This is one of my favorite pictures of Jake medicating himself in the catnip
Here is an old post about Jake from a year before he passed. He lived to be 18, diabetic for 9 of them. He ruled the roost and is still missed by his peeps! This was originally posted in 2014.
This isn’t technically a cat post although it starts there and then segues.
This is a hectic week.
Trees have been cut down and hauled away.
There is a massive heat wave that makes even me sweat bucketsful.
On top of that, yesterday Jake wouldn’t get up for breakfast….or lunch. He lay prone under the bed at a spot that was inaccessible and growled at me.
Not good.
He’s an old cat. At any given point, his time may be up. I know that. I treasure him even when he is obnoxious as an elderly special needs cat can be.
He’s high maintenance. Without him my life would be much simpler.
Try telling that to my heart. Can’t seem to make the transition of information from brain to heart. Why is logic not working?
It causes confusion in my body. Would it be relief or extreme sadness? Yes to both. I remember that conflict when my mother was ill.
Are you selfish to want someone to hang on even though their quality of life isn’t good? Are you a bad person to feel relief when it’s over? The feelings alternate and none of them feel good. With relief comes guilt. With sadness comes loss.
Yesterday was a confusing day. I had trouble focusing and accomplishing and I had a lot of both to do. There were occasional treks peering under the bed to check for signs of life. What if he passes by himself? Is it bad to die alone? Do animals prefer it?
Around dinnertime he mustered up enough energy to go out and lay under the shrubs. He enjoys that. It must be a cool spot although it’s cool under the bed too.
He ate supper, then whined for more. He was back — annoying and high maintenance as always.
Finally I could think. I could finish my planning for the weekend. I even started reading a book. The tension was gone. Focus had returned.
The crisis passed.
Maybe next time it will happen but yesterday wasn’t the day.
Listen Cupcake, don’t blame me if your day got screwed up!
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
It’s never easy to know when the right moment is to let them go. I’ve been through that too many times, but I can’t imagine my life without a cat.
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That’s exactly how I feel!
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This is sad to read, even though “yesterday was not the day” … this is why I am so adamant about no more pets. It is hard enough to lose them when you have other family members (human or furry), but to be alone and lose a pet is just so darn hard.
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I think living alone is harder than saying goodbye after a good run. I had Jake for 18 years which were full of fun and shenanigans that I would never give up. I will always have a cat as long as I can.
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Bless him
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Yes, he was quite the character.
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I know that years with my own black and white ragdoll Sissy will come to end but we can never prepare our hearts. She is 16 this year, still spry as ever but I’ve also lost a few I grieved over. I’ve always thought that most animals know when their time is up and will usually find a quiet place or go off into the woods by themselves. My big issue is not wanting them to suffer and if need be have them euthanized because you love them. Anyway, I’m Vickie, nice to meet another cat lover!
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Always nice to meet a cat person. That decision is the worst. Many times it’s abrupt because you can’t see the illness. That happened to me twice. I went to see the vet for what I thought was a simple thing and both were at end of life stages of a disease. I don’t know if it’s harder when you know the end is coming like with Jake or if it’s a total shock like it was with Gracie and Hazel.
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Nice to meet you too. Its a nice thought that perhaps our beloved pets will be part of the welcoming committee when we pass on into the great beyond–but with their egos, they’ve probably already convinced the angels that the “pearly gates” are just a giant scratching post installed for their arrival!
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Oh! The pre-grieving is so hard! My heart is with you.
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Jake’s last year was tough. We soldiered through it though as long as he could enjoy life.
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Sadly, they never stay with us long enough. ❤️🩹
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No they don’t but they leave stories and memories that are always with you.
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Been there done that with the elderly cats. It’s so hard to give them up even though we know the quality of life for them is not good. I could never have one put down.
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We helped Jake pass. He developed dementia during his last months. Nobody slept from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. He would cry and was terrified. I would console him, then he would seem to forget who I was. I was devastated. He was a bigger than life cat.
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Bittersweet flashback for you. My Sammy was 18 when he decided we no longer needed his supervision – I think 18 is a ripe old age but it is – no matter their age – so hard to say goodbye. Jake sounds like a character – and we love that about them don’t we……….they leave a BIG hole……in our hearts and home…..when they go. Never forgotten.
Hugs, Pam
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I’ve only had 2 cats live to 18 — Jake and Lacey (who was the meanest diva I’ve ever met and I have scars to prove it!). Most of my cats leave me between 14 and 16 which is too soon. I have always longed for a cat to have a 20th birthday with me.
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Conflicting emotions swirl when death appears on the horizon as a possibility for our aging pets (and parents). Yes. We want them to stick around. No. We don’t want them to suffer.
The balance between Quality of Life and continued longevity is not always easy to weigh.
We make the best decisions we can amid swirling emotions.
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It is swirling emotions. He was buried in the garden at my last home and I would go out to talk to him. He still called me Cupcake and rolled his eyes.
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