Laying Smokey to rest was a huge shock for us and when we all woke yesterday, would never have thought the day would turn out the way it did. We were still without power and Johan decided to connect the generator to the fridge and freezers as, now going into the third day, foodstuff in the freezers was defrosting. He wheeled the generator to the front verandah, connected all the extension cords to both the house and the flat appliances and started it up. My word but a generator is a noisy thing, especially when you are in the immediate vicinity, and to stop too much racket invading our space, NiQi decided to close both the lounge windows and the front door. Knowing Smokey was still outside somewhere, we made a mental note to keep an eye open for him so we could bring him inside. He wouldn't have come near the front verandah with all the noise and that was the only route he took coming in and going out again. Having lost his sight some years ago after contracting a virus, he went where things were familiar to him. It must have been about 9.30, when I noticed him sitting up in the driveway, looking towards the house, so I went out the back to pick him up and bring him in.. I put him down next to his food, but he just sniffed, didn't eat anything and then disappeared down the passage. It wasn't long before he came back to the lounge and jumped onto the coffee table. NiQi noticed how deeply he was breathing, pulling his diaphragm right in as if gasping to breathe. That's was when we both looked at each other and knew he needed to go to the vet. The only problem about our vet is that living in the country, he has consulting times from 6 to 10 in the morning and again from 4 to 7 in the evening. The hours in between are spent operating and making 'house calls'. I made a call anyway to his rooms as I hoped there was a vet available for us to take him in. After explaining the situation the receptionist said I should take him in then. NiQi still had to get dressed, which usually takes an hour plus and many outfits strewn all over the floor, but yesterday was an emergency and she managed in '5' .... The vet was busy with someone else when we arrived but asked for Smokey to be put into one of the cages while we waited so he wouldn't get stressed. Finally when she examined him she told us he didn't have a temperature, which was a good thing and she didn't think he was in pain but she couldn't hear his heart properly because he was purring...I thought that purring meant he was content, so I was pleased and said as much, but she said that purring also occurs when they are stressed. She thought he had a pleura infusion, which excited NiQi because she knows all about them having gone through that herself, but worried us both because we know how serious it is. She said she would give him a diuretic and start him on an antibiotic but he would have to stay overnight and then we would reassess the situation. That's when we cried and cried and cried some more, but she reassured us and I believed he would probably be able to come home with us the next day. An hour later Johan phoned. Our regular vet was back in his rooms and had examined Smokey thoroughly including doing a blood test. He told Johan Smokey had cancer and it was best to put him to sleep. More tears and lots of sobbing, we made lunch all the while talking about Smokey and then made the drive back to the vets. I was so hoping we would be able to hug him and kiss him and say good bye, but when we arrived our vet had already put him to sleep and performed an autopsy. The cancer was he said, a very aggressive form that had metastasized within a few weeks throughout his little body. He had a mass the size of the palm of my hand near his lung which finally caused the rapid and deep inhalations we saw yesterday. If only we had known....but as our vet said to us, cats are really good at masking any ill health until it is too late. As suddenly as Smokey walked in through our front door all those years ago and decided that this looked like a good place to stay, so too he was suddenly gone...beautiful, calm, quiet, a playmate for Rolo and a friend and companion to us, he will stay in our hearts for many a day...
As we left our vet I chatted to him about Trinity, our Great Dane, who at ten years old now is battling to stand and move around. She still has a healthy appetite and as the matriarch of our doggy family, firmly disciplines the pups, but it is time. We left it too long with Neo and I don't want to do the same to her. Johan has the honour this afternoon after work, I've had enough for one week....Our family is getting smaller as they age, they are our children, and as a mother who has lost a child of her own, let me tell you, the heart-sore is the same, it's just easier and quicker to heal.
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