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Post by queenofthehours on Mar 17, 2015 19:43:31 GMT
I have some sad news. I'm very sorry to tell you all, but Barney had to be put to sleep yesterday. His illness was getting worse and worse and had progressed so far that he couldn't even lift his head. He remained a bright-eyed little fighter with a healthy appetite until the end but his body was letting him down. The lady vet was wonderfully caring and gentle and I was surprised how peacefully he passed away; he really did just "go to sleep". We took him home with us and buried him in the garden he loved a few hours later. He was around 16 years old which I believe is a good age for a cat. This beautiful little boy, with a purr like a jumbo jet, has left a huge hole which anyone who's ever lost a pet will recognise. I'll remember him best sitting poised to claim his share of the food at dinner time. He knew no shame - your food was his food, in fact all food was his food. He loved chin tickles and mackerel in tomato sauce. And he knew how to knock on the window or letter-box to let his servants know when he wished to enter his palace. He didn't regard other cats highly yet he had a special friend in the our neighbour's little dog who I'm sure will miss him too.
Attachment Deleted
RIP Barney
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Post by vlogdance on Mar 17, 2015 21:22:04 GMT
Oh, no, Queen, I am so sorry to read of your loss. Poor Barney. It's not easy when you have to go on after losing someone who was such a big part of your life. I hope you'll be comforted by knowing that you gave him such love and care, and that he passed on peacefully.
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Post by Horacewimp on Mar 17, 2015 21:55:00 GMT
So sorry to hear about Barney, you gave him the very best care, sending my best wishes through the Internet to you.
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Post by BSJ on Mar 17, 2015 22:11:24 GMT
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Post by Helmut83 on Mar 18, 2015 18:09:15 GMT
Queen, I'm so sorry to hear that. That's the bad thing about pets, you love them as members of your family but they live too little compared to human beings (even though 16 is a very good age for a cat). It was good of you taking care of him until the last moment.
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Post by unomusette on Mar 18, 2015 22:13:29 GMT
Sounds like your beautiful, clever Barney had a really good life, and even more luckily a peaceful passing on. That's all any of us can hope for, but of course you must miss him hugely. Sending huge hugs and sympathy queenofthehours You will have to halve the amounts you put on your plates now, but that's just one way he'll stay in your memories, he sounds like a legend. RIP Barney.
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Post by livinthing on Mar 19, 2015 7:33:10 GMT
So very sorry to hear of your loss,and certainly understand what you are going through.
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Post by queenofthehours on Mar 24, 2015 17:42:29 GMT
Thanks guys. I really appreciate your kind thoughts. It’s going to take some time to get over little Barney, if ever.
For anyone else who's been through the same sadness, and for those who sadly may also in the future, here’s a poem written by Michael Joseph in memory of one of his cats, Charles:
I shall walk in the sun alone Whose golden light you loved: I shall sleep alone And, stirring, touch an empty place: I shall write uninterrupted (Would that your gentle paw Could stay my moving pen just once again!) I shall see beauty But none to match your living grace: I shall hear music But not so sweet as the droning song With which you loved me. I shall fill my days But I shall not, cannot forget: Sleep soft, dear friend, For while I live you shall not die.
And here's a poem for man's best friend by James Stewart -
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Post by Helmut83 on May 14, 2015 23:50:12 GMT
Estimated forummates:
I'm writing here because I know there are several animal lovers on this forum and I wanted to comment with you about a situation I had today at my local vet.
I had to take my female cat friend Pokey for her annual vaccines. Given that Pokey is 16 years old and lately she has started suffering some pain in her bones, I was planning to take profit of the opportunity to ask the vet if there was some sort of analgesic for that.
Well, the veterinarian who served me was a woman in her mid-40s. She took Pokey out of the cage and started to touch her to see where was it that she was worst hurt. Pokey normally behaves quite civilizedly on vets, but you could see that this particular process was being painful to her, as she protested more each time as the lady pressed harder. There reach a point where Pokey couldn't or didn't want to take it any longer and scratched the lady's hand.
The lady was hurt and screamed, let go of Pokey, gave a step back, held her scratched hand and what does she do next? She raises her hand upwards and lets it fall heavily over poor Pokey's head. She beat my cat on the head, the fucking bitch!
I didn't know how to react. To tell the truth, it took me by complete surprise, as I was expecting: a) a vet to know how to deal with cats; or b) if she didn't, at least have patience and blame it on herself for making the cat hurt and not knowing how to handle her. I'm not someone who is usually slow to react when I get angry, but this time I tried to cool myself down and analyze what to do before reacting. The consultation had just started, she still had to give her the vaccines, so I didn't want to start a scandal and instead I decided to not let her handle Pokey anymore. I held her myself when she gave her the vaccines, but everything in a polite way and not saying anything about the hit. When I came back to my house I regretted it, as I started to think I should have reproached her what she did. I mean, we never beat our animals, much less in the head, and much less when they are 16 and their bones are hurting... why on Earth should a vet do it?
Of course I'm not taking any of my animals there again and I'll let this be known to my relatives and friends who have animals and take them there (it's quite a big clinic), but what would you do? Would you write a letter of complaint to the director? Would you go back and tell the lady something? Would you rather let it pass and just change vets for the next time?
Really, I'm still surprised and quite indignant about this whole situation.
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Post by Horacewimp on May 15, 2015 7:50:16 GMT
Sorry to hear about your experience Helmut83, it is unacceptable for anyone to hit an animal and a vet should definitely know better. I think I would telephone the practise and speak to the director, tell them you didn't want to make a scene yesterday but after considering the consultants actions overnight you feel how she handled the situation should be reported and put on record. I think you will feel better once you have done this. Our hamster Bibbles is not very well, she is now very elderly has lost almost all of her her hair and her back legs are very weak. I don't think she will be with us much longer
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Post by Horacewimp on May 15, 2015 8:46:02 GMT
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Post by vlogdance on May 15, 2015 13:59:36 GMT
Oh, no, sorry to hear of your loss, Horace. RIP Bibbles. Helmut83, I would definitely report what happened. How about writing a formal letter of complaint to the director to follow up your phone call?
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Post by Helmut83 on May 15, 2015 20:09:40 GMT
What a disgrace, Horace! I'm really sorry to hear that. At least it's a good thing to know that Bibbles is no longer suffering.
Listen, I followed your advice about this. I wrote a letter this morning to the clinic's director telling him/her what had happened and manifesting my unhappiness about it. When I called the clinic so as to know the director's name, no one wanted to tell me, and they made me talk with a woman who said to be the owner. When she asked me what complaint did I have, I told her that one vet had hit my cat yesterday. She asked me what was the name of the vet, and when I told her she yelled "it's me!!! Are you kidding me?!?!" in the most aggressive way. Then she started to accuse me about not having helped her (why should I? She hadn't asked me for, she was doing her business and I wasn't going to interfere uninvited... in any case she should have told me), she accused me of lying because my cat had bitten her, not scratched her (I hadn't seen very well what happened there, but to the effects, it's the same), and we went on discussing for a good while before tempers calmed down. I immediately got that she is a self-centered idiot with zero capacity of autocriticism or apology, so I saw there was no point in going on with the conversation and ended it up there. It's clear that the lady doesn't have the temper nor the intelligence to work with animals.
Then when I told my sister about the incident she said that she doesn't take her dog there anymore because she doesn't like that woman. Geez, couldn't she have told me before?
Well, but as you said Horace, I feel better now that I did. At least I had my say and didn't go on chewing anger. Next time, to another vet and that's it. Thanks for the advice, guys.
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Post by Horacewimp on May 15, 2015 20:18:24 GMT
I'm glad you contacted them even if the result wasn't quite what you had hoped, at least the lady vet may think again before hitting someone else's pet. As you say you have got the incident off your mind and can now move on and find a more caring vet for Pokey.
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Post by unomusette on May 15, 2015 20:54:31 GMT
Condolences, Horace, for you having to say goodbye to Bibbles. She looks like a proper cutie and of course she had the most awesome name of any hamster ever. Despite her titchy stature I bet she'll leave a big hole but at least, as Helmut says, she's not suffering any more. As for Helmut, I'm completely outraged at the treatment both you and Pokey have received from that ignorant bully who calls herself a professional. Well done for keeping calm at the time and for following it up later. It was she who lost her temper and made herself look like a spoiled child, you can claim all of the moral high ground. Over here, vets belong to a kind of association which can ban them from working if they behave unprofessionally, the same as doctors. Is there something similar in Argentina which you could report her to? I hope Pokey is feeling better after that ordeal, give her some extra cuddles from me and my kitties
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