It’s been about 3 years since my cat died in my arms, 5 days before my birthday. It’s still hard to talk about it just like I still tear up whenever I see a black and white border collie or a springer spaniel. And my dog died in 2005.
I had pleaded with my cat to stay longer. First, it was Christmas then New Years, then it was Chinese New Year. By the time it was March, I could see that it wasn’t fair for her to stay around for my birthday. I had to let her go. Just like I did with my dog, I started telling her everyday that it was okay for her to go and not to stay just for me.
My vet wasn’t around so I placed a desperate call to this vet whom I had heard about from a colleague. You know, just to make preparations in case I needed someone to come to the house. Surprisingly, many of the vets I had reached out to did not do house calls as if I am supposed to schedule in my cat’s death between work hours.
This vet was really patient and would only perform euthanasia when the animal is in pain or has terminal cancer. I think that I broke down during the call but in between the sobs and trying to get my act together, I was able to understand that I needed to put aside my own fears about death and be present for my cat.
The phone call really helped me stay strong for my cat because animals stress when they sense you’re upset. I wasn’t there for her birth but I was able to witness her passing and thank her for being in my life.
constipated cat purrs 