C is for....Cat. RIP Koda.
Sunday, July 22, 2012 at 8:14PM This is my C post for the A-Z All About Me challenge, hosted over at Love Kate.
Early last month, we had to say goodbye to one of our family pets; Koda the Cat!
Koda & I - 2004Chris & I bought Koda in early 2004. He was four months old at the time, and we purchased him from a local lady who fostered abandoned or mistreated cats. On that particular day, there was about 3 or 4 kittens to choose from. At first I wasn't 100% keen on Koda {who was actually named Kye, but we renamed him a few days later} as I didn't really want a 'ginger cat'. The lady convinced me that he was actually 'sandy coloured' haaaa.....no, sorry; he was GINGER....all ginger! And she described him as the 'Bart Simpson' of the litter. He was energetic & mischievous & enjoyed swimming in the pool. A cat that likes to swim - yep, we'll take him!
He was a cool cat! He brought a lot of joy into our lives.
Chris & Koda - 2006 - playing the Sony.And yes, he was mischievous. Quite a pain in the butt actually! He always missed the kitty litter tray, so I was constantly cleaning up cat poo off the laundry tiles....just millimetres away from the tray - frustrating!!!!!! And he clawed & picked at the fly screens. Since we both worked fulltime, weren't home during the days, so we decided to get another cat to keep Koda company....in the hope he wouldn't get so bored and would maybe calm down a bit with his behaviour!
Koda & LeviSo we welcomed Levi into the family in early 2005. Having Levi join our crew didn't fix Koda's behaviour, but they became pretty good mates :)
I still to this day, don't classify myself as a 'cat person'. But we loved Koda. Most people who came to our house loved him. We joked that he was a puppy stuck in a cat's body, because he was hyper and social. He loved to be part of the crowd and involved in everything. Levi would shy away from visitors or noise, but Koda was always in on everything. He constantly wanted to be involved in whatever we were doing and once we had children, he easily accepted them & the changes they brought to our family unit. He would follow Ella around when she was crawling & learning to walk. They became pretty cool little buddies :)
Ella & Koda - 2008As the years clicked on, I'll be honest in saying that I started to decrease the affection I showed Koda. I know that sounds horrible, but it was mainly because I started to develop a severe allergy to cat hair!!!!! I could once snuggle him, and allow him to sleep on our bed. But after having Ella, I couldn't even pat Koda without getting hives down my neck, swollen eyes or a sneezing attack. I was having to vacuum almost daily to prevent my allergies rearing up too badly :( However, I still loved him. He was still part of the family.
Then; we moved to this new house, earlier this year. Koda didn't cope with the move too well. He started loosing chunks of hair on his back, crying A LOT during the night & we even had to buy Ella a whole new bed & mattress as he started urinating on hers :( He was stressed, and we knew it. We tried to reassure him and calm him....and over a couple of months, I thought he was calming & settling in!
Koda & Ryder - 2012
BUT, on one fateful Saturday, we learnt that he wasn't ok!
He was crying, he was limping, he was laying on the kitty tray. As the day went on his health went downhill. Chris took him to the local emergency vet. They whisked Koda away to examine him. After a short while the Vet came out & explained to Chris that Koda was in a bad way. His bladder was on the verge of exploding and he needed urgent surgery. We were looking at thousands of dollars in surgery fees, plus an extra chunk of money for him to be hospitalised for up to a week, and on top of that there were no guarantees that he would be 'fixed' or even recover from it all! We had to make a very hard decision...right there, right then!!!
And so we made it :( Koda was put to sleep that night!
And as relieving as it was.....to know that he was now pain-free & stress-free, and no longer causing any troubles for us at home - at the same time, it was heartbreaking! He had been 'our child' before we had children! He had been with Chris & I through all kinds of adventures & experiences...ups & downs over almost 10years!
And now he's gone :(
We explained to Ella what happened to him. She accepted it quite well, and as far as we can tell....it hasn't affected her too dramatically. Every now & then she'll say she misses him, which is hard to hear. But she seems to be at peace with it all.
Levi is still here...kicking on strong. {and yes, he makes me sneeze & hive up....but it doesn't seem to be as bad lately}. He was out of whack for weeks once Koda never returned from the trip to the Vet, but he seems to be fine now. In fact, Levi has become a lot more social & affectionate these past few weeks - a different cat!!!
RIP Koda Cat!! We miss you!
Reader Comments (4)
Oh that's so sad Claire, I got all teary reading about his crying and limping :( Poor thing. He sounded like a special member of your family. I love that photo of Koda and Ella - and I remember that one with Ryder and thinking it was cute too x
So sorry to hear about Koda! I also feel your pain about the allergies, as I've been allergic to cats and dogs for over twenty years. No pets for me! :-( Take care!
Awww...sorry to hear. They do become a member of the family but as our family grows they do lose the attention. Finding my cat right now to show him some love.
RIP Koda. I am very sorry for your loss. It is so sad when a pet gets sick and dies. We have been through this situation and it is heartbreaking.
Pets become such an important part of our lives and families. We have 2 cats here and we think of them as part of our little family. Glad to read Levi is doing OK now xxoo