Today I must say good-bye to a friend I have known for 14 years. Sylvester was only four months old when he and his brother Scout moved in with me - a dog person - and my Australian shephard. The kittens were supposed to be pets for the 10-year-old. But I grew attached to them, too.
The 10-yr-old eventually grew up and moved out.
Scout died 7 months ago at home in my arms.
Sylvester grieved the loss of his brother/littermate. He seemed to age so quickly. My frisky, affectionate kittenlike cat suddenly went blind and stopped eating. He would cry at night. And sometimes I would, too. Especially the first week.
In January I moved to a nice new home with lots of sunshine and a patio area. Sylvester perked up and really seemed to like his new home. On nice weekends, we sat outside and had breakfast. Some work days I came home for lunch and Sylvester napped in the garden. His ears twitched in the wind and perked at the sounds of all the birds.
Clearly, though, he was not doing well physically. By the end of February I was giving him sub-q fluids and trying to encouarage him to eat. The vet put him on a low-protein diet. Some days he would eat. Most days he had to be coached.
Through it all, he was affectionate and purred everyday. He responded well to visitors and always used his litterbox.
For the past three or four days - he's not the same cat. He doesn't respond, refuses to eat anything and cannot use the litterbox. And he's lost his purr. Well, if you touch him very gently and stay very still, he does still have a very tiny, little purr - but it's not the same. I think this new purr is just to try and comfort himself.
I'm taking him to the animal shelter in about two hours. They will not let me be there when they euthanize him so I am holding him on my lap at home while I type this and remember all the fun and love we shared.
Good-bye, Sylvester. You brought us much sunshine. You will be missed.
-Denise.