Sorry to hear about Spots. I hope someone's taking good care of him. I always loved the way his coloring complemented Freya's.

Looks like the Easter Bunny left you a whole box of cats!

Oh, I'm so sorry about Spots. You were clearly very attached to search so diligently. Feral cats stay in their home zone, so you are probably right that someone has taken Spots in. Also, if the county sweeps up ferals to spay-neuter and comes across one already neutered, they will usually put it up for adoption with the tame strays.

Gaia is gorgeous, and her kittens are all very well marked! I see a bunch of spay-neutering in your future, lol.

My big dog "Bubba" (Jax) on the right in this picture had to be put down to sleep tonight. He was only seven years old, but had been having some health issues since last fall that we knew about. (he had a brain tumor).

The town has several 24 hour emergency pet clinics, but when we knew he was beyond our help I brought him to the campus veterinary hospital hoping they could perform their magic on him like they did my Rottie a decade ago. They couldn't, Jax could not be saved.

The veterinary hospital has some special large rooms set up for family to gather round their member in private, with couches and chairs and a comfy quilt for the pet they are saying goodbye to.

The walls in that room were lined with pictures of and warm messages to the pets that had spent time in there - little memorials of them in their happier times. It was really as pleasant an experience as they could make it for the pet's family.

They made a plaster cast mold of his paw print for us to keep, which I thought was especially nice.



Goodbye Jax ... we will miss you.




Jax's Stud book picture:










Jax's puppy pics:












This post has been edited by mALX: Jun 7 2015, 07:19 AM

Oh, mALX, I am so sorry. Even though it has been long years since we said good bye to the dachshund (who thought he was a rottweiler, only more stylish), I still feel the pangs. Anyone who grows up with pups knows they are with us for far too short a time... a testament to the fact that they are already well on their way to being angels--- while we poor humans have to struggle to achieve a similar level of divinity.

Bless you and all your furry companions.

I am so sorry to hear about Bubba. I know he filled a large part of your life. Seven years is not a long time, and yet you have been blessed with him for those seven years.

My condolences to you and your family (both two-legged and four).

I am so sorry to hear this terrible news. My heart goes out to you.

I am very sorry to hear of the loss of Bubba, mALX. You have my sympathies.

Aww, that's such a shame about Jax. I'm so sorry mALX.

I wanted to thank everyone for your kind words and thoughts on here. It has been hard to bring myself back here and see Jax's pictures and having to face that he isn't coming back. I got the call from the Resthaven Pet Cemetary people today, and for the first time it really felt final.

Trey, I did think of little Treydoggie before I posted that, didn't know if it would be better not to because I didn't want to bring up your own pain and memories.

I think what hit me so hard with Jax was that he was so young, and even though we knew he had that brain tumor for months beforehand and we knew the day would come - I guess we thought there would be a slow deterioration where we would have some warning signs that it was time to start making decisions.

Instead he went from running and playing and barking it up to gone in 4 hours. I guess that is why it has me in so much shock; why it hit me so hard.

I so very much appreciate everyone's caring words, thank you so very much.

No worries. Time has smoothed the edges and the memories of happy ones. The same will come to you. Nothing heals our hearts like the love of a dog.

So sorry to hear about Jax, mALX


I know what it´s like to put your pet down because of illness. It´s never easy even though you know you spare them pain and difficulties. They´re family, simple as that.


-Be happy in dog heaven, Jax

I have finally reached the point where I could come back and really thank everyone for your kindness and compassion over Bubba's passing.

In hindsight, I am really glad that up till the last four hours he was able to run around barking it up with his friends; that his decline was so rapid after that that there was no prolonged suffering for him.

We got a sympathy card from the Veterinary hospital signed by all the aides, Vets, techs, etc that worked on him - all of them came in at the end and some of them cried with us - I have to say, that even though there is no good way to go through something like this, they came as close to making it the easiest on the family of the pet of any place I could imagine.

Anyway, thank you all very much.

My thoughts are with you as well, mALX.

I must have missed the thread last month and did not realize what had happened to Bubba. Pets really are valued members of the family and it some ways they are even better than children. A human will think twice before putting their life on the line. Most pets will just do it.

It is always so hard as they have short lifespans. But how they make up for it with so much energy and love.

What wonderful shots of Freya! I've always loved her coloring. Yep, after a hard day of laundry, it is indeed tough to beat a sunny spot by the window to watch mALX the squirrels napping and hawks hunting!

Such nice pics of Freya, mALX and my cousin Steve!

Steve looks like a juvenile Cooper's Hawk. His back should go steel-grey as he gets older. I hope you get to watch him change, and he doesn't move elsewhere.

Steve is definitely young. I saw him a few months ago, and I swear he was only half the size he is now.

Thank you so much, Winter Wolf. I didn't see this on here till now, I really appreciate your kind thoughts about Jax and his canine ilk, thank you.







Freya's coat is so shiny! I love the ones of her in the windows, that is so ... "cat" to like watching the world outside (and laying in the sun too, lol).

My parakeets used to like sitting in the window looking out at the cats! (who were enjoying watching him sit in the window tweeting, lol).

Also love the one in the basket, they love to get inside things like that as if it makes them special from the other cats, lol. (like "I'm king/queen of the day, I got in this box!" )

When there is more than one cat it is hilarious to watch them do that because when the other cats try to join them it gets to be a gameplay of curled paws between them to watch, lol.

I worry about what ideas that hawk has for Freya, (or me ... er, I mean the squirrel resting on the rail) - or any other small pet in the neighborhood - although it looks like he has an injured wing, so possibly he has been grounded a bit while it heals.


These are great shots, so glad to see Freya again!


*


Steve should keep the neighborhood free of mice at least, lol.








This post has been edited by mALX: Aug 19 2015, 06:05 PM

Freya never goes outside unless I am holding her, so I am not worried about the hawk getting her. I think his wing is fine. He flew away with no problems.