Saying goodbye to a pet

They say the worst heartbreak a person can experience is the loss of a child.  Thank God I have never experienced it and I hope I never do.  But as I am involuntarily childless, my animals have become my children.  This cat is Charlotte; she is around 18 years old.  She is currently dying, or may already be gone.

My mother called me right after I left work today and told me to come over to her house and say goodbye to our family pet.  We've had her for 10 years, given to us by a friend in 2003.  Charlotte used to live with me, but I developed such a bad cat allergy, she had to move in with my parents.  But I still loved her just as much and would play with her every time I visited.  I still considered her my cat.

When I saw Charlotte tonight, I knew she didn't have much time left.  As you can see from the picture, she was a little chunky, but now she is skin and bones.  Apparently this is due to her no longer eating and the vet assumes is stomach cancer.  He also said that her heartbeat was "galloping," in other words going way too fast, so she probably has heart disease along with the cancer.  Poor little kitty.  My mom said she is going to take Charlotte back to the vet on Friday to be euthanized, but honestly I do not think she will live that long.  She could barely move and was just kind of shaking on mom's lap.  I told her goodbye.

I love all my animals, yes even my fish.  And I mourn all of them when they die.  We cried over Molly and Chloe (our rats) for awhile when they left us.  And when I get the message that Charlotte is gone, I will likely cry for her too.  Enjoy the Rainbow Bridge, sweet girl, we'll miss you.