August 9th 2007 4:13 pm
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I miss you Midi.
January 29th 2007 8:13 pm
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My most precious baby, Midnight, passed on today, Saturday, January 13th, 2007. The past week has been exceptionally difficult as Midnight's health deteriorated quickly; but the past 18 years have been the most amazing I could ever imagine and I will cling to those memories. I decided for me, and for her, she needs a full blown eulogy; she deserves to be honored in such a personal way. Please join us as we remember her...
Though she no longer exists physically, she will live on in my heart, every
single day for the rest of my life. Midnight was an extension of me. From
the time Mom brought her to the house, as a weeks or barely months old,
abandoned kitten with her brother Tiger, she was mine and I was hers. She
actually liked being held like a baby, cradled in my arms, upside down. She
clung to me and hid from everyone else. She slept between my legs; she came
to me when I called her and she loved me...and I love her.
How do I do justice to an amazing being whom I can't imagine life without,
but yet became so comfortable with her curled up on my lap that I stopped
noticing, long long ago, when she got on it. If I was sitting, she was in my
lap. If I was lying in bed, she was between my legs or curled up next to me.
If I was walking to the kitchen (or any room), she walked with me and walked
back with me when I was done. I talked to her, and she answer and talked
back. I called her and she came to me, every time. She loved me.
How do I do justice to the sweet girl who was afraid of everyone (even my
Mom!)...but never afraid of me. Luckily, she became much more mellow after
12 years old and some of you were able to experience her sweet nature and
delicate form first hand. I don't think she ever weighed more than 7 pounds,
most of the time closer to 5 or 6. She sat in a fashion that made her appear
regal...and she was royalty to me. My Princess. I love her.
She loved Mr. Keith. He played with her and brushed her and made fires for
her to lay in front of. Though she spent most of her life with just me, she
really took to Keith. She often slept next to him over me, and despite how
he complained that she took up most of the bed and he had hardly any, he
loved her very much. The loss of the Squeak will be difficult for him too.
Midnight responded to all of her names: Mid, Midi, Midimite, Baby Girl,
Squeak and Squeak-a-Roo. Keith named her Squeak. That's how she sounded when she mewed. Of course, she stopped responding to everything when she became deaf early to mid 2006. Then she thought we were all deaf and the squeak turned in to a close up, in your face (literally) rather loud MEOW. She was my alarm clock set to go off several times through the night and bright and early to get me up for work (well, actually to feed her).
Midi changed after Tiger's death. I changed too. Tiger was very special and
took a lot of care in the later years. They were litter mates. When he
passed, Mid's mortality was staring me in the face. It's been in the corners
of my mind me every single day since July, 2005. So, I've been even more
attached to her and began taking pictures, frequently. I have a small
collection of Tiger, and even smaller of Ronnie. There was no way Midi was
going to leave me without my capturing every single adorable moment she had. I took pictures of her like people take pictures of their children. She WAS my child. I fed her, pampered her, treated her illnesses and cared for her every need for 18 years...she was my baby and I love her.
Her life started out early with a heart murmur. Other than being small, that
was her only health issue until about 2002. Since then the health issues
began to climb. First she had to have 5 of her teeth removed then diagnosis
later of hyperthyroidism, kidney disease and finally hypertension. She
required a great deal of medical care and lots of medications. She was so
good at first, getting the pills and the sub-q fluids. But no pill or fluid
could keep her healthy and alive for as long as I wanted and needed. I
didn't just love her, I adored her...she was everything to me.
Good bye my dear, sweet, remarkable Midi. My life will never be the same
without you. Keith and I will miss you very much.
All our love,
Cindy & Keith
April 25th 2006 9:17 am
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What a day! Mom packed up my things in the car, then took me to the car. She at least didn't make me get in the carrier...so I could crawl under the seat and feel more safe. We got to the vet school at 9am. Mom put me in the carrier to take me inside. Once we were in and waiting to be seen, she let me out. I walked around a bit, then she picked me up and held me. The waiting part wasn't so bad. Now that I'm deaf, I don't get as scared. :)
The two students who looked at me were nice. The liked me because I was a good girl. I was calm and let them do what they needed to do without being squirmy or hissy.
Mom came back to get me at 6pm. I'm half bald now!!! They shaved a 3 inch wide by 8 inch long section of my tummy and sides to do an ultrasound. Plus they shaved a 1/2 inch wide by 4 inch strip along my chest and side to x-ray my heart. Plus there's the shaved spot on my tail from the vet visit 2 1/2 weeks ago.....if I'm not careful...they'll make me into a Sphynx!! (Mommy would really love that though...she want's a Sphynx pretty badly)
So Mom got a pretty good list of things that are wrong with me. Nothing really new, just more information and how to approach handling my health. It turns out, controlling my hyperthyroid is the key to dealing with my other issues. Once the thyroid is regulated, my heart murmur, kidney disease and hypertension could change...for the better. The hyperthyroid affects all those things and they can't be managed well until the thyroid stops sending bad juju to them all! So I'm on hyperthyroid medicine, hypertension medicine and once those two things are managed, I'll be retested for kidney values and heart status.
The funny thing is...the reason why I went to the vet school in the first place was the mass under myhard pallette. At least 5 people looked at it and none of them felt there was anything out of the ordinary. There may be some cause for my congestion, but the docs aren't willing to put me under with my health issues as they are now. I'm too much of a risk. The attending vet said the other problems were much more possible to become life threatening over a little congestion. So...for now...I'll have a stuffy nose from time to time. Hopefully there's nothing like horriblly wrong growing there. With any luck, Mom will get my other stuff under control and soon she can have someone look my nose to see if it's an actual mass or big medical conern of some kind. Until then...I'm happy to go in for blood work only!!!
Everyone sung my praises at the vet school. Mommy was told that I may have been the best behaved cat ever seen. I had no problems with all the people looking at me and poking at me. I didn't even need sedation, like other cats do, to get my ultrasound and x-ray. The staff was just amazed at how sweet I was. It made Mommy very proud!
I go back in one week to check my hypertension and in a month to check my hyperthyroid.
I was happy to go home last night and clean up....even though I look rediculous all patchy bald and stuff!! Mommy was really glad to have me home too. We're all very glad I didn't have to stay the night.
Purrrr
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