A Good Thriller discussion

Brenda wrote: "Hi dear friends. I see from above that no one has posted here since I lost my cat, Dusty, in July. Now, 5 months later, I’m back to say his sister, Mindy, passed away yesterday. I’m very sad, but I..."

Oh Brenda, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Treasure your memories. Sending big virtual hugs. 💕💕💕

Ouch.

Brenda wrote: "Hi dear friends. I see from above that no one has posted here since I lost my cat, Dusty, in July. Now, 5 months later, I’m back to say his sister, Mindy, passed away yesterday. I’m very sad, but I..."

Oh Brenda. I am so sorry for your loss. We love our animals. Sending you hugs at this sad time.

So sorry, Brenda. Having a dog now has really changed my perspective on things. Treasure all those lovely memories you have. Hugs....

Brenda,
I was saddened to read about Dusty and Mindy. I know this loss.....as many of us do. Please know we hold you in our thoughts.
I hope a little rescue reaches out to you in 2018. There's love in your heart for another sweet kitty that needs a furr-ever home.
Xoxoxox

Brenda, I have to think that Dusty came to tell Mindy it was time and to help her find her way to the Rainbow Bridge. I feel so sad for you to have lost another beloved furry kid so soon. Hugs.

Jean wrote: "Brenda, I have to think that Dusty came to tell Mindy it was time and to help her find her way to the Rainbow Bridge. I feel so sad for you to have lost another beloved furry kid so soon. Hugs."

Precious message. I concur. It's so hard to lose our beloved babies.

Thank you all for your hugs and sympathy and support. It means so much to me that you know from your own personal experiences how I’m feeling. 😢

Our Ricky boy (16 y.o. cat) has been hospitalized twice this month. We just brought him home today after CT and endoscopy gave us pretty good news. He has an esophageal feeding tube for now, but he looked really good when we picked him up, and the reports were good. But since he's been home, he's really crashed. Hoping he's just really worn out from his hospital experience and still not thrilled with the tube (although they told us he was tolerating it well)...The bad stuff we were worried about is okay, so we hope he'll feel better tomorrow!

Jean wrote: "Our Ricky boy (16 y.o. cat) has been hospitalized twice this month. We just brought him home today after CT and endoscopy gave us pretty good news. He has an esophageal feeding tube for now, but he..."

Oh dear Jean...I hope Ricky gets better. Poor thing. We love our babies.

Hi Brenda, my heart breaks for you. We lost 2 of our babies six months apart in 2014-2015, which was really rough. We have two now (Ricky and Jody) who are eyeing the Bridge. So we really feel for you. A very sad sad time, but definitely worth it considering what our furkids give to us. XOXO

Jean.....
I know Ricky is getting the very beat of care from the two of you. I hope he really perks up soon. I positively hate it when our furr babies get sick.
Considering what you are going thru - I can't even complain about our Teddy Bear Shih-tzu, Blu. We had Blu up at the butt-crack-of-dawn and over seeing one of our fab female vets. Blu has horrible allergies. To what???? We don't know - except for shampoos, cream rinses and foofoo spray for doggies. We can only use Epi-Pet to bathe her.
Poor baby was scratching like mad.......and had little yellow blisters all over her tummy. It had gone down her little legs and we knew we had to get a handle, quickly. There is a new product out - cytapoint. HEAVEN!!!!! She is well in 24 hrs. No cortisone! What a blessing. So she has layed around all day......slept like mad........and I know, tomorrow she will be fine.
I am so fortunate. Kiss Ricky Boy and, Brenda, I resend my hugs to you.

Brenda wrote: "Hi dear friends. I see from above that no one has posted here since I lost my cat, Dusty, in July. Now, 5 months later, I’m back to say his sister, Mindy, passed away yesterday. I’m very sad, but I..."

Brenda - so sorry to hear about your loss. It is a tough time when our babies pass. Thinking of you.

I'm so sorry to Chris and Jean for their cats that are ailing. Poor Ricky. We had a cat Lewis who went through similar times years ago. It is so heartbreaking a time.

Ter'e - we also have a Shih Tzu with terrible skin rash problems. He takes Benadryl and fish oil and we have all kinds of organic shampoos and lotions. Sounds like Blu is a bit worse off so I wish you well.

Jean and Chris, my heart goes out to both of you and to Ricky. And to Jody. I know they’re getting the best care possible.

Ter'e, I’m glad Blu has found some relief. Give him a big hug for me.

Pat, thank you. I’ve been reminiscing about all the cats I’ve loved. I miss them all.

Thank you, friends! Our vet at the U has been great responding to e-mails throughout the day. We got Ricky some Zofran for his nausea, and it seems to have helped. He is perkier and was able to tolerate his meds and tube feeding at supper time, so we are feeling better. There is another medication we may try down the road a bit too. It's so hard - have you ever heard a cat moan? Heartbreaking! But all you pet-lovers know that if you had a magic wand you'd fix them in a heartbeat!

Thank you guys. I have sort of stepped back from reviews and such to concentrate on our sick babies. We want to do all we can for them to give them every chance. They are our kids, you know. I appreciate all the wonderful support from my reader friends!

I have to admit that I have also stepped back for a while. My diabetes numbers jumped on me at my last check-in and my doctor increased my medication. It has taken me some time to adapt but I think I am finally getting there. To add insult to injury, we were visiting our son; the street in front of his apartment was all torn up with construction: and we had to park and walk across the torn up street. Well, this little old lady had to fall. Tripped on a hunk of concrete and splat! Not graceful at all. Banged up my knees pretty bad but nothing broke. Just a lot of wounded pride! Dust off and keep going forward.

Pat wrote: "I'm so sorry to Chris and Jean for their cats that are ailing. Poor Ricky. We had a cat Lewis who went through similar times years ago. It is so heartbreaking a time.

Ter'e - we also have a Shih ..."

Pat - have you tried Epi-Pet Shampoo yet?? Available thru Amazon. Our Groomer, in FL, turned us on to this and it is the only product Blu - Lady Blu - can use. It's a wonderful product. Poor little Blu had a mornjng of vomiting, so we put her on a rice/chicken diet for a few days. By yesterday afternoon, she was runnjng and playing with Charley - and there is no rash and no little blisters on her belly. Cytapoint is a terrific product. It, generally, lasts 4 mos for her. She's such a darling girl - she's worth every dime.......no.......dollar.......we spend on her.

Jean wrote: "Thank you, friends! Our vet at the U has been great responding to e-mails throughout the day. We got Ricky some Zofran for his nausea, and it seems to have helped. He is perkier and was able to tol..."

Amen sister!!!! Glad little Ricky is doing better. Give him kisses!!!!

Christine wrote: "Thank you guys. I have sort of stepped back from reviews and such to concentrate on our sick babies. We want to do all we can for them to give them every chance. They are our kids, you know. I appr..."

Ah Christine........so good to see your smiling face. You girls are the best kitty mama's I know. Yes, our furr babies are our kids --- for sure!!!!

My friend, Pastor Cory Hartz is facing the death of his own fur baby, Ami. Ami's a big, overgrown puppy of a pit bull. He's a certified therapy dog, but he has cancer... .

My dog, Tilly, was raised around my two cats. In fact, I caught her using the cat litter and then covering it up with her nose.

Both cats have since died....Cleo at age 20. We have adopted Tiny who outweighs Tilly. I just love cats and I feel they are definitely part of the family.

Christine, Jean, and Brenda, bless you for the love and compassion you've shown. After losing a best friend nearly every year for the past two decades, I've found there's nothing more heartbreaking. I do my best to focus on good memories and the knowledge I gave them my time, energy, and love; sadly, things so many animals are never given.

DB, one a year for 20 years?! That's a lot of little twinkling stars up in the heavens! We still miss all the ones we've lost, and going through the illnesses is so difficult too. Our youngest is about 3...I don't know how we'll cope when he's 20 and we're >80. I can't even think about that. Where would we all be without our fur babies?

Jean wrote: "DB, one a year for 20 years?! That's a lot of little twinkling stars up in the heavens! We still miss all the ones we've lost, and going through the illnesses is so difficult too. Our youngest is a..."


I think even the cats miss their canine buddies. I'm tempted to rescue another, but I don't know if I'm (emotionally) up to it quite yet.

Ter'e wrote: "Pat wrote: "I'm so sorry to Chris and Jean for their cats that are ailing. Poor Ricky. We had a cat Lewis who went through similar times years ago. It is so heartbreaking a time.

Ter'e - we also ..."

I've not heard of that but will look into it. Thanks. I know it's allergies. We've changed his diet too and that has helped. He is better but seems to be a constant battle.

Turns out I was wrong. I learned today that because Ami was going downhill fast, Pastor Cory had to have him put down. It happened about 5 days ago.

D.B., bless you! You must have a huge heart full of love and memories! I can’t imagine feeling like this once a year for 20 years. I used to think I’d like to run a home for geriatric cats and give them the love and care they deserve, but what an emotional wreck I’d be.

Thanks again for all the nice comments, you guys. And Brenda, what you just said? Me too! I wanted to adopt teenagers with medical issues or feline leukemia cats who no one else would take, but, yeah, it is really really draining.

Brenda wrote: "D.B., bless you! You must have a huge heart full of love and memories! I can’t imagine feeling like this once a year for 20 years. I used to think I’d like to run a home for geriatric cats and give..."
They give us so much. I only wish I had the means to open an enormous, well-equipped shelter for all the neglected and unwanted.

Amber wrote: "Turns out I was wrong. I learned today that because Ami was going downhill fast, Pastor Cory had to have him put down. It happened about 5 days ago."

Sending condolences to your Pastor, Amber.

D.B. wrote: "Brenda wrote: "D.B., bless you! You must have a huge heart full of love and memories! I can’t imagine feeling like this once a year for 20 years. I used to think I’d like to run a home for geriatri..."

My sister, in California, runs a rescue for small dogs. She takes in some sweethearts and some dogs that need TOTAL care. She's had dogs that needed amputations, total teeth extraction, mange, mean ness....you name it, she has rescued them and turned their lives around. Susan is nothing short of a saint. We are foster sisters and I could not be more proud of the life she has chosen. She has Holly's Garden Rescue........named after her beloved little Holly. Whenever I see her - I always want to take someone home.

D.B. wrote: "Amber wrote: "Turns out I was wrong. I learned today that because Ami was going downhill fast, Pastor Cory had to have him put down. It happened about 5 days ago."

Sending condolences to your Past..."

Thanks, D.B.

Ter'e wrote: "D.B. wrote: "Brenda wrote: "D.B., bless you! You must have a huge heart full of love and memories! I can’t imagine feeling like this once a year for 20 years. I used to think I’d like to run a home..."
She is a saint!

We brought Ricky home from the University of MN vet hospital this past Saturday. He was visibly tired and ill. He did great on the IV medications and infusion feedings, but once he was transitioned to receiving meds and bolus feedings, he was nauseous and did not do well. We kept him as comfortable as possible over the weekend; by Monday, we were only giving him his anti-nausea med and subcutaneous fluids while we waited for the vet to come. Chris and I both spent as much time with him as we could, brushing him (which he loved), petting him, and talking to him. He purred a lot. We think he understood and approved - he was ready to meet his friend Topsy at the Rainbow Bridge. We are so very sad that he is no longer here in our lives, but we know that he is free now. We are so thankful that we had this special boy in our lives for so long.

Jean wrote: "We brought Ricky home from the University of MN vet hospital this past Saturday. He was visibly tired and ill. He did great on the IV medications and infusion feedings, but once he was transitioned..."

Oh, Jean & Christine I am so sorry to hear of Ricky's passing. We love our children and try to make their lives the best. I send you both hugs and kisses. OXOX Sue

Jean wrote: "We brought Ricky home from the University of MN vet hospital this past Saturday. He was visibly tired and ill. He did great on the IV medications and infusion feedings, but once he was transitioned..."

So sorry for the loss of Ricky. Thinking of both of you.

So sorry Chris and Jean for your sad loss. They become such characters, our pets. Hugs to you both. xoxo

Sue, Pat, and Janet, thanks so much for your kind comments. I know all you guys have pets and understand. This is the real downside of having pets, but certainly worth all the love and companionship they give us.

Christine wrote: "Sue, Pat, and Janet, thanks so much for your kind comments. I know all you guys have pets and understand. This is the real downside of having pets, but certainly worth all the love and companionshi..."

We totally understand.

Christine wrote: "Sue, Pat, and Janet, thanks so much for your kind comments. I know all you guys have pets and understand. This is the real downside of having pets, but certainly worth all the love and companionshi..."

True words!!

Yeah, I do get it now since we've had Kipling. He's part of the the family now. He's made sure of that!

Christine wrote: "This is the real downside of having pets, but certainly worth all the love and companionship they give us.."

C.S. Lewis said it best.

Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries. Avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of you selfishness. But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless - it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

The alternative to tragedy, or at least the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.

That's actually pretty deep.

Tom wrote: "Christine wrote: "This is the real downside of having pets, but certainly worth all the love and companionship they give us.."

C.S. Lewis said it best.Love anything and your heart..."
Whoa, much better to grieve!

Jean wrote: "We brought Ricky home from the University of MN vet hospital this past Saturday. He was visibly tired and ill. He did great on the IV medications and infusion feedings, but once he was transitioned..."

I've just seen this post. Saddened by your loss but inspired by your humanity.

Thank you, all. D.B. I just saw your post above, and Tom. Wow.

We just learned that author Sue Grafton has died of cancer. Many of us have spent the past 30 or so years enjoying her alphabet books. Now the alphabet ends at Y. Condolences to her family and friends.

I am heart-broken today. We have 2 Lab brothers, a red one called Cocco and a black one called Toro. Cocco suffers from arthritis in his front legs, but within the last few weeks, he cannot get up off the floor, or with difficulty. We have put a large beach towel under his belly to get him up and take him out to do his business...He eats,drinks and is a happy loving dog. Today they took X-rays and found he has an aggressive form of bone cancer and won't make it past 2 weeks. we will have to have someone come to the house. I can't stop crying. I don't want him to suffer but I love him so much.

Sue wrote: "I am heart-broken today. We have 2 Lab brothers, a red one called Cocco and a black one called Toro. Cocco suffers from arthritis in his front legs, but within the last few weeks, he cannot get up ..."

Oh, Sue. I am so sorry. This is one of the hardest decisions we have to make with our pets. Know that whatever you decide, you are making the best decision for Cocco and you have had a wonderful life with him.