Farewell Tim Cat

Earlier this month we said goodbye to our sweet old Tim cat. For the first time since I was Daniel's age, I don't have a pet.

He was 18 years old and had been part of my life since I was a junior at A&M and he was a kitten. Tim and I lived in 5 apartments and 2 houses in 3 cities and gained a husband, 2 kids, and a Todd cat along our journey together. He was around for nearly half my life and the kids had never known a time without him.

From the beginning, Tim was a playful, loving cat. He loved snuggles in my lap and also jumping up on the kitchen cabinets, and he was still jumping up from floor to counter to fridge top to cabinets until the last year or so when he finally started to show his age.

I was definitely "his person" but he was fond of Kevin and the kids too, once we got past the toddler stages. In recent months he would go over to Daniel and Rebecca so they could pet him and scratch his tummy. He rewarded them by rubbing his face on their clothes, which I told them was his way of telling other cats "they're my people!" On one memorable occasion, the kids were eating dinner at their "little table" and Rebecca made the mistake of turning her back. Tim took that as invitation to explore her dinner plate, leading her to burst into tears as she angrily cried, "Tim licked my avocado!"

Cats have a reputation for being solitary animals wary of strangers but when we'd have big groups of friends over Tim would almost always come down to join the party.

He was diagnosed a few years ago with hyperthyroidism. Given his age, aggressive treatment wasn't appropriate but we started giving him pills every day to help manage it. Even a few months ago though he was still doing pretty well, considering. I noticed he was losing weight but he was still eating and drinking pretty well. 

His last week though, I noticed he was no longer eating and spent almost all his time sleeping on the carpeted stair steps, and his arthritis seemed to make movement difficult and painful. So on a Thursday night, I told the kids that the time had come for us to say goodbye. I explained what it meant to put a pet to sleep and why it was the loving thing to do for Tim at that point. They both wanted to be there and after some consideration, I agreed, provided Kevin was there to take anyone who got overwhelmed outside. 

That Friday, I resolved to make Tim's last full day as comfortable as possible. I worked from home, turned on the fireplace for him, and carried him to lie on a soft towel in front of it. I watched as he leaned into the heat and, feeling the warmth, stretched his stiff muscles to lie down in relaxation. I didn't want him trying to climb the stairs and falling so I brought him a bowl of water, which he seemed glad to have, and carried him up to the litter box. That night I wanted to leave the fireplace going for him and didn't want him on the stairs so I slept on the couch to be near him. Aside from the Roomba waking me up at 3m for its scheduled cleaning though, it was an uneventful night. Tim didn't move from the fireplace but would sit up every now and again to lick up some water. He was as comfortable as I think he could have been.

Saturday morning it was time for the one-way trip to the vet's office. As we waited in an exam room I held Tim in my lap as the kids gently petted him and talked to him. Then it was time. First, catheter insertion in his paw in the back. Then, once he came back to the exam room, it was time, and as the kids and I stroked his head and told him we loved him, he passed peacefully and painlessly. 

We talked about the adventures he and Todd, now reunited in Cat Heaven, must be having and how Tim was surely taking advantage of his resurrected healthy body to jump on cabinets again and eat all the avocados he could imagine. I had wondered if the kids were too young to see the procedure but I'm glad I decided to let them come. I'm glad they saw that death was peaceful and painless and I hope that experience may make future losses of pets and other loved ones easier. Afterward we went for breakfast together and told funny stories we remembered about Tim and read our Cat Heaven book. We all miss our Timmers but are glad he isn't suffering and thankful for the memories he gave us.

Farewell old friend, and thank you for being a loyal and loving companion.

A few pictures from our 18 years together: