So Hard to Say Goodbye

We knew it would happen someday. You can't have five pets and think that they're all going to live forever. But that doesn't make it any easier to accept. Today I had to make the decision to put Jasmine down. She was originally one of my parent's cats that Mike and I took into our home after my mom passed away. She was sassy and sweet and talkative and so social. She loved greeting new people, purred the loudest and chirped every single time you touched her. She was the most laid back girl and we loved every minute of having her in our life. I found this picture and it's unrecognizable compared to what she was today. This picture is of the robust, healthy 11 lb kitty. Two years of struggling with hyperthyroidism, left her at a skeletal 3.5 lbs. The vet was phenomenal. She's been working with me all this time to try the best combo of meds, we had every test possible done. But as most of us know too well, you can't win them all. I called the clinic today and left a message for sweet Dr. Kim. Within a half an hour she called me back and told me to bring Jazzy and she'd squeeze me in between patients. She took one look at my face and one look at Jasmine and said, "Sweetie, you are doing the right thing." She let me stay while she put her down and took my payment right there so I wouldn't have to deal with the front desk at all. She sent me on my way with a huge hug and a "it's all better now". Grant was with me and as this was his first real lesson on death, he handled it like a champ. While we're not overly religious people, I have found that using God as an explanation has helped him understand a lot of the little things in life. Through his own tears, he touched my arm and said, "Don't cry, Mommy. I think Jazzy will like God a lot. And she'll have fun while she's waiting up there for you!" My mom's birthday is coming up this Sunday the 6th and I've decided that she must have thought that having Jazzy join her was a good birthday present. As Dr. Kim wrapped Jazzy in a blanket and we headed towards the door, Grant and I both said, "Say hi to Grandma for us! She's going to be so happy to have you back."

Good bye, Jazzy. You were the most wonderful cat and we are honored that you chose our family to love.

And, Happy birthday, Mom. Give Jazzy a kiss for us.