Final Update on Brendel

Tweet

Made the very difficult decision to let Brendel go on Thursday, June 13th. She would have turned 13 this September. She had almost stopped eating. She would often go 1-2 days without eating at all. And when she did eat, it was only the pureed treats. Some days she ate half of a 0.5 ounce treat. Not much at all. I have not slept all night in over a year. She woke up every night with a loud howling. Was losing her hearing. If she wasn't awake, I lay awake waiting for her to wake me up. Like having a sick baby in the house. Sometimes when she didn't want to eat, I would sit and talk to her and rub her ears and neck, which she loved, until she would go back to sleep. Taking a toll on me and my health. But I was willing to do whatever needed to be done for her. Sleep deprivation was my new friend. She has been hiding and sleeping in the closet for months now. Instead of spending the day in the screen room, which she always loved to do, she would go out and get a drink of water, then go to the litter box, and back to the closet. Thursday I couldn't find her and when I did, she had lost the use of her back legs. When that happened, I said enough. Broke my heart to see her dragging her legs. I immediately took her to the vet. The vet agreed anything she could offer at this point would be prolonging the inevitable. She could have a seizure or worse, at home, and there would be nothing I could do. I said all along I would not allow her to suffer. With all of that, it was still a very difficult decision to make. Besides losing my son, this is the most difficult time in my life. I had to make the decision to end her life. Never had to do that before. She is gone now. I believe she has crossed over the rainbow bridge and is with Momma Kitty. I have been in tears since Thursday. I see her all over the house. I can hear her. Such a hard time to say the least. The Dude is helping all he can. Such a sweet therapy cat. Has been a very hard year. It was last June when she was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease. She weighed only 4 pounds. Now she can rest easy. Thank you to those who have messaged me, emailed me and asked about her. It has been greatly appreciated. More than you will ever know. Now I continue on with a life without Brendel. Only memories. But I have good ones to keep me going. For 13 years I was honored to be her Mom. ~Rest in peace Brendel~