 😭😭 but thank goodness the vet does not think she has had any stroke or anything like that

About 8 months ago I had to put down my best friend who was 10, he was a Manie Coon, had him longer than my kids have been alive. He was sick and it was time, I was so devastated and still am. Still think it was a mistaken… anyway. My other senior cat is 13 and she’s just starting to not be well. Peeing outside of the litter box, although still poops in it. Doesn’t eat much, still drinks and loves treats though. Has always had a limp and was never in pain, the limp is getting worse but she’s not in any pain. Check it daily, poke and touch and it’s never an issue. Not in any pain and still purrs and cuddles every night. She absolutely hates people, so terrified of my husband who I’ve been with for seven years, only loves him when she’s asleep, he loves her I’m not sure why she’s afraid. My kids are still little so she hates them being loud. Taking her to get anything medical wise done has always been so traumatic, like for days after wouldn’t eat, bitting and hissing the vet techs, took almost a week to recover. So any testing is out of question. Plus a cbc and urinalysis is about $750 which unfortunately I don’t have the money for… doctor can’t do anything else. Not sure what to do, I don’t want to give up on her, I’m not ready for another loss… I know you’re never ready but it’s too soon since my other cat. I’m not sure what I’m looking for… my husband doesn’t understand how attached I am to her. I can’t just put her down. I’m so emotional it’s been affecting my work which never happens. I cry every day and every time I think about her. I am such a depressed mess. She’s my best friend, always there for me, so loud and chatty, been with me for 13 years. My teenage years to adulthood… so many emotions. Im a mess. Any similar experiences maybe.. Thanks for reading or not. I needed a vent I guess to people who understand cat love.

Please help, my 16 yr old cat has peed and pooped in laundry basket with clean clothes, and then couple days later, she jumped up into my sons hamper and i think she was ready to poop but I caught her, but on floor by hamper she peed

My super senior kitty (20 years old) is getting his FVRCP and rabies vaccines tomorrow and I’m feeling really nervous about it. I know he’s tolerated the vaccines well in the past, it’s just he’s getting up there in age and I’m worried that could cause something to go horribly wrong. I’m feeling way more nervous about the FVRCP vaccine than rabies. The only reason he’s getting that vaccine is because I’ve started volunteering at a cat shelter and the last thing I want to do is bring home fpv and him getting horribly sick. I’ve also heard FVRCP vaccine could cause issues in senior cats (?) but I’m not sure if that’s true or not. Am I overthinking too much about this?