EDIT: I meant to put this in the CAT section, but wasn't paying attention. Sorry for my newbie mistake!
this is my beloved Montego. I worked at a vet clinic from 1996-2002 and he was the resident free-range house kitty the last couple years I was there. I got another job but was living in an apartment upstairs from the clinic and would play with him through the window while waiting for my carpool to pick me up. I noticed he wasn't in the window for a couple days so I went in after work ine day and asked where he was. They said he bit a child and the kid's mother was freaking out and calling for his head, so they were gonna hold him for a week then euthenize. Montego was a lazy slug who usually kept to himself sitting on a desk watching everyone in the waiting room. But every now and again a kid would spot him and want to pet him. He wasn't aggressive, but prefererred to be left alone, so he'd nip when cornered (he was declawed, so what else could he do?) Anyway I knew he wasn't a bad boy, so I said I would take him if they gave me a couple days to re-home some abandoned parakeets I adopted. Got rid of the birds, took Montego home and never had a problem with him biting (I don't have kids and my geriatric dog was pretty much oblivious to the cat). I'd had several cats over the years but I swear Montego was the best cat ever! He didn't claw the furniture (declawed), didn't spray (neutered), and didn't jump on the counters (he was FAT when I got him).
I few years after I got him (around '06 I guess) I noticed his litterbox habits had changed. He would tend to "back up" a little. Took to vet a few times and they kept telling me "some cats just don't poop much". OK fine. Whatever. I just kept a close eye on him and when it got bad I would tend to things myself with a big syringe full of warm water or mineral oil (trying not to be overly graphic here) and it got things moving again. I didn't have to do this very often at all for a couple of years. When I took him to the vet for his annual vaccs in '08 she said he may have the beginnings of megacolon, but things were still moving, albeit slowly. Keep feeding him soft foods and monitor closely. He really preferred his kibble but I found a few things he would pick at.
It started getting bad again this past January. Did my home remedy with no results at all, so dropped him off at vet so they could sedate and really clean him out. Mind you he was acting 100% normal, fully active, just not going. Vet called and said he was so backed up it needed surgical removal 500 bucks, plus after care. Buuuuut since he was 10-12 years old and it was a chronic problem, it may not be a permanent fix.... if surgery was successful. Weighed my options and told them to go for it, paid a deposit and went out to lunch. Vet called 20 minutes later and said he grossly under-estimated the cost of surgery- it would be more like $700, plus after care.... and that Montego also had a pancreatic problem. I then had to decide all over again. It wasn't the money. I had the money. My mind just kept flashing to images of my poor kitty full of sutures and feeding tubes and people hovering over him for an extended period of time at a place he hated to be. I just didn't want to put him through that. He would stress out to the max and be uncooperative any time I took him there, even for a routine exam. I think he would have come through the surgery physically OK, but recovery afterward would not go as well. I just couldn't do that to him. I loved him and didn't want to make him miserable, especially with the fact that he would probably still have the original problem,and surgery would just be like hitting the "reset" button and hoping for the best.
I had to let him go. It was for the best. I kept reminding myself that had I not noticed him missing from the window all of those years ago he would have left this earth far sooner. I gave him a new life and he gave me love and understanding in return. It was my turn to return the favor, no matter how much it hurt me. I buried my bestest buddy on January 31st. His body is now forever resting curled up in a cardboard box in a sunny spot in the yard, viewable from his favorite window.
Sorry for the novel, but his memory is still fresh and painful. I have since rescued 2 more kitties in his honor, but Montego will never be forgotten!
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Thats the saddest thing that we have to face as Cat Lovers to know when its time to say goodbye.
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