Goodbye to Hansel

Hello everyone, some of you are on facebook and already know this, 

but, 

I do know that some of you are not.

Hansel Cat was 10 years old and in some bad heart failure. 

He was going to turn 11 this coming May.

He had a bad murmur for a few years; and this past December he had 

an attack that we were pretty sure was going to be the end.

He had also dropped from an almost 13 lb cat to an 8 lb cat.

We always had food out for him, wet food in the morning and as much dry as he could possibly want. But he didn't always eat it.

I had found him that am breathing heavy with his mouth open 

and not really standing up, he looked really bad- so I rushed him to our vet and 

they looked him over, did xrays and discovered an enlarged heart and fluid in his lungs.

By mid-day he was feeling much better after resting and was put on Lasix. 

He got better immediately on the medication.

We were warned again (and years ago) that most likely because of his heart condition, 

we would one day find him dead in the basement or he would throw a thrombis (or a clot) which would paralyze his back legs and that would be the end.

At the end of February Hansel had decided he didn't like the wet food OR the dry food he was on.

So we changed it again to a different dry and he LOVED it. He was always emptying the bowl, he was drinking a little more but he also wasn't getting anymore wet food (because we were just throwing it out as he refused to eat it.). He got more affectionate, was playing a little, coming and playing with our youngest child, and just overall looked really good.  He was taking his meds, and seemed extremely happy.

He had been getting a little braver and coming on the patio with us some days, 

and he was extremely smart and knew not to leave the patio if we told him not to (as we didn't want him getting any fleas or ticks and I didn't want to keep him on MORE medication esp. with his heart the way it was.).  He liked laying in the sun and sniffing the fresh air. He even came out sometimes to step in freshly fallen snow. He always thought he would like the snow, and always immediately realized it was a bad idea.

He loved the kids, especially my oldest- he would always lay with her and cuddle her. Especially if she was sick, we always called him the "kitty nurse" as he would mostly stay by her side.   He would run down the hallway to great her and just adored her.

March 26th my girl was getting ready to go to school and was calling Hansel up from the basement. His vomiting could be so bad at night he was confined to his own 1000sq foot room downstairs (ONLY at night) with his litter box, water, and a million toys and a cat tree next to the window.  This room was also his safe haven to escape my kids if he needed time to himself.  He spent a LOT of time down there.  His vomiting had been much better since being on the medication, and he would come up first thing in the am and have his pill- he would sit next to me and wait for it, i'd give him it in a treat, then he'd go have breakfast. Same at dinner time.  He was a wonderful cat.  

This morning though, he didn't come upstairs.  My girl looked down the cat door and said 'Mom, he's just laying at the bottom of the stairs crying'.  Of course since I was a tech all those years ago my heart stopped, and I knew.  I didn't have to see him and I knew.  I said 'he's crying? what is he doing?' and she said 'he's just laying there'

I opened the door and went down, he was indeed just laying there, he couldn't get up. His hind end was totally paralyzed.  He tried to get up the steps and just slid right down.  He would cry whenever he tried to move as it's supposed to be incredibly painful.  He wanted to get upstairs so badly so of course he was moved up there immediately and put in his favorite spot in front of the window in the sun rays.

He wouldn't eat or drink. He just laid there and cried if he turned over or tried to move.  His feet were ice cold, so it had happened sometime during the night. We brought him his favorite blanket that was my daughters and he made biscuits, but he never did purr again.  My daughter and I were hysterical, and we called the vet.  

He was taken into the appt, and the vet confirmed what I thought. And there was nothing to be done. 

Hansel was miserable, and going down hill already while at the vets office waiting.

He was laying with his head on my arms, and my daughter and I stayed with him, talking to him him, cuddling, kissing and loving on our kitty. 

He usually shakes and hides during vet appointments, but there was no shaking. He looked right at him and us, and I swear he knew.  We said goodbye and helped him across the bridge, and then of course, cried our hearts out again when he was gone.

Our home is quiet and sad. 

The photo below is from that morning after we found him.

As you can see he looks a bit scraggly. He hadn't looked like that the night before when we said goodnight to him and everyone went to their rooms. He looks sickly to me in this photo. He just wasn't himself. He was in so much pain.

And even though we know it was the right decision, it doesn't make it any easier.

Goodbye sweet Hansel Cat.

You are missed terribly.