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Short tail… He was a very manja cat which would purr for attention when you were near him. He would just come close to you, rub himself against you and simply love the affections that you shower on him.
He was a cute cat too, as he would only head for the kitchen when he was out… Unlike the rest, he was pretty quiet and easy when it came to bathing even though he was scared still. He was such a gentle and pretty cat that you would not think that he was a male (in fact, that even the clinic and hospital vets/ helpers called him "she"!). Seriously, there was no way that you could resist him. As such, he was one of my favourite among the few cats in my house.
He had been through a tough fight for the past one week ever since he was hospitalised in the Mount Pleasant Clinic on 6 Jan, Sun. Feeling better on the Mon after the surgery the day before, he was able to walk towards me and asked for sayanging even though he was on drip.
Yet, things took a turn on Wed. He was worse still on Thu, and the clinic vet advised me to send him to the Mount Pleasant Hospital instead as there is 24h surveillance there, in case he needed any attention during the night. I rushed him down immediately that very evening.
The hospital vet went ahead to perform ECG test on him the following day and verified that the atrium of his heart was not pumping along with the rest of his heart. His condition was not favourable at all. Yet, she said that he still needed treatment as his condition was not so bad that was beyond cure.
Short tail was in such a sorry state when I visited him that evening. My heart broke when I witnessed his agony - he was breathing with so much difficulty even though he was already in pure oxygen box and he could hardly open his eyes nor sit up. He had not been eating much for the one week, and was reduced to bones and skin only. He was on drip for the whole week, so much so that the needle got to go through his hind leg already. His body temperature had dropped and needed the assistance of the heat pack to keep it up… Simply, his condition had deteriorated so much.
But he knew that I was there, and attempted to respond to my touches and calling. With much effort, he looked at me with his eyes, and attempted to sit up. He was fidgeting with so much pain, yet there was nothing that I could do for him and that made me even sadder.
Somehow, my instinct told me to leave my handphone on for that night. I picked up the call at 9.30am on Sat to receive the news that Short tail had collapsed and the vet was trying to revive him. Half an hour later, I received another call to say that they had failed.
I went down to the hospital subsequently to settle the outstanding bill, asked and paid for his cremation. I requested to see the last of Short tail too. And yes, unable to contain my emotions any further, I broke down when I saw him.
That was the last I saw him. For some reasons, I was exceptionally saddened by his death this time round (I had witnessed my other pets passed away too). Perhaps, it was because I saw how he had struggled for the past 1 week. Perhaps, he had been such a charming cat that I do especially love him. Perhaps, I could not control my emotions as well as I did in the past… All the perhaps…
But I do understand very clearly that death was a relief for Short Tail. Even if he was still alive today and still not getting better in any sense, I would have wanted to shorten his pain. In fact I had been toying with the idea ever since his condition had worsened. Just that knowing it and being able to handle his absence are totally different stories (though I still would have done it anyway).
Short Tail would certainly be missed… I thank him for all the companionship, love and affection all these years when he was around…
He was a cute cat too, as he would only head for the kitchen when he was out… Unlike the rest, he was pretty quiet and easy when it came to bathing even though he was scared still. He was such a gentle and pretty cat that you would not think that he was a male (in fact, that even the clinic and hospital vets/ helpers called him "she"!). Seriously, there was no way that you could resist him. As such, he was one of my favourite among the few cats in my house.
He had been through a tough fight for the past one week ever since he was hospitalised in the Mount Pleasant Clinic on 6 Jan, Sun. Feeling better on the Mon after the surgery the day before, he was able to walk towards me and asked for sayanging even though he was on drip.
Yet, things took a turn on Wed. He was worse still on Thu, and the clinic vet advised me to send him to the Mount Pleasant Hospital instead as there is 24h surveillance there, in case he needed any attention during the night. I rushed him down immediately that very evening.
The hospital vet went ahead to perform ECG test on him the following day and verified that the atrium of his heart was not pumping along with the rest of his heart. His condition was not favourable at all. Yet, she said that he still needed treatment as his condition was not so bad that was beyond cure.
Short tail was in such a sorry state when I visited him that evening. My heart broke when I witnessed his agony - he was breathing with so much difficulty even though he was already in pure oxygen box and he could hardly open his eyes nor sit up. He had not been eating much for the one week, and was reduced to bones and skin only. He was on drip for the whole week, so much so that the needle got to go through his hind leg already. His body temperature had dropped and needed the assistance of the heat pack to keep it up… Simply, his condition had deteriorated so much.
But he knew that I was there, and attempted to respond to my touches and calling. With much effort, he looked at me with his eyes, and attempted to sit up. He was fidgeting with so much pain, yet there was nothing that I could do for him and that made me even sadder.
Somehow, my instinct told me to leave my handphone on for that night. I picked up the call at 9.30am on Sat to receive the news that Short tail had collapsed and the vet was trying to revive him. Half an hour later, I received another call to say that they had failed.
I went down to the hospital subsequently to settle the outstanding bill, asked and paid for his cremation. I requested to see the last of Short tail too. And yes, unable to contain my emotions any further, I broke down when I saw him.
That was the last I saw him. For some reasons, I was exceptionally saddened by his death this time round (I had witnessed my other pets passed away too). Perhaps, it was because I saw how he had struggled for the past 1 week. Perhaps, he had been such a charming cat that I do especially love him. Perhaps, I could not control my emotions as well as I did in the past… All the perhaps…
But I do understand very clearly that death was a relief for Short Tail. Even if he was still alive today and still not getting better in any sense, I would have wanted to shorten his pain. In fact I had been toying with the idea ever since his condition had worsened. Just that knowing it and being able to handle his absence are totally different stories (though I still would have done it anyway).
Short Tail would certainly be missed… I thank him for all the companionship, love and affection all these years when he was around…
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