Rest in Peace Chloe

Yesterday morning we took Chloe to the vet to see if it was time to put her down. The vet examined her and asked us a lot of questions about her behavior. She concluded that her kidneys were failing, she was severely dehydrated and had lost all muscle mass. She said there was little we could do to try to help her, if we tried to inject fluids, there was no muscle mass to absorb them. Even though she's been eating and drinking a lot, she wasn't getting any nutrition or hydration, everything went right through her. She was evidently always very hungry and thirsty but never feeling satisfied no matter how much she ate or drank. I felt horrible when I found that out. We had not thought of her suffering in that way and when the vet explained it to us, we knew it was time for us to let her go. The vet put a catheter into her leg and brought her back in to us wrapped in a blanket. I held her while the vet administered the medication through the catheter. It only took a few seconds and she was gone, quickly and peacefully. It was really one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I didn't know how hard it would be. I'm glad we were there with her at the end but I cry every time I think about it. I cried a lot yesterday. And still today, everywhere I look, something reminds me of her and makes me emotional. 15 years is a long time to have a pet with you everyday so it's going to take awhile to get used to not having her here. Chloe was the first cat I've ever owned and it's due to her that I love cats so much now. She was also the first real pet my kids ever had. This is hitting Joshua particularly hard, he wasn't ready to let her go. Jeremy's sad too, but understands and wants to have a picture of her framed to keep on his wall. The vet gave us a little clay disc with her paw prints on it. I baked it so it would be hard and I'm going to frame it with her picture and tag.

I'm glad we still have Milo and Daphne. They're becoming good friends and they play together a lot now. They're keeping Don and I entertained and are good company, but they can't replace Chloe.

Rest in peace, Chloe, we love you.