Saturday, February 29, 2020

Farewell, Miss Wu

     Rannie Wu, Tam's cat Random Numbers J. Wu of the Underfoot Wu sept, has departed this world.

     She had been sick off and on since Autumn, fighting a sinus infection that kept coming back; she'd get over it, go for a month or a week or a few days and get sniffly again.  The vet had begun talking to Tam about quality of life issues, and of the importance of evaluating how the ancient and venerable Wu was coping.  At eighteen and a half, her age was roughly 90 in people years.  She'd been fighting kidney disease for at least four years.

     The most recent sinus infection, she wasn't bouncing back from.  Early this week, the vet gave her subcutaneous fluids and renewed her antibiotic prescription.  She took the drugs well, but she'd stopped eating and nothing would tempt her.  Then she stopped drinking.  She was still sleeping in the crook of my elbow every night.   She was spending her days on my bed atop a woolly throw or in her cat-egg on the window seat in the dining room, and painfully making her way to a register any time the furnace ran, so she could bask in the warm air.  But she kept losing weight.  She had stopped blinking.

     She was already scheduled to return to the vet for further evaluation and hydration in the coming week.  Tam rescheduled the appointment for this morning.

     Rannie was limp as a dishrag and painfully thin.  She slept in her usual spot and even went to the register while I was getting cleaned up but she was listless.  She'd been crying out in pain the last several days.

     At the vet's, the doctor gave Rannie a thorough exam, then consulted with Tam and they decided it was time.  We were able to spend quite awhile with Rannie Wu.  Poor, dear Rannie Wu.

     I miss her.  What a fine cat she was, and how long she carried on.

34 comments:

  1. My condolences to you and Tam. Little fur-faced people don't ask for much, but they sure take a lot with them when they go.

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  2. So sorry to hear it. Our last cat made it 19 years and change, it is never easy.

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  3. It’s a cavity they carve from our hearts.
    Few cats could boast as fine a life as Random Numbers got to live, courtesy of Tamara and yourself, ma’am.

    The love you feel is the love they give.

    My condolences it could not go on for longer.

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  4. Our condolences. She was a fine cat, and had a wonderful long run.

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  5. Our condolences as well, we recently lost an older feline last weekend. I'm still not used to the idea of his passing, feline cancer at 11 years of age. His two fellow house mates are still calling for him to come out of his hiding place. Rickn8or said it better than I - took a lot of me with him when he passed. He also left a lot of great memories to fill the void.

    I wish for a quick healing for your household.

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  6. My deepest sympathies. Just because they're small and furry doesn't mean we love them any less.

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  7. I am happy she got the time to spend with Good People, I am sad that she has gone.

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  8. You and Tam must be crying because I am.

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  9. Sorry to hear this. Letting them go is the last and final kindness you can show your beloved pet.

    Been through this several times and it is never easy, nor is it possible to fill the empty space inside your heart. Be comforted that in some distant future you will all be reunited with your furry family...

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  10. My condolences to you and please pass them along to Tam as well.

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  11. So sorry. No matter what anyone says, they aren't pets, they are family.

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  12. My love to both you AND Tam.

    I know how hard it is to lose a friend.

    Remember the good times. They are still here as long as we remember them.

    B

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  13. My condolences to you and Tam on your loss.

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  14. May a stranger offer condolences on your loss; please pass them along to Tamara as well.

    I hope that Huck can offer some consolation at this time; lavish an extra dollop of affection to him in Rannie's absence.

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  15. Condolences. It's almost as hard to lose a pet as it is a person, and sometimes harder, because they are family.

    People say "Get a new one." Yeah. Eventually. With me, it's a couple of years before I stop missing the last one enough to do that, though. I'm more of a dog person, but I've lost a couple of long term Cats that I've missed terribly, and still kind of do, even if my wife has acquired new ones that are worming their way into my heart.

    Life sucks that way, now and then.

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  16. I'm so very sorry. She was a special cat. You did right by her.

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  17. I'm so sorry, sometimes cats are even worse than dogs and horses at breaking one's heart. Horses and dogs...you know they will break your heart. But cats, cats when they have decided that you are theirs to own you? It is something beyond words. Pass my condolences on to Tam as well. I'll think of the little calico with the pipe cleaner tail tonight.

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  18. I'm very sorry for your loss, both of you.

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  19. I was so sorry to hear about this.

    The fur persons here at Schloss Drang seem confused by the extra attention they're getting today...

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  20. Sorry to hear this.

    We lost one of ours this week too...he'd been ill, and it was determined that surgery was necessary. The surgeon discovered an inoperable intestinal tumor. We decided the kindest choice was to not bring him out of anesthesia.

    Being a veterinarian's son, I'm quite familiar with the clinical side...being staff to many cats, I'm sadly familiar with the loss side.

    My condolences to you and to Miss Tam.

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  21. *sigh*... This is the worst part of keeping pets. Still I trust Rannie Wu appreciates the warm home provided.

    I feel your pain. BTDT :-( Rannie, Wish you to frolic among the clouds!

    d

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  22. It's always hard. My condolences to you and Tam

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  23. So very sorry. They are family. The holes they leave in our hearts are just as large, and just as hard to deal with.

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  24. So sad for them to leave, but the Rainbow Bridge must be crossed by all, and I expect we find our friends waiting.

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  25. Yesterday I choked up when read Tam's post regarding Rannie Wu.
    I choked up again today when I read your posts.
    My condolences.

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  26. I am sorry to hear that. At least she isn't suffering any more.

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  27. Saw from Tam's posts that it was coming, and hated the fact anyway. My condolences to you, Tam, & Huck.

    Lex Luthier

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  28. Condolences. We've lost many cats and several dogs over the years, and it's never easy.

    We lost my latest favorite, a big black tom with a long, long tail a few months gao, and I still miss him. Luckily, we still have 2 left, but one of those is 15 years old.

    The best way to deal with it is to get a replacement. Go to the local cat rescue outfit and take your pick; just be careful to only bring ONE home. :-) We've been lucky (?) in that we've only ever had to get one cat deliberately, the others just showed up. (we live on a suburban farm)

    Chin up, and re-read The Rainbow Bridge https://www.rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm

    ((I shouldna oughta done that <>)

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  29. It's hard. Even our dogs mourn when we lose a cat. My sympathy...

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