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#1
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Kona Gone To The Bridge
I almost hesitate to post something this personal because of all of the
tragedy going on in the aftermath of Katrina, but I know people here understand. I had to let Kona go to the Bridge Tuesday night. Around the beginning of July he developed a swelling in the side of his face, some discharge from his nose, a bit of difficulty breathing through his nose and a high fever. I wound up taking him to an internist, who found a pocket of pus (sorry) in behind his eye and nose, which she removed by going through the roof of his mouth. No indication of cancer. The internist wasn't sure of the cause for the infection (thought it might have originated with having a tooth removed) but he got back to his normal self for a couple of weeks and I was really relieved. Then at the end of July his sinuses started to clog up and became unable to breathe through his nose. He stopped eating and drinking and I had to force feed him and get him hydrated every other day at the vet. He didn't want to lay down his head, so I made him a little pillow from some towels that helped some. When more antibiotics didn't help, the internist did a rhinoscopy and discovered an adenoma (slow growing benign tumor) in his sinuses. He was declining each day because he had stopped eating and drinking on his own and at the internist's recommendation I took him to Auburn to get a CT scan to get a better handle on exactly what they were dealing with and what the options were. After an endoscopy and a CT scan, the vets at Auburn said the tumor was large and located on both sides of his sinuses and at the juncture of his throat and sinuses. Because of its size and location, there wasn't a realistic chance that surgery would be successful. Chemo apparently isn't effective for this kind of slow growing tumor and neither is radiation, especially given where the tumor was located. By this time he had lost over three pounds in about two weeks and he was laboring to breathe in through his mouth (they kept him in the equivalent of a cat oxygen tent while he was there and that helped). The vet there told me that there was just nothing they could offer that would do anything but keep him going for a short time with a declining quality of life. I was hoping against hope when I took him to them that they would be able to solve the problem, but there really wasn't anything they could do to make him better. It helped a little knowing for sure where things stood as far as what the options were. On Tuesday I held his head while the vet helped him cross over to the Bridge. He seemed to know it was time-he was just so tired from struggling with breathing and swallowing and being force fed and not being able to get decent sleep. He went very peacefully. I adopted Kona along with Sebastian less than two years ago after Prissy passed away. I had seen him at the vet's office (they also have a shelter operation there) the last few months of taking Prissy in. He was 12 and had been dumped by his original "family". I was entranced with him from the first time I saw him-a 20 lb brown tabby, he stood out in the shelter just because he was bigger than the others. The staff there loved him but they weren't able to give him the attention he wanted and you could tell he wasn't happy. After I adopted him the staff was always glad to see him when he came in. He was a wonderful guy-just a big ole' teddy bear who wanted to be loved. He generally stayed in the same room with me if he was awake and if he had the chance he would hop up in Mommy's lap and bury his head in the crook of my arm and purr. He usually slept in the bed with me. He loved to "help" Mommy every time she was working on something at the computer. He was fascinated with running water-watching it, drinking from the faucet, sticking his head under it and letting the water run over the sides of his face. He loved to lick condensation from bottles if you were drinking something cold, but he was always polite enough to wait for you to offer the container for him to lick. He liked sitting in the top of the cat cactus, even though he was too big for it and he could only sit in it by letting one leg stick out and looked kind of silly. He and Sebastian tolerated each other and on occasion took turns chasing each other, but they were like the "Odd Couple"-Sebastian is very fastidious and Kona needed a little help grooming himself because he just wasn't built for flexibility. Sebastian was always trying to find new places to sleep where there wasn't any "Kona smell". Kona seemed to go out of his way to try to find those places and ruin them for Sebastian by sleeping in them. :-) Even though he was 14 YO, Kona would still play with cat toys and would even fetch. Because of his age, I knew when I adopted Kona that he wasn't going to be with me for as long as I would have liked, but I so hoped that he was going to get over this episode and that we would have a few more years together. You just never know. It helps some knowing that he was really happy in the time I had him, even if it was shorter than I had hoped for. He was just a really, really wonderful, sweet guy. I'm so grateful for the time he was able to share with me but I miss him so much and I have that empty feeling now when I come home and he isn't there waiting for me. I haven't updated the page in a while, but some pictures of Kona, Sebastian and Prissy are at http://tinyurl.com/acpjo. |
#2
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cajunprincess wrote: I almost hesitate to post something this personal because of all of the tragedy going on in the aftermath of Katrina, but I know people here understand. I had to let Kona go to the Bridge Tuesday night. I'm really sorry for your loss. Kona was a beautiful cat - I have a soft spot for those big old fellas. You did the right thing by him, and that was difficult. Purrs for your heart to heal. |
#3
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On Sun, 04 Sep 2005 21:11:23 -0700, cajunprincess wrote:
I almost hesitate to post something this personal because of all of the tragedy going on in the aftermath of Katrina, but I know people here understand. I had to let Kona go to the Bridge Tuesday night. Around the beginning of July he developed a swelling in the side of his face, some discharge from his nose, a bit of difficulty breathing through his nose and a high fever. I wound up taking him to an internist, who found a pocket of pus (sorry) in behind his eye and nose, which she removed by going through the roof of his mouth. No indication of cancer. The internist wasn't sure of the cause for the infection (thought it might have originated with having a tooth removed) but he got back to his normal self for a couple of weeks and I was really relieved. Then at the end of July his sinuses started to clog up and became unable to breathe through his nose. He stopped eating and drinking and I had to force feed him and get him hydrated every other day at the vet. He didn't want to lay down his head, so I made him a little pillow from some towels that helped some. When more antibiotics didn't help, the internist did a rhinoscopy and discovered an adenoma (slow growing benign tumor) in his sinuses. He was declining each day because he had stopped eating and drinking on his own and at the internist's recommendation I took him to Auburn to get a CT scan to get a better handle on exactly what they were dealing with and what the options were. After an endoscopy and a CT scan, the vets at Auburn said the tumor was large and located on both sides of his sinuses and at the juncture of his throat and sinuses. Because of its size and location, there wasn't a realistic chance that surgery would be successful. Chemo apparently isn't effective for this kind of slow growing tumor and neither is radiation, especially given where the tumor was located. By this time he had lost over three pounds in about two weeks and he was laboring to breathe in through his mouth (they kept him in the equivalent of a cat oxygen tent while he was there and that helped). The vet there told me that there was just nothing they could offer that would do anything but keep him going for a short time with a declining quality of life. I was hoping against hope when I took him to them that they would be able to solve the problem, but there really wasn't anything they could do to make him better. It helped a little knowing for sure where things stood as far as what the options were. On Tuesday I held his head while the vet helped him cross over to the Bridge. He seemed to know it was time-he was just so tired from struggling with breathing and swallowing and being force fed and not being able to get decent sleep. He went very peacefully. I adopted Kona along with Sebastian less than two years ago after Prissy passed away. I had seen him at the vet's office (they also have a shelter operation there) the last few months of taking Prissy in. He was 12 and had been dumped by his original "family". I was entranced with him from the first time I saw him-a 20 lb brown tabby, he stood out in the shelter just because he was bigger than the others. The staff there loved him but they weren't able to give him the attention he wanted and you could tell he wasn't happy. After I adopted him the staff was always glad to see him when he came in. He was a wonderful guy-just a big ole' teddy bear who wanted to be loved. He generally stayed in the same room with me if he was awake and if he had the chance he would hop up in Mommy's lap and bury his head in the crook of my arm and purr. He usually slept in the bed with me. He loved to "help" Mommy every time she was working on something at the computer. He was fascinated with running water-watching it, drinking from the faucet, sticking his head under it and letting the water run over the sides of his face. He loved to lick condensation from bottles if you were drinking something cold, but he was always polite enough to wait for you to offer the container for him to lick. He liked sitting in the top of the cat cactus, even though he was too big for it and he could only sit in it by letting one leg stick out and looked kind of silly. He and Sebastian tolerated each other and on occasion took turns chasing each other, but they were like the "Odd Couple"-Sebastian is very fastidious and Kona needed a little help grooming himself because he just wasn't built for flexibility. Sebastian was always trying to find new places to sleep where there wasn't any "Kona smell". Kona seemed to go out of his way to try to find those places and ruin them for Sebastian by sleeping in them. :-) Even though he was 14 YO, Kona would still play with cat toys and would even fetch. Because of his age, I knew when I adopted Kona that he wasn't going to be with me for as long as I would have liked, but I so hoped that he was going to get over this episode and that we would have a few more years together. You just never know. It helps some knowing that he was really happy in the time I had him, even if it was shorter than I had hoped for. He was just a really, really wonderful, sweet guy. I'm so grateful for the time he was able to share with me but I miss him so much and I have that empty feeling now when I come home and he isn't there waiting for me. I haven't updated the page in a while, but some pictures of Kona, Sebastian and Prissy are at http://tinyurl.com/acpjo. "Rise up slowly, Angel. It's hard to let you go..." Sincere condolences. MLB |
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"cajunprincess" wrote in message
I had to let Kona go to the Bridge Tuesday night. Sorry to hear that Kona was having problems. You did the right thing by helping him cross the bridge. He reminds me of a cat I had growing up. The most lovable cat we had. You have many happy memories of Kona, and I'm sure he will be waiting for you when you get to rainbow bridge. Diane |
#5
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"cajunprincess" wrote in message oups.com... I almost hesitate to post something this personal because of all of the tragedy going on in the aftermath of Katrina, but I know people here understand. I had to let Kona go to the Bridge Tuesday night. He was a big ole love bug wasn't he? I'm so sorry you didn't have more time together. It sounds like you both made the very most of the time you did have. It is never long enough. Jo |
#6
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cajunprincess wrote:
I almost hesitate to post something this personal because of all of the tragedy going on in the aftermath of Katrina, but I know people here understand. I had to let Kona go to the Bridge Tuesday night. I'm so sorry to hear this. Many purrs for your loss. He was a gorgeous big boy. -- Marina, Frank, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki |
#7
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cajunprincess wrote in message oups.com... I almost hesitate to post something this personal because of all of the tragedy going on in the aftermath of Katrina, but I know people here understand. I had to let Kona go to the Bridge Tuesday night. SNIP He and Sebastian tolerated each other and on occasion took turns chasing each other, but they were like the "Odd Couple"-Sebastian is very fastidious and Kona needed a little help grooming himself because he just wasn't built for flexibility. Sebastian was always trying to find new places to sleep where there wasn't any "Kona smell". Kona seemed to go out of his way to try to find those places and ruin them for Sebastian by sleeping in them. :-) Even though he was 14 YO, Kona would still play with cat toys and would even fetch. Because of his age, I knew when I adopted Kona that he wasn't going to be with me for as long as I would have liked, but I so hoped that he was going to get over this episode and that we would have a few more years together. You just never know. It helps some knowing that he was really happy in the time I had him, even if it was shorter than I had hoped for. He was just a really, really wonderful, sweet guy. I'm so grateful for the time he was able to share with me but I miss him so much and I have that empty feeling now when I come home and he isn't there waiting for me. I haven't updated the page in a while, but some pictures of Kona, Sebastian and Prissy are at http://tinyurl.com/acpjo. I'm sorry Cajunprincess. But it does sound like the merciful thing to do for a wonderful, sweet cat with lots of personality. Kona sounds like a wonderful companion. It sure hurts when the time comes to let them go, though. =o( But you gave him a happy forever home, and I'm sure Kona was grateful for that. (((Cajunprincess))) Melissa |
#8
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cajunprincess wrote:
Because of his age, I knew when I adopted Kona that he wasn't going to be with me for as long as I would have liked, but I so hoped that he was going to get over this episode and that we would have a few more years together. You just never know. It helps some knowing that he was really happy in the time I had him, even if it was shorter than I had hoped for. He was just a really, really wonderful, sweet guy. I'm so grateful for the time he was able to share with me but I miss him so much and I have that empty feeling now when I come home and he isn't there waiting for me. I'm very sorry you weren't able to have him with you longer but it sounds as though he had a wonderful 2 years with you. I'm glad he was able to leve the shelter with you. He knew he was loved. Candace |
#9
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Purrs and hugs.
-- Joy "cajunprincess" wrote in message oups.com... I almost hesitate to post something this personal because of all of the tragedy going on in the aftermath of Katrina, but I know people here understand. I had to let Kona go to the Bridge Tuesday night. Around the beginning of July he developed a swelling in the side of his face, some discharge from his nose, a bit of difficulty breathing through his nose and a high fever. I wound up taking him to an internist, who found a pocket of pus (sorry) in behind his eye and nose, which she removed by going through the roof of his mouth. No indication of cancer. The internist wasn't sure of the cause for the infection (thought it might have originated with having a tooth removed) but he got back to his normal self for a couple of weeks and I was really relieved. Then at the end of July his sinuses started to clog up and became unable to breathe through his nose. He stopped eating and drinking and I had to force feed him and get him hydrated every other day at the vet. He didn't want to lay down his head, so I made him a little pillow from some towels that helped some. When more antibiotics didn't help, the internist did a rhinoscopy and discovered an adenoma (slow growing benign tumor) in his sinuses. He was declining each day because he had stopped eating and drinking on his own and at the internist's recommendation I took him to Auburn to get a CT scan to get a better handle on exactly what they were dealing with and what the options were. After an endoscopy and a CT scan, the vets at Auburn said the tumor was large and located on both sides of his sinuses and at the juncture of his throat and sinuses. Because of its size and location, there wasn't a realistic chance that surgery would be successful. Chemo apparently isn't effective for this kind of slow growing tumor and neither is radiation, especially given where the tumor was located. By this time he had lost over three pounds in about two weeks and he was laboring to breathe in through his mouth (they kept him in the equivalent of a cat oxygen tent while he was there and that helped). The vet there told me that there was just nothing they could offer that would do anything but keep him going for a short time with a declining quality of life. I was hoping against hope when I took him to them that they would be able to solve the problem, but there really wasn't anything they could do to make him better. It helped a little knowing for sure where things stood as far as what the options were. On Tuesday I held his head while the vet helped him cross over to the Bridge. He seemed to know it was time-he was just so tired from struggling with breathing and swallowing and being force fed and not being able to get decent sleep. He went very peacefully. I adopted Kona along with Sebastian less than two years ago after Prissy passed away. I had seen him at the vet's office (they also have a shelter operation there) the last few months of taking Prissy in. He was 12 and had been dumped by his original "family". I was entranced with him from the first time I saw him-a 20 lb brown tabby, he stood out in the shelter just because he was bigger than the others. The staff there loved him but they weren't able to give him the attention he wanted and you could tell he wasn't happy. After I adopted him the staff was always glad to see him when he came in. He was a wonderful guy-just a big ole' teddy bear who wanted to be loved. He generally stayed in the same room with me if he was awake and if he had the chance he would hop up in Mommy's lap and bury his head in the crook of my arm and purr. He usually slept in the bed with me. He loved to "help" Mommy every time she was working on something at the computer. He was fascinated with running water-watching it, drinking from the faucet, sticking his head under it and letting the water run over the sides of his face. He loved to lick condensation from bottles if you were drinking something cold, but he was always polite enough to wait for you to offer the container for him to lick. He liked sitting in the top of the cat cactus, even though he was too big for it and he could only sit in it by letting one leg stick out and looked kind of silly. He and Sebastian tolerated each other and on occasion took turns chasing each other, but they were like the "Odd Couple"-Sebastian is very fastidious and Kona needed a little help grooming himself because he just wasn't built for flexibility. Sebastian was always trying to find new places to sleep where there wasn't any "Kona smell". Kona seemed to go out of his way to try to find those places and ruin them for Sebastian by sleeping in them. :-) Even though he was 14 YO, Kona would still play with cat toys and would even fetch. Because of his age, I knew when I adopted Kona that he wasn't going to be with me for as long as I would have liked, but I so hoped that he was going to get over this episode and that we would have a few more years together. You just never know. It helps some knowing that he was really happy in the time I had him, even if it was shorter than I had hoped for. He was just a really, really wonderful, sweet guy. I'm so grateful for the time he was able to share with me but I miss him so much and I have that empty feeling now when I come home and he isn't there waiting for me. I haven't updated the page in a while, but some pictures of Kona, Sebastian and Prissy are at http://tinyurl.com/acpjo. |
#10
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Condolences to you and yours, and blessings for adopting an older cat. Kona
was a gorgeous boy. Sandy |
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