Saying Goodbye.

When does saying goodbye to a beloved pet get easy? Oh wait, it doesn't.

Today I said to say goodbye to my feline best friend, Jasmine. If any of you read my blog a couple years ago, Jasmine got really sick after contracting ulcers in her throat from an unknown virus. I remember it being so scary coming home from Minnesota and getting hit with this news.

Since then my sister moved in with her two dogs and I moved to Orono which I think added more stress in Jasmine's life. She hates other dogs and cats. When my old dog, Ginger, was alive they were best buds. You would see Ginger chase Jasmine down the hall and then see Jasmine chasing Ginger back. It was hysterical to watch. When we got Louie and Sissy, Jasmine would tolerate them and everyone in a great while play but it wasn't the same. She also never really liked other people that didn't live in the house, other than my Pep'ere.

Since sometime this year I had really noticed that she had lost a significant amount of weight and brought it to Mom's attention. She said that she had noticed it too and we started monitoring what she was eating per day. Some days she would eat a whole 3/4 cup of food, other days she would eat nothing. I brought up the idea of trying some soft cat food, maybe she had lost some teeth or maybe her throat was having some side effects from the ulcers.

At first the wet cat food was a hit and she loved it, but slowly she stopped eating that also. *Chuckle* I even suggested to Mom that maybe she needed a variety. So, over time we bought numerous flavors and kinds of cat food to switch it up every day if that is what Jasmine wanted. One day she even had lobster and shrimp (yes, spoiled cat indeed!).

Fast forward to Sunday at 2PM, I was woken up by my cell phone (I worked an overnight shift and didn't get to bed until about 7AM). Mom said that she had some cruddy news for me and a part of me just knew what she was going to say. "We are going to put Jasmine down tomorrow". Well that started the waterworks and the stupid "Why" question. I knew very well why but nothing seemed to make sense, sure she had lost weight but nothing drastic had seemed to change, and I was JUST there on Saturday. I was told that she had stopped eating and drinking all together and something happened to her foot. She wasn't sure if it was broken because she could walk on it, but it seemed "detached" towards the foot. Needless to say I called out from work that night and rushed home, crying all the way.

I got home and was told that she was hiding in my room with the door closed so the dogs wouldn't bug her. I ended up spending the rest of the day/night with her.

Fast forward to today. I drove us to the vet and Jasmine sat on my lap the whole time. Any other time this cat would not be sitting still in the car, but I turned the heat on and she snuggled right into my arm and started purring. It almost caused me to turn the car around and baracade us in my room, because that always helps right?

Well I'm sure you all know how the rest went. I can't remember the last time I cried so much over a period of two days. With my heartbreaking and my world seemingly crashing around me, I said goodbye to my cat of 14 years.

No matter how many times she attacked you during the night when you got up to go to the bathroom, or tried to bite you because you weren't petting her the way she wanted to be petted, or sat on your laptop while you were trying to be productive...she was the most wonderful cat ever.

Goodbye Jasmine.