Milo

[Milo102119]

I am having a difficult time grieving the loss of my cat Milo. My boy was only two years and ten months old. I didn’t ever imagine being given such a short time with him after bringing him home at three months old. 

Unfortunately I found out at his first vet visit back in 2019 that he had a heart murmur. Something stable/persistent/chronic, but as time passed it made it to a grade 4/6. Due to this, his life expectancy wasn’t going to be the longest. About two months ago he started to show symptoms of struggling to get a hair ball up very often. I took him to the vet they had said the same thing although I was concerned it had to do with his heart and possible cardiomyopathy. I was brushed off and did what they told me. It seemed to help for the time being.

On Saturday, August 6th 2022 I began to notice while resting he had some rapid breathing. Called the vet, sent videos, and they instructed me to monitor him because he didn’t seem in distress.. no vomiting, pink gums, eating normal, playing. Two days went by and I brought him into the hospital because he had developed nasal flaring and retracting.. I never thought that would be my final day with him.

He didn’t respond well to medication, oxygen, and the ultrasound showed an enlarged left ventricle and b lines. He was in congestive heart failure and fluid built up in his lungs. I made the decision to humanely euthanize him due to his young age and no treatment would give me my cat a long life - just a comfortable few months. But for some reason I am stilled filled with guilt and sadness as if I had did something wrong.

I miss him terribly, but I also have another cat at home who didn’t know a life without her brother as I adopted her to be his companion and now he’s no longer with us. She didn’t know when I took him that day that he wouldn’t return.. and now she’s searching and restless. Do I replace his belongs with new stuff? Do I let her adjust to her new life? Do I smother her? I am so lost without him and I can only imagine how she feels. He was supposed to be my furfriend for my adult years and her brother for life. Now that’s gone..

[AJWCat]

Oh no, poor sweet Milo.

Long ago I lost the brother cat of a brother/sister pair I had since they'd been together birth to age 13. I am sure she grieved him in her own way.

I tried not to read too much into it. We gave her extra love and attention didn't make any other changes around the house. She passed about a year later also of lymphoma. 

Please don't feel guilty. The alternative would've been more discomfort for him, more vet visits, stress, and then who knows what else. The fact you were there as well as opposed to finding him at some point was better. 

You did the best you could in a no-win situation. Losing Milo so young is not fair. I am sorry you are going through this. Hang in there. 

[KayC]

I am so sorry for your tragic tale...so horrible, esp. at such a young age. Truly nothing fair about it.

If your cats shared toys, I'd leave them.  

I wish so much we could get X amount of years with them...but then no matter how many years, it's never long enough.  I recently adopted a feral cat, and literally someone scalped him, whether a cat fight or what, I don't know, but I've been putting Neosporin on it and hoping for healing to come, it will take a long while.  It literally took me months to earn his trust but I'm now his person.

I wish you the best with his remaining sibling.
 

Comfort for Grieving Animal Lovers