Godspeed, Lily

Today we had the vet come out to send Lily on to the Rainbow Bridge.

She had been battling renal failure for quite some time, and she put up a valiant fight. We knew it was not fair to let her continue on, as she had not eaten for the last three days, and we tried EVERY possible temptation. She was steadily getting more frail and gaunt, and very unstable upon standing/walking.

In memory of Lily, I just want to tell anyone who may be reading this that she was a tough old cat; not afraid of ANYthing or anybody!!! The Electrolux??? Not this girl . . . she used to let me vacuum her from head to toe, while the other cats couldn't run and hide quick enough. Mr. Snakey?? (a beanie type realistic snake toy) She would stand her ground and swat, while the other cats would jump back to a safe distance to judge the possible danger.

When she first arrived seven years ago, she initially stayed outside on our front porch where I fed her, as my husband was not keen on cats. One night she was approaching the porch when there was a big, black cat eating her food. Well, she would tolerate none of this, and quick as a flash she chased him all the way across our front yard (about 1 acre) as I yelled "Lily, don't cross the road!!!" because I saw headlights of an approaching car. She was hot on his heels, but she stopped short of crossing the road. He made it across, and needless to say he was never to be seen around "her" porch again!

Lily was our first cat together, and she slowly persuaded my husband to adore cats. She was responsible for turning him into a cat-person. She never demanded anything, but gave so much in return. Little by little, she worked her way into the house and into his heart. She would lay down faithfully up against his side when he was in bed recovering from his chemotherapy treatments. If she was sleeping on her cat tree and he was having an especially difficult day, all he had to do was call her name and she would come from the other end of the house to lay next to and comfort him.

The last few years of her life she had to put up with cataracts, hearing loss and a host of other afflictions known to the elderly, but her sense of smell was still keen, up until the end. Every night when my husband sat down to eat his dinner, she would smell the meat and get down from her cat tree "throne" and sit so lady-like at his feet, every so often putting a soft paw upon his leg so that he would not forget to give her a tidbit. Of course, he always obliged. Two or three was fine with her; she was not greedy.

It has been such a tearful day. We buried her out front where I first encountered her . . . and to think I was afraid of her, because she looked so tough . . . she was little but with a stocky build and a masculine saunter to her stride. Her name derived from first calling her Lil' Cat and then finding out she was female, so we changed it to Lily. We left her collar on, so that God and the RB gang will know her name.

She has had such an immensely positive impact upon our lives . . . I can't begin to explain what she has meant to us. I know I am leaving many things out and what I have written are just some of the highlights of her life with us that come to mind, but I don't want to make this too lengthy. I so admire her strength and fortitude.

It will be very hard for us to go to bed tonight, without her there to kiss goodnight.

We love you so much, Angel. Thank you for enriching our lives. We shall never forget all that you have given, taught and shown to us. God Bless you, Lily.

http://www.home.earthlink.net/~jemdoll/lily1.JPG

What beautiful lady Lilly was and a faithful furry child :)
May she rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Oh AvaJoy, I'm soooo sorry for your loss; that was such a beautiful tribute to share with us.

I know your heart is aching now and I wish I had the words to comfort you. Know that Lil Lily waits for you at the RB and you will once again have a joyous reunion.

RIP Lily. Run and play happy and make lots of friends.

Awww, what a nice tribute. REst a while at the Rainbow Bridge, Lily, then play to your heart's content. Go see my Uncle Mac, if you can find him, he had a fondness for bold kitties, and he will share with you any food he has.

I am so sorry that Lily had to pass on. :(

Fight the good fight on the bridge, Lily. Be happy until your parents can join you again. :(

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Be happy at the bridge, Lily girl. Look for a brown tabby named Keke--she'll show you around.

I am so sorry to hear about Lily. What a beautiful tribute to her. She was a wonderfully brave little girl.

She won't be feeling any now. She is in a good place. It is you that is going to miss her and have such a huge hole in your heart. My heart goes out to you, and you are in my prayers.

R.I.P. Lily

Willie

RIP sweet Lily. She sounds like a wonderful girl and she had a good life with you.

Oh NO! :( I am so sorry to hear of the passing of lilly. :(

She was a special girl, and will always have a special place in your heart. No one ever "repleces" you first.

RIP and play hard with your new found good health at the rainbow bridge.

What a beautiful tribute to a beloved cat that held such a special place in your lives.
Rest in peace, Lily. She will live forever in your hearts.

Oh my gosh. I cannot stop crying.

What a wonderful tribute to such a wonderful cat.

SAS

I'm so sorry about Lily. Thank you for the beautiful tribute. It's wonderful when a stray or feral adopts a person; that shows trust.

What a beautiful tribute, thank you for letting us 'know' Lily. She is up there now, on the RB, watching over you. Know that her sight has been restrored, her kidneys function perfectly, and she is playing with all those that have gone before her.

RIP, Lily. You will be missed.

I'm so sorry AvaJoy. I'm glad Lily was able to share a few more days with you. Now she is pain free.

Your tribute to her is beautiful.

Rest in Peace sweet Lily.

What a special tribute for such a special girl.

Have fun at the RB Lily, you are now healthy and free of pain. Watch over your family down here.

You will never be forgotten.

My sympathies are with you at the sad hour.
What a beautiful tribute to your beautiful Lily.
May the loving memories comfort you and help you overcome the pain.

Rest in Peace dear sweet Lily.

I'm so very sorry to hear you have lost your Lily. I know you will miss her terribly. :( Your tribute to her is beautiful. She sounds and looks like a wonderful girl (reminds me of Fister's mom)
She is not in pain now, so you did what was best for her. I know you will keep her in your heart and she will never be forgotten!

Rest in peace, sweet Lily!

The Found Cats and I are so sorry to hear about poor Lily. But now she is out of pain , and will be young again , with plenty of Pet Angels to play with. and Know that you will be together again!

Thank you all for your words of comfort. They mean so much at times like this. I will share your posts with my husband as I know he, too, will so VERY much appreciate your caring and kindness.

I couldn't bring myself to talk about this last night, but I will now. What made this even more difficult was the fact that after the vet gave her the injection, her diaphram kept on contracting, still trying to make her breathe!! Lily was given a sedative first, which put her completely out of it so she had no idea what was going on, thankfully. Her pulse was weakening, but the vet said her heart was so strong that . . . well, it seemed like forever before her body gave up. It was agonizing for us to endure this, but as I mentioned we knew SHE wasn't consciously aware of any of it, and that is the important part.

Yet, it made us feel like maybe she wasn't ready to give up her fight, and we were sending her to the RB prematurely . . . the vet reassured us that it was time because she was so frail and wasn't eating. If we let her linger on, her heart was so very strong that she would have suffered a slow and painful death due to starvation/kidney shutdown, and we wouldn't want her to go through that. If cats don't eat regularly, many organs are adversely affected.

I have had to watch my horse and 2 dogs PTS via injection, and it was instantaneous. With Lily it took about 15 minutes until the vet pronounced her gone.

I just want to let others know that if they are faced with having to put their furkid to sleep, it may be best to insist that the vet FIRST GIVE A SEDATIVE INJECTION, before the lethal one. (This may be common practice, however my vet gave me the OPTION when Shasta was going to the RB, which leads me to believe that administering a sedative beforehand is not neccessarily a prerequisite to euthanasia.)

With sedation, if there are problems finding a vein, or the pet lingers as Lily did, it will save you additional agony in the midst of the heartache and sadness such an experience creates. The sedation renders the pet virtually comatose so they have no awareness of what is happening.

Blessings to you from Lily and her family.

My tears are flowing as I read this. I can't even begin to imagine how hard that must have been for you to watch her those last 15 min. I just don't know what to say......I'm crying so hard for you :( :(

All I can do is cry for you. That had to be the longest and hardest 15 minutes ever.

Willie:(

I'm so sorry to hear about Lily's passing.:( What a wonderful tribute you've given her. At least now she's pain free and able to play again at Rainbow Bridge. RIP sweet Lily. Please take care.

I'm so very sorry to hear this news about Lily. She sounds a great cat. So full of personality, I'll bet it was loads of fun having her around.

Rest in peace beautiful Lily and watch over your family for us.

RIP Lily. :(

I'm so sorry to hear this. I've been thinking about Lily and was going to post today to ask how she was doing, but now I see that is unnecessary. :(

She sounds like she brought you so much joy that I'm sure she will sorely be missed.

RIP sweet Lily. :(

What a special kitty, and she now has a special place over the Rainbow Bridge. I am sorry for your loss.