The Beauty Around Us

We became parents to an adorable little girl on February 19, 2011.  Our little bundle of joy was a calico cat that we named Patches.  She was our first pet that Bob and I chose together. Patches readily became a member of our family and filled our hearts with joy and love.  Patches’ favorite past times included playing with her toy raccoon, running and lying in her tunnels, sleeping in bed with us (most often nestled beneath the covers), playtime with Daddy, lounging on her cat tree, watching the birds from various indoor perches, lying on our laps, and being with Bob and me both indoors and outside.  Patches really liked to sit on the front porch with us, watching the world go by.  Patches liked drinking from her water fountain.  She found our water cooler and sink and tub faucets equally suitable for drinking.  We fed Patches mainly dry food, but she enjoyed the occasional taste of canned tuna and chicken and turkey scraps.  Whenever we brought groceries and other purchases into the house, Patches checked everything out.  She would look up at us, as though to ask “anything for kitty?”, while peeking in the bags and rubbing against other purchases.  Another thing she seemed to say often, whenever food was present, is “kitty can have that”.  Patches loved vanilla ice cream.  She would wait patiently for her turn to lick the bowl.  Patches did NOT like to ride in the car.  She would show us her displeasure vocally!  I don’t think Patches knew what to make of our granddaughters.  She was curious about Harper and Juniper, but she mostly kept her distance from the girls.  We do have a few pictures, though, of Harper and Juniper with Patches.

This past Monday (January 2) Patches fell ill.  We took her to a veterinary hospital, where a blood test was performed.  The blood test indicated that Patches was in kidney failure.  Patches was admitted into the hospital and placed on liquid therapy via IV for 24 hours.  The next day a new blood test was done. Patches’ Creatinine value had come down from 14.5 to 10.3, but was still very high. A normal Creatinine value is 2.1. Another renal function value that is checked was so high it was off the chart. An additional 24 hours of liquid therapy might have helped, but the prognosis wasn’t good for the levels to come down to where needed. I asked what to expect if we brought Patches home, without continuing treatment. The veterinarian said Patches wasn’t going to get better, that she would continue to go downhill and quickly. It was one of the most difficult decisions we have ever had to make, but Bob and I decided it was in Patches’ best interest to have her put down.

We visited with Patches for a short time before she was put down. Patches didn’t seem to know we were even there; she paid no attention to us. Patches was alert to the new room we were in and noises from all over the hospital. I wish there had been a quiet place to go for our last minutes with her.  Bob stayed with Patches, holding her, as she was put to sleep. I left the room, as I could not bear to watch Patches die. I wanted only to remember her alive. We are having Patches cremated. She was an indoor cat. Patches enjoyed her time outside, but only in our presence. She would not have liked lying outside under ground.

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Rest in Peace, Patches. You brought so much joy and love into our lives. We will miss you always.