Sadness

Today I am reminded of a book I used to read to my kids when they were little. It's called Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. What a title. When we have a bad day, I remember this title. It's fitting.

We had to put our kitty Sputters down today. She had been losing weight for over a year, vomiting regularly and starting to do things in places I won't mention. She went from 13 pounds to 6 in 6 months. It was time. The doctor even said she was emaciated.

Last week I had asked my daughter, who has had this cat for 13 years to think about putting her down. I wanted her to have some ownership of the decision, but didn't want to put the whole thing on her. She has wavered between the sadness of the thought of life without Sputters to the excitement of a new kitten. Saturday was the last straw. The cat lost more things inside her in one hour than I've ever seen. My daughter was even frustrated with her, as most of it was in her room this time. I made my decision. It was humane for all concerned.

She and I went together to the vet. I warmed up a towel in the dryer and wrapped her in it. Sputters didn't even seem scared. No shaking, no trying to get away.
She and I went together to the vet. One shot put her to sleep in about 7 minutes. The next stopped her heart almost immediately. We brought her home, where Greg had prepared a grave for her. We all went outside, gave her a last kiss, layed her on a towel inside, and covered her with another towel. She looked peaceful and content. Greg began to put handfuls of dirt on her, then shovel the dirt around her. Kristen and I went inside while Mark stayed a few minutes longer. Greg finished, put some heavy walking stones on top (so the dogs didn't dig), and put a storage bin on top. When we landscape the backyard, she'll be under redwood trees and her grave will be marked with whatever Kristen chooses.

I've spent the morning keeping busy putting Sputters' things away, cleaning, and now at my desk to get paperwork done. The kids are doing okay. Mark has a friend over and Kristen is asking for McDonald's for lunch. I'm thankful it is a sunny day. A dark rainy day would have made it seem all that much worse.

Blessings on this sunny somber Monday.