Tuesday, Dave took the day off to finally go riding with Marsh, Monroe (Chas), Andy, Tyrel and Emily. While they were gone, Dad came in from the shop telling me that one of my cats were in horrible shape. I was watching Kaitlynn and Tucker, so I took them both back with Dad and I, and was totally appalled at what I saw. Not only was the litter box SOLID with stuff, but all 3 cats had at least 1 eye shut and full of goop, and Angel, the kitty that was born just before Grandma Wanda passed away, was nothing but a skeleton with fur stretched on it, barely hanging on to life.
I immediately told Dad that he'll have to be put down, picked the cat up, took him into the house and called the vet. Me, Dad, Kaitlynn and Tucker then took him to the vet, where they examined him. He wouldn't move much during the exam, and they couldn't get his temperature to register on the thermometer with how bad he was.
After the exam, the Vet told us that we could have them hospitalize him and rehydrate him so they can run more tests on him to find out what was wrong, or I could put him out of his pain. He said that if I chose euthanasia, he'd back me 100% which I took as that's what he would prefer. As hard as it was to do, we opted to put him down, so me, the tech, and the Doc went to the back room to do it.
Normally when they Euthanize an animal, they find a vein and inject the chemicals in it, but with how bad off Angel was, they injected the chemicals directly into his kidneys. Before they even pulled the needle out of his body, I felt his head go limp in my hands, and knew right away that he'd passed away. It was not an easy thing to do, never really is, but I know that he's happier now, and not suffering anymore. I will miss watching him sit in the window sill of the shop with the window partially open, meowing at me across the yard. We'd "talk" back and forth like that for hours, and I loved it.
The other 2 cats are doing a little bit better though it breaks my heart to see Luna wandering around looking for her nephew. She meows all the time and rubs against everything she can. Jeriko is super thin in the hind end, but with lots of food, water and TLC, I'm sure he'll bounce back just fine.