A true fighter

[wilkinsi]

My youngest cat was clipped by some fucking piece of fucking shit driver at the top of my street last Friday, whilst I was away. The witness said the car was going so fast down this short street, they didn't get the licence plate number. And more annoying is the fact he didn't stop at all. Why should anybody be going twice the speed limit and not brake, just because she's a cat and not a dog? Fucking legal loophole bullshit.

Ashanna has a fractured pelvis and has suffered internal bleeding. There were times when I was led to believe she wouldn't make it. She's constantly on pain relief, and can no longer use her rear legs properly. At first, she wouldn't eat or drink and couldn't piss or shit. The only reason she's been able to now, is I've been taking her to and from my house and two vets (each 15 miles apart) on an almost daily basis. I am really lucky to have a neighbour help me medicate her. Ashanna has managed to escape from me when transferring her from the carry basket to the cage, fighting to get out the lounge and up the stairs. Every cat I've owned who's been hit by a car has lasted no more than a few hours. I am NOT going to have her put down whilst she still has a fighting chance of a full recovery, just for sake of saving money. I was told by the nurse today Ashanna won't be needing surgery (previously told she'd need a blood transfusion too). I believe one of my mum's last wishes before she died 3 months ago, was to look after her 7 cats.

To all cat owners out there, please raise your glasses to Ashanna, and all your cats too.

[toejam]

Sorry to hear about your cat, Simon. Take care of her. I had my sick cat survive another 14 months with meds and fluids until he just lost so much weight and I had to put him down in December. It sure cost a lot of money, but it gave him a fighting chance for awhile.

Sorry to hear about your mom, too.

[jacksonaxes]

Sorry to hear about your cat. I'm a cat lover too. I have 4 cats at home, and feed two feral cat colonies here in Reno in the evenings, spending about $60.00 a week out of my pocket on food, not including gas. Sometimes I wonder who gets more out of it, me or the cats.

[Newc]

My two cats of 15 years disappeared a couple of months ago. Dad says it's the new neighbor's pit bull, or maybe coyotes. No evidence exists either way. One cat was quite old and was looking rather sickly the last few times I saw him. I get the feeling he knew it was time, and said his goodbyes to us and went his way. The other apparently went with him.

At any rate, I held out hope for a month or more, since they did tend to wander in the Summer, but never for this long, so it's a safe bet they're gone.


I did get a new kitten a couple of weeks ago, though. Chipper and spry and happy to be seen and petted and fed. And so it begins again.

[Shawn Lutz]

sorry man...I hope she makes it and recovers. anyone who runs over any animal intentionally is an idiot. I stop for squirrels and turtles. I slow down if I see them on the side of the road as you don't know when they're gonna dart out

[Rsmacker]

sorry man...I hope she makes it and recovers. anyone who runs over any animal intentionally is an idiot. I stop for squirrels and turtles. I slow down if I see them on the side of the road as you don't know when they're gonna dart out

Yep, them turtles can leg it out so fast sometimes you have to swerve violently, right?

[Shawn Lutz]

Yep, them turtles can leg it out so fast sometimes you have to swerve violently, right?

LOL, yeah they're quick, they wear Nike's down here. People hit em...I'll stop and move em across it I can.

[Newc]

Saw a turtle high-stepping across the road last summer. I guess if the road's hot enough, they can haul ass.

[xenophobe]

Wow.... sorry to hear about your mother. And your cat. Been there. Nothing I can really say but I feel for ya.

[wilkinsi]

Seems to be recovering well, faster than I expected. Just hope she's ok when the pain killers run out.

[Newc]

While pain killers do their job, they also lead to a false sense of recovery (no pain, no problem) and can result in compounding the injury since you're not aware of the pain on top of the existing injury. That goes for people as well.

Definitely keep her movement restricted until you're sure she's healed up and off the dope.

[Newc]

And deepest condolences on the loss of your Mother. Mine passed away in 2007, and it's by far the most difficult thing I've been through. Some days, even still, I find it difficult to give a shit about anything. Someone said "don't think about the bad times, just remember the good times." Compared to losing her, nothing could be considered "bad times" because she was always there. Now, it's always "bad times" because she isn't here.

While she didn't leave me with any burdensome dying wish, I will say this: Live your life. The dead are gone, as painful as it is to admit and as much as we try to honor their memory and their wishes. Your life has value, purpose, and meaning. Don't tie yourself down to what doesn't matter to the dead now that they're gone, because it will become a burden to you. Do it if you want to do it, and for no other reason. If the dead could speak to us one last time, I'm sure they'd say "you know that thing I asked you before I checked out? Don't worry about it, because in the grand scheme of things, it just doesn't matter."

Of course I'm not saying euthanize the cats, but if they're fit for adoption and you can find people willing to give some of them good homes, look into it. For your sake as well as theirs, because you'll always see them as "Mom's cats", and when they pass on, it'll all come back in spades. And there's 7 of them.

Of course, it also depends on your ability to deal with the emotions. Maybe you're strong enough to handle it, only you can say.

Peace bro.