Ranae 1993-2008

[deborahjross]

Yesterday, we said goodbye to our lovely black-and-white tuxedo cat.

She had been diabetic for over a year, controlled by a combination of diet ("kitty Atkins," aka Fancy Feast) and oral medications, and was playful and affectionate, clearly feeling well . . . until two days ago, when she stopped eating almost entirely. Her belly was taut and distended, not a good sign, and she just didn't smell right. She was clearly feeling ill and in considerable discomfort. The vet suspected an abdominal mass on physical examination, and x-rays suggested the same. On the chance it was benign, something that could be removed surgically, we went ahead with exploratory laparoscopy.

The vet called a couple of hours later. Not good. Malignancy infiltrating multiple organs, no sign of pancreatic tissue. Our best guess is pancreatic cancer. We took a deep breath and said not to wake her up.

She had a good long life and a joyful last year until the very end days. She had the most musical meow of any cat I've known. When things were tough for me, she would snuggle up to me in bed, lay her head on my shoulder, and purr. She loved to watch the patterns of sunlight on the wall, "Plato's Cave." Dave posted a picture of her on his blog: http://www.davetrowbridge.com/blog/

Goodnight, sweet girl. You were a good cat.

Comments

[tcastleb.livejournal.com]

Aww. I'm sorry about your kitty. And that's a lovely picture Dave has.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Yes, it's definitely one of those "cat moments." You wonder what she was thinking, watching the play of light and shadow on the wall. She could do it for hours.

[janni.livejournal.com]

Sympathies.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Hugs back at you, Janni.

[mallory-blog.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so sorry - we lost one two months ago and he was still fairly young. He was such a sweetheart too - the most loving cat I've ever seen. It is always so sad. :sigh:

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is sad that our animal friends rarely live as long as we do. Well, except parrots. I understand that people who are owned by parrots must make provisions for the birds in their wills. Since I am not a parrot person (they are much too attracted to my earrings for my comfort) and I am a cat and dog person, alas, this is the way it is.

Our one remaining cat, an athletic "dilute" tortoiseshell, is also 15, but doing okay. I suspect, however, that the real heart breaker will come when our GSD dies. He's now 7 and may have another 5 good years left, since his hips are normal. The loss of Ranae makes me aware of the aging of our pet population.

Perhaps this summer, The Universe will present us with a kitten?

[christymarx.livejournal.com]

Made me cry. What a dear, sweet cat. The tuxedos are often such wonderful cats.

May she romp forever in sunny fields of catnip filled with slow lizards, fat mice and low-flying birds.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Christy. From one cat lover to another. What a lovely wish for Ranae.

Once I didn't believe that cat colors came with personality types, but I'm coming around to it. Just about every tuxedo cat I've known has been mellow and loving. And every tortoiseshell with Attitude. Our one remaining cat, also a 15 yo female, is a "dilute" torti (base color gray instead of black) and she is a character and a half. A bit more easy going now that she's slowing a bit with age, but still Having Opinions On Everything. Ranae, otoh, seemed to be pragmatic and philosophical about everything.

[christymarx.livejournal.com]

I did have one Tuxedo boy who was the exception to the rule and he was, oddly, the brother of the best Tuxedo cat ever. Where Zorro was friendly, noble and well-mannered and has the perfect tuxedo markings, Achilles was like the disreputable drunken brother who looked like had slept off a bender in his rumpled tuxedo. He was neurotic as hell, but he managed to outlive his brother by many years.

[galeni.livejournal.com]

Sympathies on losing your friend. She sounds very sweet.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Hugs back at you, friend. Yes, "sweet" is the right word. The most un-grudging of spirits.

When I was young, it was rare for a cat to live more than 10 years. Now, our kitties often live well into their teens. Macassar and Rosie, Dave's last 2 cats, were 18 or 19. So, considering Ranae's diabetes, she did pretty well. The vet says it's a miracle she appeared so healthy, since the cancer had most probably been growing for some time. Amazing creatures, cats.

[cynthia1960.livejournal.com]

May the Lady Bast skritch Ranae in her favorite spots. I'm sorry for your loss.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

What a lovely thought, Cynthia. I'm also hoping Lady Bast writes at a computer, so Ranae can curl up on her lap, obscuring her view of the function keys, or hop up on the desk and pace back and forth in front of the screen until aforementioned lap becomes available again. I'll miss her contribution to my writing!

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear that... :(

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Thank you. This has been a sucky year so far in terms of loss. I have given Cleo the Tortoiseshell Cat and Oka the German Shedding Dog strict instructions to keep in the best of health for the indefinite future.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so sorry.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Hugs back, Chaz. Kindred cat-loving spirits here. I think we need a breathing space and then will let The Universe know there is a cat-sized hole in our lives. Maybe two, because our one remaining cat is also 15. She's doing okay, but she's hyperthyroid, and even with treatment, it's only a matter of time before that affects other organ systems. Poor thing, she keeps wandering around the house, looking for her buddy. It will take us all a while to adjust, and that is as it should be.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

It will take us all a while to adjust, and that is as it should be.

Yup. When Sophie died, Misha spent a while first calling for her, then looking for her, then waiting for her. And when she died a couple of years later, I was absolutely going to take some time to mourn before I thought about new cats. Except that Barry pre-empted me, the little fuzzbutt. That can happen. I think the Universe spots these gaps, sometimes before we've quite realised that we're ready...

[equesgal.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry...but may she be romping with my Guinevere and Jessie up in Kitty Heaven.

(hugs)
sue

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

What a lovely thought. Ranae was always the most social of our cats. She would carefully approach Cleo and give Cleo a lick on the head. Cleo would accept it, purring. Then Ranae would dip her own head, clearly indicating it was =her= turn, but Cleo would give her this "Who me?" look and stalk away. I like to think Ranae is now surrounded by all the love she so freely gave. Or grooming, at any rate, who knows if that is cat loving in the human sense? Whatever is most satisfying to kitty hearts.