Raytchaelle

It’s been kind of an emotional week. My parents have been planning to come visit for a week or two since early last month. Then one of their beloved cats, Bandit, got sick last week… so they took him to the vet. He got medicine and special cat food and for a few days it seemed like he might get better. But I’m all too familiar with that false hope… especially when you’re dealing with kidney failure.

We got Bandit (and his brother Rufus) right after they were weened. Actually, we knew their Momma cat, she belonged to some neighbores when we lived in Wyoming. There’s a whole story behind meeting them too, which invoved another pair of cats we had gotten from the pound just 3 years before (Tom and his brother Rascal). Rascal had gotten trapped somehow in their back yard and had cut the circulation from his waist back. By the time anyone found him it was too late and he had to be put to sleep. It just so happened their cat was pregnant. I think it was about a month or less later when she gave birth to Bandit, Rufus, and their sister whom our neighbores kept for themselves. Anyway for a long time we had the 3 cats. We moved to Virginia and added an Iguana to the family (Spunky) who 3 years later died from kidney failure while staying overnight at the vets with an IV. Then Tom got cancer. We had tumors removed from his side 2 or 3 times, but it kept coming back. In the end he was disoriented, in pain, and unable to move much. He had to be put to sleep and that was one of the worst days of my life. That cat was like a best friend to me… anyway back to Bandit.

Bandit is pretty much Mom’s cat… or Mom’s his favorite human, however you want to look at it. But he’s always been a really sweet and silly cat. He and Rufus are 18 years old… that’s REALLY old for a cat. So when Mom told me his kidneys are failing and that he pretty much just lays on his pillow all day and sometimes stumbles around like a drunk, I knew it wouldn’t be much longer. Rather than postpone the trip they decided to bring Bandit with them.

So last night Mom calls to tell me they aren’t coming. Bandit’s condition has gotten worse. I can tell even over the phone how upset they are… the cats are family…. little furry kids. Have you ever heard tears in someone’s voice? I could hear them in both of theirs. So now we’re all bummed and not sure what’s going to happen. I guess after the phone call my Dad had settled on having Bandit put down today but then he called my Aunt who talked him into doing what I had suggested, just letting nature take it’s course. So today I got an email at work from Mom. They’re coming anyway and still bringing Bandit. I did say on the phone last night that if he died here we can bury him the back yard next to my little gecko Neight.

So now I’m trying to prepare myself for the death of Bandit and the convergence of family all at the same time. (My brother is also coming to visit a week from today while my parents are here.) So now I just have to remember not to let these emotional things lead me to bad choices. Eating junk wont make Bandit better or his death any easier… and it wont make my family get along and make my brother not be a jerk and hurt someone’s feelings. (That’s the usual MO when we’re all together… someone get’s hurt)

Wish me luck…