Fire at San Luis Rey!?

[Catalina]

I am so very sorry about your cat, Ridan_Remembered. One feels so helpless when a gentle goodbye is all that medicine can offer. It hurts so badly to lose them even so.

My prayers are with all that lived through the nightmare of the SLR fire.

[BaroqueAgain1]

So sorry, RR. I've lived long enough to have had a few generations of cat friends, so I know how much it hurts to lose one.
I know that we are designed to live longer than our four-legged friends but, no matter how many well-loved years I can give them, it never feels like enough...when that time comes.
For the people who went through the SLR fire, and who lost horses, that pain is going to last a long, long time. I hope some of those donations are going to counseling for the workers who fought so hard for their charges, but who couldn't save them all.
That tragic event is going cast a shadow over California racing for some time.

[Ridan_Remembered]

@Catalina and BaroqueAgain1, thank you both for your kindness. Means a lot to me.

[shenanigans]

Ridan Remembered: in the grand scheme of things, your cat was your friend, part of your family, someone who helped make you the person you are. I am so very sorry about all the horses lost in the Lilac fire, but I am also sorry for your loss as well. Three years ago we had to have our cat euthanized, and while it was the right thing to do, that doesn't mean it didn't hurt or that I don't miss her to this day. My deepest condolences.

[Squally]

Add me to the list of people who don't ever think there is any such thing as "Just a cat". So very sorry for your loss. They are family. They are our hearts.

[sweettalk]

anyone who ever says "it was just a cat/dog/horse/hamster/any pet", they must be very miserable people. i hope they find happiness somewhere.

[Ridan_Remembered]

Thank you Shenanigans and Squally. I'm so glad to find people here who understand. I did not mean to hijack this thread with the news about my cat, but only meant to highlight the greater tragedy of the SLR fire that took so much from so many, equine and human alike. To me, it's an important perspective, yet because my Kitty died literally two days after the fire, both events are forever associated now to me.

My little cat -- and she was little, only between 8 and 9 pounds -- was in a litter of newborn kittens that I rescued in May 2006. They had been tossed in a dumpster. Vet said they were only 3 days old, cold, hungry and infested with fleas. I hand raised them, found homes for all of them and kept the smallest one. She used to follow me around like a puppy. Slept on my bed every night. Came when called. Mooched treats and just generally loved me in her own cat way. So thank you all for understanding -- both the larger perspective of the fire and my personal perspective of Kitty's loss.

Some good out of hearbreak: Here is a photo from a Team Valor tweet (https://twitter.com/TeamValor/status/94 ... 49536?s=04) of members of Pete Miller's staff who saved so many horses. Team Valor has distributed over $25,00 to them.

[serenassong]

So sorry for your loss, RR. I have sent way too many over the Bridge. With the exception of one, all were shelter/abandoned cats.
In June- on my dog's birthday of all things- I lost one of my cats very suddenly. She threw what they call a saddle clot and there was nothing that could be done but to let her be released from pain. It was traumatic- but I did find some comfort in the fact that she displayed symptoms as I was getting ready for work that day- so she was only in pain for less than 2 hours- which, is still a lot, but better than finding her after work hours later like that. She was just under 10- I had one that died at 6- but she was born with cardiac issues and cancer complicated matters. All my others lived late teens, early 20's
It never get easy- you just accept it over time

I got into a heated argument with someone who told me that animals had no souls and their was no place in Heaven for them. How heartless they were and obviously never knew the love of a pet.

Take care and morn in your way- only you know what's appropriate- each case is different

[Starine]

I am also sorry for your loss, RR. Losing a pet is never easy; they truly are a part of your family. I hope in time you will be able to welcome another four-legged friend into your heart.

[Sparrow Castle]

Oh very sorry, Ridan. Most of my pets died naturally at ripe old ages, some in their sleep. I was unprepared about a year and a half ago when I had to make the big Decision for my 16 year old Bengal cat, who was suffering kidney disease and not tolerant of the treatment. She also was tiny, the runt of litter that I rescued from the breeder, and she was the cat-love of my life. I still miss her, it's so hard to lose such a special friend. But her funny antics and the happy memories she left now make me smile. Even knowing the sad ending, I bet we would do it again in a heartbeat.