Why have pets?

[Mudcat]

Okay it's a rhetorical question - I know why people love their pets - I am just looking to lament. This may get depressing.

I have this 16 year-old tabby cat - Mudcat - who has had chronic kidney disease for which she has been getting weekly treatment for ~4 years.

Now lately she has stopped eating and has lost 2+ pounds. When you're only 11 pounds to begin with, that's significant.


Anyway, I was talking to the vet yesterday about her not eating and we're going over strategies and he's making it pretty clear that the end is probably near and if I ever feel like she's suffering, they will respect any decision I make (meaning they will "put her to sleep.")

Bleah. Great. I know - it's reality. But not a pleasant conversation. So now I can't look at her without thinking, "You're going to leave me soon." Not that I wasn't already doing a lot of that over the last 4 years.

So basically I have this cat so she can cost me a lot of money (I'm sure the total cost of her treatments has gone over 10K by now) and I can worry and be sad. Thus the question: why have pets?



Obviously I love the little bugger. I'm glad to say she shows no sign of suffering right now. There has been no change in her apparent happiness or energy level. She is just getting smaller.

Anyway, that's really about it. Just looking to lament. I'm sure I'm not the only person here to face a situation like this with a pet.

[KingRevolver]

Hmm I'm not a pet guy myself so I can't really answer that but I'm sorry to hear about your cat. Very sad

[Bread]

Mudcat....wtf is this depressing ass shit on a Friday afternoon???

The non-rhetorical answer to your question - Because humans suck and I hate them more each and every day.

The rhetorical response - That really sucks and most have been through it many times, yet we continue to invest in these short term relationships with our furry friends. When Rubyn and I recently moved the first thing we did was head to the Humane Society to pick up two young cats.

Not a day goes by where they don't make me laugh and forget about all of life's problems and Pavyracer. But being a morbid romantic, I constantly think that one day I will probably have to put them to sleep. So rhetorically speaking, yea, why bother with the saddening cycle.

I'll fly up to hold your hand when the day of the deed arrives if you'd like.

[Teela]

I'm sorry to hear that your cat isn't doing well. That's a difficult position to be in when you have a pet that is sick and potentially suffering.

Why have pets? In spite of all of the wires that are chewed, furniture that has been destroyed, and the overall anxiety, the companionship and happiness that they bring surpasses all of that.

[smitch124]

I had an older cat >20 that had kidney failure, the main problem she had was getting dehydrated. I was instructed by the vet how to add fluids to her under the skin, after each treatment she did much better and it helped her for quite awhile. Of course she did eventually die from this but it did add quite a few comfortable months to her life.

Has the vet brought up this possibility, is that the treatments she goes in for? I feel your pain, tough to watch your little friend wither away. Hang in there muddy.

[Willie Bee]

Echoing the sentiments about the sick cat, Mud. We had a diabetic cat that we gave two insulin injections to daily from the time it was 11 until it died at 19. As much as it sucked to make the decision to have it put down, the comfort I took was that one day it was almost like the cat was telling us, "It's time."

Hate doing that, have had to put several critters out of their misery and hate doing it each time. But then I know it's far better than for them to continue to suffer. Get this: One of our little outside cats got a hold of a rabbit the other day, young little bunny, while my wife is in the garden watering. She sees it, chases the cat off the bunny and is in hysterics when she calls me on her way to the vet with this bunny. I've grown up around farms and ranches, and while I still love animals I have a more callous acceptance of how nature works than her, I guess. Well the little bunny didn't make it, and the wife is in mourning all weekend.

We get a sympathy card from the vet yesterday Figured a bill was going to be inside the envelope.

As for why we have pets, we're just continuing a tradition that's gone on for thousands of years if you believe what is written about cats in Egypt, Middle East. That and the whole cats eating the plague-infested rats and mice of the Middle Ages, maybe we still have some basic instinct within us that the little guys helped us out.

They're animals, just like us. I simply love to interact and commune with animals, domesticated and wild.

[Mudcat]

Mudcat....wtf is this depressing ass shit on a Friday afternoon???

The non-rhetorical answer to your question - Because humans suck and I hate them more each and every day.

The rhetorical response - That really sucks and most have been through it many times, yet we continue to invest in these short term relationships with our furry friends. When Rubyn and I recently moved the first thing we did was head to the Humane Society to pick up two young cats.

Not a day goes by where they don't make me laugh and forget about all of life's problems and Pavyracer. But being a morbid romantic, I constantly think that one day I will probably have to put them to sleep. So rhetorically speaking, yea, why bother with the saddening cycle.

I'll fly up to hold your hand when the day of the deed arrives if you'd like.

Yeah I remember the pictures of your cats in the fun room thread. One of them looked quite a bit like Muddy.

I get what you're saying about the morbid romantic thoughts too. They do not just happen when the cat is sick. I'm sure I started having them when she was a kitten the size of my big toe. Can't help it. Sometimes it's hard to tell if my brain is on my side or not.

Sorry for the depressing stuff. At least I posted a warning.

These occasional moody doses of reality are the price you pay for an overall swell and delightful package like me.

[Mudcat]

I'm sorry to hear that your cat isn't doing well. That's a difficult position to be in when you have a pet that is sick and potentially suffering.

Why have pets? In spite of all of the wires that are chewed, furniture that has been destroyed, and the overall anxiety, the companionship and happiness that they bring surpasses all of that.

Yep. This cat is cool and beautiful and interesting and ohmygawd it's heartbreaking how much she loves me. Just have to enjoy it one day at a time, as they say.

[Mudcat]

I had an older cat >20 that had kidney failure, the main problem she had was getting dehydrated. I was instructed by the vet how to add fluids to her under the skin, after each treatment she did much better and it helped her for quite awhile. Of course she did eventually die from this but it did add quite a few comfortable months to her life.

Has the vet brought up this possibility, is that the treatments she goes in for? I feel your pain, tough to watch your little friend wither away. Hang in there muddy.

Yeah we have been doing the subcutaneous fluids for the last 4 years. Plus the special diet. Now that she has stopped eating, we aren't even worrying about the special food (reduced protein). We have to start compromising like, it's better that she eat something that is high in protein even if it is bad for her kidneys than nothing at all.

I'm sure we have already bought her some extra time with all the care she has gotten.

[Mudcat]

We get a sympathy card from the vet yesterday Figured a bill was going to be inside the envelope.

They're animals, just like us. I simply love to interact and commune with animals, domesticated and wild.

Yep. I often relate to animals much better than people. There is a new girl in my building that I have run into a few times taking her dog in and out. Great dog - name is Ellie - real sweetheart.

I guess I should probably ask the owner her name at some point.

[pavyracer]

I have an australian shepherd dog. His main job is to protect the house from intruders and keeping me busy with home repairs. I learned how to replace blinds, moldings, painted doors and walls and replaced carpet and hardwood floors because of him. I love the dog. He only likes me and noone else. He is 12 years old and he has the stamina and strength of a 2 year old.

[Mudcat]

He only likes me and noone else.

That's like my cat. She wasn't really supposed to be mine - when we brought her home as a kitten, we were figuring she was going to be my ex's - but she basically looked at me and said, "That one's mine." She's been my constant sidekick ever since.

[Matt Rain]

I'm having Pogo stuffed when he goes away. With a tennis ball glued into his wide-open mouth and a mechanism that makes him go "Grrrrrrrr!" when you pull on it.

Ok, not really. I guess this is a roundabout way for me to say "I hear ya."