Simply Cat Cakes: Rest in peace my sweet kitty

This is an emotional post.

The end of 2012 was long, brutal and just plain exhausting. In November my sweet kitty, Spotty suffered and stroke and was diagnosed with vestibular syndrome. I awoke that night with Spotty getting sick and after that he seemed different. He was walking weird. It was as if he had lost his balance and was straying to one side. In effort to keep him close, I prepared him a cozy spot in the bathroom. That morning, he was still walking weird but wanted to be left alone. I had originally left for work but once I heard my grandmother had passed away that night, I returned home.

I am glad I came back home, because it was around 8:45 that morning that Spotty started yowling and rolling wildly. His eyes became huge and they moved rapidly back and forth. It was horrible, horrible, horrible. I tried my best to comfort my sweet baby but he just kept rolling and yowling loudly. It was very difficult to keep him still and to one side as he was having a hard time moving one side of his body. Eventually his rolling slowed down and Jeff, my sister and I transported him to the vet. It was there that we learned what had occurred. We were sent back home with not much hope and some antibiotics. The vet had bluntly told us that if Spotty did not get better within a week, we would need to consider some decisions.

My sweet little cat appeared to be in a trance. His beautiful golden eyes just kept twitching back and forth the entire time and he was unable to move. He simply laid on one side in a gaze. It was a heart breaking sight. My brave and strong Spotty made a wonderful recovery that week. He slowly began to eat on his own again, and also starting walking. It was difficult since he now had a head tilt and had bad balance. I was so and still am, so proud of his fight to recuperate. Sadly, within a week of his recovery he started getting sick randomly but then this became a regular thing. He lost his appetite. He lost weight. Too much weight. We kept taking him back to the vet but nothing was helping. Not medication, not vaccines, not the endless variations of cat food I bought. Nothing was helping. I hand fed him for a week until my lovely baby left this world.

My sick little boy

I had a bad feeling. It was right after hand feeding him that I held his little paw and noticed it was cold and a bit off white. I should have know then.... He seemed so sad those last two days. I just knew something was off and I was right. On December 20, 2012 around 11:40 in the morning, Spotty crossed over to the other side. That entire time, I was speeding home from work to say my final goodbye but I did not make it. Jeff was home and held him the entire time while I spoke my final sweet words to Spotty.

I know to some of you may think this is so silly, so crazy, so weird to write and even speed home for a cat. I loved my cat with all my heart. I had held in the palm of my hand since he was a young kitten and cared for him until he was 14 years old. Although his body may be at rest, his spirit is with me. He is guarding me, as he always did.