My husband and I have a wonderful 3 to 4 year old tortie we adopted from the Humane Society 2 years ago. She's had all of her vaccinations and checkups and there weren't any indications that she wasn't a perfectly healthy kitty.

In the last few weeks she's been eating less and losing weight (which the vet wanted her to do anyway as she wasn't fat, but needed to lose about 2 lbs to be at her optimal weight). We attributed it to switching out her treats for regular cat food (a different variety than her every day food). She had a cough now and again, but we thought these incidents were normal hairball coughs. My husband noticed late last night she seemed to be breathing hard, so we planned on calling the vet to set up an appointment. By morning, she was heaving and her breathing was alot more difficult and we rushed her to the vet.

The vet thinks she's in congestive heart failure. She prescribed a diuretic and a heart medication, and we have to take her back in for more xrays on Tuesday (because of all the fluid in the chest cavity they couldn't even see the heart). They're going to call us with the blood test results tomorrow to rule out FIV, hyperthyroid, and heart worm. The vet doubts it is any of those and believes it is primary cardiac disease - that she just was born with a bad heart. If so, she will probably only live 6 to 24 months, and we might have to have her put to sleep if the medications don't control the symptoms enough to make her comfortable.

I'm a mess (so is my husband). We both were just sobbing at the vets and during the ride home, and on and off all day. Seeing him cry made it scarier somehow. I've had a bit of a problem today with carb binging (even though logically I know that no amount of "comfort food" can comfort in this situation).

When we got home kitty went under the couch and didn't come out all day. We had to get her out for her evening medication (actually my husband's friend had to do it for us, as we can't bend or lift to get under the couch). When he handed her to me, her chest and belly were damp - she hadn't had the strength to get to the litterbox and had peed on herself. She seemed to have gotten more on herself than the carpet, so she must not have even had the energy to avoid getting soiled. She was still pretty groggy from the sedative they gave her for the xrays, so maybe it's not as bad a sign as I took it, but she's such a clean cat, if her litter box isn't meticulously clean, she will normally sit beside it and mew until my husband or I come and scoop. Her breathing is still a little rough, I feel so bad for her, and so helpless. She seems alot more comfortable since she got her evening meds, but I'm struggling.

She's really become more of a child substitute for us than a pet. More than a child too, really because she often treats us like we are the babies (she reminds us when it is time to wake up, take our medications, meals, and bedtime), which is why we call her our "nanny cat." She loves people (even begs attention from UPS deliverymen and any stranger at the door). She likes herd us into the same room, and once she woke my husband David, during a low blood sugar episode by batting at his face in the middle of the night (something she never does). I have fibromyalgia and arthritis, and she always seems to know what joints are hurting and lays on them, my own personal heating pad. I really don't know what we'll do without her.

I don't really know why I needed to share this, maybe to relieve the burden a bit, and to remind myself not to eat everything in sight.

im sorry to hear that.. Its very tough dealing with a cat with heart failure. It definately is tough on the kitty. my thoughts are with you.

Thank you, both. Sassy Chick, maybe Puddy can show my Girly Girl around. She passed away this morning, after waking in a panic and great distress. My husband held her as she died, and he is very traumatized. Me too, I suppose, though I feel mostly numb. We've already buried her in the wooded area behind father-in-law's house. It just doesn't seem real, yet.

I am so sorry to hear this. You can take comfort in knowing that you gave her a great and loving home for the last 2 years.

Oh, Kaplods. Many to you and your husband. It's always so hard.

Thank you, we're both just feeling so guilty right now, because ever since we've had her, she's had several what we thought were just cute odd habits like sitting upright like a person (legs out in front of her, one paw on the arm rest), and sitting or sleeping in a sitting "prayer" position. She'd sit with her bottom on the bed or chair, but with her front paws and chest propped up on a pillow, against my body or on a chair armrest. Turns out, those can be signs of heart disease, as it relieves the feeling of pressure from the build-up of fluid around the heart.

If we had recognized it as a warning sign, we might have been able to do something about it.

In hindsight, alot of seemingly unimportant oddities now make sense. We were told she was two years old, when we got her, but she looked more like a cat that was barely a year old. She filled out under our care, but she never ate more than a few bites at a time (even of wet cat food) and instead seemed to need to "snack" throughout the day. We pretty much had to free feed or hand feed her because she'd never eat more than a bite or two of food at any time, even after days of sticking to a "mealtime" schedule. Ignoring her food bowl in order to be handfed, we just thought she was being "spoiled," not that food wasn't appealing.

I just can't get the "if only"s out of my head.

Colleen, My heart is breaking in two for you! I'm sooo sorry you lost your dear sweet baby.

DH went through a very very similar loss about 18 months ago. Our kitty was our little angel when she lived, and now she is our little angel in heaven. She was a beautiful tiny doll- a blue eyed snow shoe siamese - believe it or not a stray... soooo loving, with such a special personality, just like your girl. She was such a healthy happy cat for four years until she began having issues of dehydration and upset tummy. Vet thought initially she had IBS or something similar, but after about 4 months of getting nowhere, we took her to an internal medicine specialist for severe pet illnesses. After cat scans and other tests, it was determined that her poor little insides were just a mess - congenitally. Small, misshapen kidneys, enlarged heart etc. We had no idea she had these problems and she just did NOT DESERVE it. She ended up having a heart attack, and we had to have her put to sleep at the emergency vet at 1am. We too sobbed and sobbed and neither of us could go to work or even function for several days.

Colleen - do NOT worry about the food... you just have to do your best to muddle through this grief. It hit us like a tidal wave, as it is hitting you and your DH. It IS like losing a person, even if people around you cannot see that. Some of our work colleagues were very sensitive, sending cards and other condolences (we, too, do not have children and they knew what she meant to us). Other people just cannot understand how losing a pet is such a big deal.

Take care of yourself the best you can.

With deepest sympathy,

oh I'm so sorry to hear that. Don't feel guilty. We had a dog die of the exact same condition, same symptoms and everything, and did a lot of looking back and wondering whether this or that was an indicator, whether we could have done something different...but at the end of the day even if our pets weren't in the best of health we can know we gave them loving homes and good lives for the times we had them xxx

I'm so sorry for your loss. I love my cats and understand how much of a loss it is. Know that you made her a very happy kitty during her time with you. to you and your husband.

I am so, so sorry to hear that your kitty crossed over the rainbow bridge. I hope my Meena will take good care of her when she meets her there.

I'm totally crying now This is so, so sad

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

She definitely received a lifetimes worth of attention in the two years we've had her. With both of us on disability, we treated her like a little princess. She had a water bowl, but almost never used it, whenever she mewed at the bathroom sink, we'd turn on the tap (we drew the line at 3 am "can I have a drink of water" mews, but like an over-indulged child, she got almost everything she "asked" for). Even when we came home from grocery shopping, she was like a little kid "what did you bring me" mewing and peeking into the plastic bags. Once she fixated on a bag of croutons, because of its size and shape, we think she thought it was a bag of cat treats. She was purring and love rubbing the bag with her chin (my husband took out a crouton and gave it to her. She didn't eat it, but wasn't dissapointed either, she just treated the crouton as a marvelous new toy and tossed it around the kitchen).

Awww, so sorry to hear! It is so tough. Your kitty obviously loved you and tried to care for you like you did her: the best way she/you knew how. Sounds like you provided a wonderful home. I lost my kitty of 17 last year to kidney failure. His name was Puddy also (like Sassy's). I hope they are all chasing fake mice and sleeping on a sunny cloud together in heaven right now. Take it easy on yourself, it will take time.

Y'know I've heard of the rainbow bridge, but have never read it. Beautiful.