Itty & Olif
"I'm going to take a nap, I'll see you in a few hours." I yelled up to my mom who was upstairs taking a shower. As I walked to my room I noticed something.
"Itty are you okay?"
Itty hissed at me and fell over.
"What's wrong?" I asked with a panicked voice reaching down to pick up my cat. He seemed fine so I set him back down.
He stumbled and fell over, standing up again and tripping over his paws to go into the storage room.
"Meow"
"Meow"
"Meow"
These weren't like anything I've ever heard. These meows were painful and sad. I quickly ran into te storage room after him picking him up again and setting him down near me on the soft rug.
He stood and stumbled over again. This time not getting up.
Making those haunting meows.
I ran upstairs as quickly as I could. "Mom, Itty can't walk."
She gasped, telling my younger brother to go play in his room.
I ran back downstairs picking up my cat again and placing him near the food bowl.
He didn't eat. Instead he stumbled into the corner and began meowing again.
I watched him tears pooling in my eyes. Praying he will be fine again, that he will look at me with those big green emerald eyes of his. Instead he laied in his corner as if it took all of his energy to balance. When my mom came downstairs to see what was happening He had moved to a little pile of clothes. He fell over again but this time his body spasmed and shook.
"Sweetie," My mother looked at me. "It looks like he just had a seizure, make him comfortable and make sure he knows you're there for him."
I nodded looking into her eyes noticing that she too was crying.
We both set up a nice blanket on the couch and gently laied him down. I sat beside him and began petting him telling him that he was going to be okay, but he kept on meowing. My other cat Olif jumped on the couches armrest and watched. At the same time my mom and I looked into Olifs eyes. His eyes were a bright gold and my mom heard him say. "It's not looking good for him, I'm glad you're here." He silently watched us as we looked back down at Itty.
"Meow"
His meowing became worse as his body spasmed again.
"I think it's time to say good bye to him." My mom whispered.
"Good bye Itty, You were a good bus stop kitty."
I tried holding back my tears as I stroked his fur.
"I'm going to try to call the vet if they're open still." She left me to be alone with my cat.
His meowing wouldn't stop, it looked like it hurt him, he was scared and there was nothing I could do.
He couldn't see me anymore.
Soon my dad came through the door and hear Itty's meows.
"Is that the cat?"
"Yeah," I said. "he can't walk and he's not responding to us anymore."
"Let's put him in the pet carrier, mom had called the vet. They said they'll see us in an hour."
My mom came back downstairs with the carrier. I gently set him in it and closed the cage.
"Goodbye Itty." My mom said as she watched us leave.
My dad sped through the town, getting him to the vet as possible. It was dark out. I slid my fingers through the pet carriers holes whispering over and over again that It will be okay. In thirty minutes we made it to the vet. My dad opened the Van's trunk as we waited and I sat next to Itty who fell asleep in his carrier. He looked so tired. We waited there in the dark parking lot of the small building with only the yellow glow of the porch light.
My dad called the vet again. "Where are you guys? We've been waiting an hour already. This cat needs help."
After a few minutes of arguing my dad hung up the phone and handed it to me. "We're in the wrong place. They wanted us in the Pet Hospital an hour away."
We turned the cage back around and I sat in front of Itty placing my fingers back through the holes of his carrier.
"Meow"
"Meow"
"Meow"
I heard thumping around the carrier and as I looked inside the cage I knew he was having another seizure, all I could do was whisper. "It'll be okay. I promise, you'll be okay." Tears rolled down my face. He was suffering.
After an hour we finally made it to the Pet Hospital. We had to fill out a few papers for them and pay the visiting fee. Then they took his carrier from me and led us to a tiny room that smelled of disenfectants and cleaners as they took him through another door. We weren't allowed to follow. I could still hear his meows through the door.
After what seemed like eternity the Vet came in. "He is completely unresponsive, and two things can cause seizures in cats his age. And that's a cancer affecting the brain. There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry." She shifted her clip board around. "Since he will have to be put down you have two options. You can be with him or you can say your good-byes and we will take him in the back."
My dad was about to say that we will say out good-byes but I cut him off. "I want to be there. I don't want to regret not being there for him."
He nodded and told the vet that we want to be there. After a few more minutes they brought Itty in the room with us. He was wrapped in a white towel not moving. His eyes were glazed over. She handed him to me. "We will give you a few minutes." I held him tightly against me as my dad said his good byes. All I could do was hold him.
"He was a beautiful cat." I heard my dad say.
The Vet came back in and opened a closet with a stainless steel table in it and folded it down. She took Itty from me and placed him on the table. "Would you like to pet him. It's painless to him but he will feel better knowing you're there."
I nodded and gently stroked his fur again. They gave him this first injection of anesthesia. He growled as it made him numb.
She then slowly game him the euthanization shots. She took out her stethoscope after the last shot and listened to his heart stop. "His heart stopped beating. He is no longer living."
I couldn't hold it back anymore and cried. I stared at his face with my teared filled eyes. He looked as if he was asleep. He didn't look like my cat but I knew he was.
He was in a better place now.
They took his limp body in the back again. That was the last time I saw him. They brought him back out but this time he was in a box. My dad carried him and I carried his carrier.
It was a long drive home. I called my mom and we both cried.
That cold night we buried him next to our past dog who has a wonderful view of our pond.
I just had to get this out.
This is a true story of my cat Itty.
May he rest in piece. November 26, 2011. 7:55 p.m.
