Ziggy passed away last Thursday night. He would have been 7 years old in February 2023. Our hearts are broken. I read something that resonated with me recently, and it encapsulates so beautifully what losing a loved one feels like:
That feeling that you get right after losing a person/pet that you loved so dearly. It’s such a hopeless feeling. Like you’re reaching out and crying for someone who just minutes before was there. That’s the worst feeling ever
Ziggy came to me as a sickly little foster in May 2016. He had a really bad start in life, and was not expected to grow to more than 2.5kg/5.5lbs
He ended up a large (7.7kg/17lbs), healthy, muscular cat with a glossy coat and beautiful green eyes. He was not a cuddly cat, but would lie close to you, poking you with his paws for pets.
I weigh our cats once a month, and record it, so that I can see if their diet needs adjusting, or if they perhaps need a trip to the vet. Ziggy lost a lot of weight in a short time, and started favouring one side of his mouth. We suspected dental problems but there was no veterinary dentist available for a couple of weeks. We tried to keep him comfortable during the wait with painkillers, though he was still not eating very much. We were relieved when he finally went in to surgery. The dentist extracted two teeth, which were affected by TR(tooth resorption), previously called FORL. It’s a nasty, painful thing, not to mention hugely expensive – make sure when you insure your animals, you insure for TR as well. As an example, we were quoted $1 500 if more than two teeth were involved.
Zig came home and we hoped he would bounce back. Fluffy had four teeth with TR extracted, and he was eating as normal the same day. But Ziggy did not eat, and after a week of force-feeding him and rubbing appetite-increasing salve on his ears, he suffered multiple organ failure and was put down by our wonderful vet at home, in his favourite place. His teeth extractions had healed fine. His body just couldn’t take the shock of the surgery.
The greatest gift we can give our pets is freedom from suffering. For me, I wish Ziggy had not suffered for all those weeks. But I am glad that we could give him a peaceful end. Our wonderful vet always comes home to us so our pets can pass on surrounded by their favourite things, and their family. For that I am so very grateful.