It was 1993 I was 3 years old. We lived in Tucson Az. My mom told me we were going to the humane society to get a kitten. We walked in the cat room and there were all kinds of kitties. The guy showed us this one cage with a calico mom and kittens. My mom said Brittany which one do you want and I said the little white one. She said are you sure. How about one of the calico ones and I said No I want the little white one. The guy then handed me the little white one.
It was love at first sight. He was beautiful with his white long hair, his one blue eye and one green eye, and his big black spot on the top of his head. I still remember the day we brought him home like it was yesterday. As we drove home he was on the floor of the car in his cardboard cat box they gave us to bring him home in. I watched and giggled as he stuck his little paws through the holes. When we got home my mom asked me what I wanted to name him and being only 3 and loving the show Barney. I said Barney and that was his name. Barney was with me for 13 wonderful years. He moved all over the place with us from Arizona to Minnesota and back to Arizona and to finally Wisconsin.
Then I noticed that Barney had a very bad odor to his breath and he lost alot of weight and when you would pick him up and set him down he would fall over. So I took him to the vet and she said it was serious and to bring him back on Friday and get a blood test. Saturday morning I slept by the phone waiting for it to ring. The vet called and said he had Kidney Failure and he needed medicine and special food. So I jumped in the car and went to her office and got him his medicine and food. Barney took his medicine like a champ. Then one Saturday morning I got up really early to leave for a rabbit show.
No one else was awake but me and Barney. I held him close and rocked him in the rocking chair and told him I loved him. I kissed and hugged him goodbye and went to the rabbit show. Barney had stopped eating a few days before that and he just sat next to the water dish and he had not been going to the bathroom. I had bought him baby food and put a bib on him and feed him the baby food. So the morning I left for the rabbit show I left my mom a long note asking her to try
to get Barney to eat.
That night when I got back she told me he would not eat anything not even the baby food. I spent the next few days with Barney he slept with me every night. The last few weeks of his life Barney was coming up wanting to be petted and I believe he was saying good bye.
So on the Morning of May 22,2006 I Knew that it was time to let my best friend go. So I called the vet and she said to bring him in. Me and mom sat with him for about a hour and told him we loved him and we held him and talked about all of the great years we had with Barney. I went and got my baby blanket that I had when I was a baby.
It had little kittens on it.
I wrapped Barney in the blanket and brought him out to car. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. I sat in the backseat with Barney the whole way there and petted him. When we got to the vet her children were standing outside and one said what a pretty kitty. No one else was in the vets office but us. As I stood holding Barney waiting for the vet he vomited.
The vet weighed him he was 5lbs. When he was healthy he weighed 15lbs. I carried Barney into the exam room and laid him on the table. As I petted him and scratched him under his chin. We asked the vet if we were doing the right thing she said yes. She said we could try to give him vitamins and Sub Q fluids but he would maybe live a couple days or a week or a month. She explained his kidneys were shutting down and when he vomited it was because the poisons in his body were rising. So I whispered to Barney I love you and I will never forget you.
You will always be in my heart and I will see you at Rainbow Bridge. The vet then gave him one shot and within not even seconds he was in like a coma. She then gave him one more shot to stop his heart. As he went to sleep peacefully I held him close and told him he was a good boy and I loved him. I took Barney home with me and
buried him under the apple tree.
He is laying on a nice fluffy pillow wrapped in my baby blanket with a toy mouse and a beanie baby tiger between his paws. I will never forget Barney. Not a day goes by when I don’t miss him and look at his pictures. I think about him everyday. But I am happy I got to spend them last few weeks with him. I love him very much and I will never forget him. I know someday we will meet again.
Rest in peace my little old man.
| Barney |
| Brittany |