Several days ago, we lost our beloved tortoiseshell cat Hobo to a sudden blood clot. She “adopted us” as an adult stray 10 years ago, so we weren’t sure how old she was, but we figured that she was at least 14, possibly older.
Hobo was a trusting, mellow kitty – but she had enough sassy attitude to make things fun. She was big (17 pounds!), and loved food, attention, newspapers, cardboard boxes, and being where the action was. We had a ball with our Hobo cat. We made up silly songs and jingles about her, pretended that we knew what she was thinking (providing dialogue to match) and enjoyed her personality every day. We used to joke that she thought of us as “The Food Lady” (me) and “The Big Guy” (Dave). She slept with us and woke me up at ridiculous hours to feed her. In her younger years, she would play hockey with the caps from plastic water bottles (much better than store bought cat toys), but as she got older, she was content to be a “schmoo” and nap wherever she felt like it, often on a lap.
For the last several years of her life, Hobo was on medications (Tapazole for hyperthyroidism, and Cardizem for her heart), but she was as sweet and sociable as ever. This past Sunday afternoon, as I was unpacking groceries (and she’d come to “help”), she suddenly started acting agitated and distressed – and lost the use of her back legs. We rushed her to the emergency veterinary clinic as fast as we could, where they confirmed that she’d had a blood clot, and there was very little they could do for her. After an anguished hour or so (taking x-rays, etc.) we reluctantly made the decision to euthanize her – she was in such pain, and the prognosis was so bad, that it seemed the only option. At the end, I just hope she knew how much we loved her and tried to keep her comfortable and happy throughout her life. Although Hobo can never, ever be replaced, we do hope to “continue the karma” by adopting another cat (now that she’s broken us in!). Yesterday our vet called to say how sorry he was – and he said, simply, “She was a great cat.” Yes, she sure was. Miss Hobo, thanks for everything. We miss you so much. We will love you always, and hope to see you again someday.
With much love,
| Hobo |
| 9, Nov 2008 |
| Cathy & Dave |