Steve and I were married five and a half years before M was born. In that time we graduated with our bachelors degrees and I started my Masters degree. We were busy with church and community service and we bought a house. I am grateful for the time I had to learn to be a wife before I was a mother because I did not know how. However, during those years I was desperate to love a baby and that desperation was all consuming.
After moving to our new home, a friend from our student apartment told us they were going to be evicted if they did not re-home their two illegal cats, Finnegan and Mongo. Sooooo....we became cat people. Finnegan was a wild, territorial cat who we sent to live with my friend on a farm where he protected his new owners with a ferociousness that no cat has since equaled.
Mongo began her life with us. But she was lonely. She would rend the air with her screams every night after Finnegan left. Steve and I soon realized she needed a companion. We decided to get a kitten since I desperately needed something to mother. Steve found some for $20 which I thought was ridiculous since people give kittens away for free, but I agreed to look at them with him.
There were three kittens left when we got there: two beautiful female Siamese cats and an ugly male black one. He reminded me of an awkward gawky teenager, with his body disproportionate from his limbs. He had two bald spots, one above each eye. And his back legs were bowed. I wanted one of the Siamese, but Steve had already given his heart away to the ugly one. I begrudgingly paid them and with that, Romi came home.
Romi and Mongo bonded quickly and Mongo, who was four at the time, showed Romi the cat ropes while Steve and I giggled and gushed over everything that ugly, little kitten did. Romi became my fur baby.
When Romi was two and Mongo was six, M was born and then J, and then D, and then C. With each child these two cats have been patient and loving. They have never once nipped, bitten, or scratched. They don't hide from the kids, but let them play with their tails and stroke (or pull) their fur. When our kids are sick or sad, they seek them out and stay within line of sight until they feel better. Mongo lets the kids dress her up and stack things on her. Romi and M snuggle in her bed every night and she laughs and talks to him while he purrs to her until she falls asleep. No one has ever had better cats than ours.
Two weeks ago Steve noticed a change in their drinking habits. They were consuming double their normal amount. He did some research and learned that it was most likely a symptom of heart failure, diabetes, or kidney failure. We took the next available vet appointment which happened to be our 16th wedding anniversary. While Steve watched the boys, M and I took Romi and Mongo to the vet.
I sat with M in the waiting area and hugged her when Romi and Mongo's cries of fear caused her to tear up.
The vet was able to determine that it was Romi with the medical condition. We also learned that with Mongo being 17 and Romi being 13, we have elderly cats. He agreed with Steve's findings and offered to run additional tests to confirm, but that would have cost approximately $500 and then if it was any of the suspected diagnoses, it would have been an additional $100 a month in treatment and/or food. We left to talk it over with Steve.
Steve and I talked late into the night about our options and reflecting on what a sweet angel of a cat we've been blessed with. And we came to this conclusion: Ultimately, we have decided to let nature take its course and we are heartbroken. And I get it, it's just a cat. But that's just it...it's not just a cat. He is the one I poured all my desperate mother love into before my other four got here. He's my fur baby and my sweet, tender, kind, loving fur baby is dying.
After moving to our new home, a friend from our student apartment told us they were going to be evicted if they did not re-home their two illegal cats, Finnegan and Mongo. Sooooo....we became cat people. Finnegan was a wild, territorial cat who we sent to live with my friend on a farm where he protected his new owners with a ferociousness that no cat has since equaled.
Mongo began her life with us. But she was lonely. She would rend the air with her screams every night after Finnegan left. Steve and I soon realized she needed a companion. We decided to get a kitten since I desperately needed something to mother. Steve found some for $20 which I thought was ridiculous since people give kittens away for free, but I agreed to look at them with him.
There were three kittens left when we got there: two beautiful female Siamese cats and an ugly male black one. He reminded me of an awkward gawky teenager, with his body disproportionate from his limbs. He had two bald spots, one above each eye. And his back legs were bowed. I wanted one of the Siamese, but Steve had already given his heart away to the ugly one. I begrudgingly paid them and with that, Romi came home.
Romi and Mongo bonded quickly and Mongo, who was four at the time, showed Romi the cat ropes while Steve and I giggled and gushed over everything that ugly, little kitten did. Romi became my fur baby.
When Romi was two and Mongo was six, M was born and then J, and then D, and then C. With each child these two cats have been patient and loving. They have never once nipped, bitten, or scratched. They don't hide from the kids, but let them play with their tails and stroke (or pull) their fur. When our kids are sick or sad, they seek them out and stay within line of sight until they feel better. Mongo lets the kids dress her up and stack things on her. Romi and M snuggle in her bed every night and she laughs and talks to him while he purrs to her until she falls asleep. No one has ever had better cats than ours.
Two weeks ago Steve noticed a change in their drinking habits. They were consuming double their normal amount. He did some research and learned that it was most likely a symptom of heart failure, diabetes, or kidney failure. We took the next available vet appointment which happened to be our 16th wedding anniversary. While Steve watched the boys, M and I took Romi and Mongo to the vet.
I sat with M in the waiting area and hugged her when Romi and Mongo's cries of fear caused her to tear up.
The vet was able to determine that it was Romi with the medical condition. We also learned that with Mongo being 17 and Romi being 13, we have elderly cats. He agreed with Steve's findings and offered to run additional tests to confirm, but that would have cost approximately $500 and then if it was any of the suspected diagnoses, it would have been an additional $100 a month in treatment and/or food. We left to talk it over with Steve.
Steve and I talked late into the night about our options and reflecting on what a sweet angel of a cat we've been blessed with. And we came to this conclusion: Ultimately, we have decided to let nature take its course and we are heartbroken. And I get it, it's just a cat. But that's just it...it's not just a cat. He is the one I poured all my desperate mother love into before my other four got here. He's my fur baby and my sweet, tender, kind, loving fur baby is dying.
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