Our beloved cat St John of 12 years died on Wednesday. He was older, but he was healthy and it was sudden. To say we loved him was an understatement- he was our first fur baby, our friendly, confident, smoochy ginger boy. He was great with the kids, and E particularly has been devastated to lose him.
Such a handsome kitty
On Wednesday morning, everything seemed fine. I let him out into the sunshine for a short time before breakfast. When I called him in I noticed him sitting in a cardboard box on the front patio, and called to him. But he got up to come in, he was dragging his legs, they weren’t working. In a panic, Al rushed him to the vet. I waited anxiously at home with the kids until Al returned a short time later- he’d had a thrombotic embolism from his heart, and the prognosis was very poor. At his age, there was no good option for treatment. We knew we had to put him down.
The first day we got him
Heartbroken, we dropped off O at kindy, and then took E to the vet so we could all say goodbye. Even though he was clearly in pain, he still wanted us to scratch his chin and rub his face. E and I said goodbye and waited outside, and Al was the strong one who stayed with him to the end.
With O as a baby
Bringing him home was so sad. Al dug a hole in his favourite spot in the garden, and E decorated his bag to bury him in. The last two days have had lots of tears, especially from E, for who this is her first experience of death and grief. I’m glad we’ve been able to help her process it and learn that it gets better.
E decorating his funeral bag
Together with me being (mildly) unwell earlier in the week, and the intensity of the US election and how it’s affected people, this has not been a great week. But I focus on the positives: I’m glad that he had a great quality of life right up until his death. And he had a great life full of love, sunshine and treats. And given how many scrapes and cat fights he got into when he was younger, we are lucky he lived right into old age.
His fevourite spot out in the Sun. Even better if it was with one of his humans.
Rest In Peace St John.
We won’t forget you.
2012 - 2024.
Oh, Sophie. I'm so, so sorry for your loss. What a beloved member of your family and he clearly brought so much joy to everyone. Saying goodbye is never easy and grief doesn't have an expiration date, so I'm sure his memory will live on forever in all your hearts.
Take good care <3