Our Child (warning, somewhat high bandwidth)

[LoneWolf]

Well, not really. Only been married three and a half months.

But, he's kind of like a child in some ways, and I figured I'd show off the results of my digital camera, especially as Ian was still considering one last I knew (though admittedly, there's some picture quality loss bringing images to the web). Star of stage and screen (he's certainly a gifted actor), Lloyd is probably nearing two years old as near as we can tell, and is a very big boy, at about fifteen and a half pounds.

Here's a little pose I commonly cal "Dead Cat":







Just lounging around:

[Ian]

Ah yes, our cat's are good at playing "dead cat" too.

[LoneWolf]

Ah yes, our cat's are good at playing "dead cat" too.

It's known in cat language as "Pet Me" of course, but I keep hoping unrealistically that I could train him to do it someday, it would be rather amusing to my Dad, who doesn't especially care for cats. (chuckle)

[LoneWolf]

My best friend and buddy died today.

Lloyd (shown in the pictures above) was like a dog trapped in a cat's body. Always around to make me feel better, or add all 28 pounds of his now full-grown Maine Coon bulk onto my chest in order to make me his teddy bear or watch a ball game with me on the couch. Gigantic enough to impress our tattooed, heavily muscled tough-guy movers when we went to our house several years back, yet insecure enough to need regular tummy rubs. He was only five years old.

He went to the vet today for a grooming appointment. Apparently, he had undiagnosed cardiomyopathy, and the mild sedative that had worked fine in the past stopped his heart this time. They tried everything, but couldn't get him back. The vet herself cried talking to me --the entire office loved him to pieces, and he loved them all back. He brought out the best in people.

The first day of Spring Break here...and it's going to be a long week. My friend, you will be sorely missed.

[Dartman]

Man, sorry to here about your buddy. I have a parrot named Nerd who I've had for over 30 years, going to be tough when he decides to go, unless he outlives me.
We also had a House Finch we rescued from a crow as a hatchling and ended up raising, did well for a year and a half then caught a chill and died after a battle, That was a sad day around here.
Here's a link to a cool little poem http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm hope it cheers ya up a bit, hang in there.

[ruderacer]

Sorry to hear about your loss. I got say it truly is difficult when your friend goes. I lost some of mine in 1994, 1995, 1996, and 2003. All were my Rotts that I bred and raised. Again, sorry for your loss.

[Ian]

I'm sorry to hear that LoneWolf. That's kind of scary about the sedative. We have to put one of our cats under to get her groomed.

[LoneWolf]

I'm sorry to hear that LoneWolf. That's kind of scary about the sedative. We have to put one of our cats under to get her groomed.

There is an option to have blood tests done before sedation which is extremely mild, not enough to put them under). In our case, it would have revealed nothing; it would have taken an ultrasound (which isn't a normal procedure) and even then, if we had found it, there is nothing one can do about it. When you hear in the news about an 18-year old high school basketball player dropping dead on the court, it's usually this same condition, and its gone undiagnosed for years. Male cats are more prone to it, and Maine Coon cats can have a mutated gene that makes it more likely in some cases.

He'd been groomed a number of times without issue, and we'd had the blood test done in the past. If it hadn't happened there, he could have just passed at a random time in the future, and my wife and I agreed it would be far worse to come home and find him there. It's one of these "these things just hapen" situations; no one was at fault, it was just his time. That doesn't make it much easier, but that's the way it goes.

He was a very unique personality, in a good way. That's the hardest part of it. At least we got to go to the vet, and sort of "say goodbye".

[SithTracy]

Sorry for your loss, LoneWolf. I've never lost a pet in those circumstances... I have been lucky (I guess) that I have had the courage to have my pets put down so they did not have to suffer. The hardest thing for me to get over was coming home to what becomes an empty house. Every corner has a memory when you have kids and pets.

Most with pets have heard of Rainbow Bridge. Hope it helps you find peace in your loss.

[Ian]

LoneWolf, I'd be more than willing to send you one of our cats. She kinda looks like yours, but orange and with a lot more attitude. I've been trying to give her away for years and no one wants her.

[LoneWolf]

We'll likely be looking for another Maine Coon soon. Since I don't work close enough to home to really have a dog (it wouldn't be fair to the dog), Maine Coons are the closest to a dog in personality a cat can be, but with a little lower maintenance requirement.

It won't be a replacement for my buddy; nobody can replace who Lloyd was. I'll keep on missing him --but it will fill the (very large) empty hole. We'll have to make sure the new one fits in with the two we still have, and I want a certain personality, so we'll be taking our time.[/url]

[dolphinius_rex]

Sorry about your loss man

My kitty is starting to get up there now, she's ~17 now I believe, which is quite old for a cat (although she's next to pure bred, so usually that means a longer lifespan). She's got a couple years left in her at best, so I'm trying to make every day with her count. Make sure she gets all the attention she can take and such.