Penny's end was quick. She had love and care in her last months, that she would not have had without your family. It's crappy that life is like this, that even the happiest ending comes to mortality in the end. That crappy nature of the universe and of life, it's not our fault. We did not set the terms. We simply are left with making the best of bad lot. Your family do that beautifully.

I've always had indoor/outdoor cats and in the past a cat door. 2 of my prior cats took off at the end and we knew it was on purpose because they were clearly declining. A couple just were found in their sleeping spots. Only one did I have to take in to the vet. A previous old blind fellow I left behind with the new owner when I sold the house because I knew he would not adjust and the new owner was ready willing and able to adopt. Pets!

black coffee:

One encouraging side note, we took over care for 2 cats that were abandoned by our neighbors. Penny and Parker. Penny was super cuddly and friendly, and Parker is super stealthy and we rarely actually see her. She will jump a 6' fence without a moment's hesitation to avoid contact. Just yesterday she let DH pet her for the first time. Just once before she took off, but she voluntarily let him. I haven't managed it yet.

Laura, I'm so sorry. Your poor DH.

Thanks, everyone for making me feel better.

Plus when ltc is a little older, she will have all sorts of falls out running into things.

Ha! No, that is already a daily occurrence. She does everything at top speed and never looks to see what she is stepping on. So, she tumbles often.

Poor Penny, too. It was an accident, but the love and care she had in her last months was not an accident.

This. WindSparrow, you really do put things so beautifully.

In old blind cat news, my queen bitch kitty Xusha may be nearing her end. She's not really eating, and this morning when I made a point of petting her before I left, her little motor could barely turn over (she didn't really purr). I'm going to make an appointment for Friday, I just don't know if it will be *the* appointment.

Oops. Crying on the job site again. Back to work.

{{smonster}}

I'm sorry, smonster.

{{{smonster}}}

Aw, smonster. That's so hard. I'm having lots of Xusha memories right now. She's a great cat.

She's somewhere around 18, and I've had her for over 14 years, so it's been a good long run. And maybe she just needs new meds or something, but… she has kidney failure. NGL, there's a part of me that hopes this is it so the decision will be done. That period of trying to guess when an animal is ready to go is just… agonizing.