On Monday, November 27th, my beloved tuxedo cat Gimli was put to sleep at the age of 11. Gimli, or Gimmers as he was called by our family, was litter-mates with our cat Chet, whom we lost in January of 2015. Gimli was diagnosed with thyroid issues a year or so ago and had been on medicine since then, but within the last few months, the medicine seemed to have stopped working and he began to essentially deteriorate before our eyes. I decided, with the support of my wife, that there wasn't much we could do to extend his life comfortably and that the best decision would be to end his suffering. It was hard decision to make, more so than when we decided to have our other cats Chet and Pippin put to sleep (both of them were irreversibly ill and on the verge of death). Gimli, despite his diarrhea and unrelenting hunger, was still very much himself, though he was starting to fade. I made the call to veterinarian on Friday, November 24th and set the appointment for the following Monday.
Gimli and Chet on their first day home
As I wrote in my post following the loss of Chet, both he and Gimli were brought into our home in 2006 shortly after my now-wife and I started dating. While we initially were only looking for one grey kitten, the lady that we bought them from gave us priority over another interested person if we took the grey kitten and his tuxedo cat brother. We decided that Chet would be "hers" and Gimli would be "mine." While I very much loved Chet and he loved me, Gimli was always just a little bit more special since he was "mine." He was the runt of the litter, and as a full grown male cat, he was half the size of his brother and the size of a female cat!
Gimli as a kitten
Truth be told, it's actually rather difficult for me to put into words how much this cat meant to me. He was the first animal that was truly mine; he wasn't just the "family pet." He was easily the sweetest cat I've ever known. He never scratched or bit anyone and always was friendly to strangers to his house. When my friend would come over to play X-Wing Miniatures or any other games, Gimli would make it a point to sit on top of his game bag! He would also snuggle with any visitor to our house if they sat on the couch, either in their lap or up against them. Of course, he generally slept on my bed with me at night and especially during the day when I was on night shift, either between my legs or stretched out along my side. He also loved to wake me up on the weekends when he was hungry! He would extend his front claws and gently touch my nose or cheek, just enough to wake me up and hopefully convince me to go downstairs and fill his food bowl.
Sleeping in my lap
Losing him hurt. A lot. I cried after I made the appointment and then every day before we took him to the vet. Our young girls both made the decision to be with him for his journey over the Rainbow Bridge and while very sad, they both handled it well. I think the knew less of what to make of me than what to make of what was happening with Gimli. I make no effort to hide emotion from my children, but I don't often cry. Needless to say, I broke down in a bad way and neither of them has ever seen me like that, but I'm okay that they did. My wife and I have expressed to them that there is nothing wrong with displays of emotion from anyone because it's a natural part of life.
Later that evening while watching our favorite show, Jeopardy!, my six-year old daughter leaned over to me and said, "Dad, I wish Gimli never got sick and I really wish he hadn't died. I miss him." I replied, "Sweetie, me too. I miss him so much that I can't even really explain it, but he's in Kitty Heaven and I'm sure he knows how much we miss him."
When my now-wife, Chrissie, moved into my apartment in 2006, we decided that we needed a cat. It made sense, considering we both grew up with cats in the house. Chrissie requested a grey kitten and so the search began. After driving to multiple shelters across Northern Virginia and coming up empty handed, I was on the verge of giving up until my cousin Cheryl found an add in the paper about kittens needing a home. I called her to confirm that she had a grey kitten, which she did, but also said someone else was interested. She told me that he has a brother and if we took both, she'd give us priority. It turns out she was a crazy cat lady so in reality, we saved them from living in a house with 30 other cats (that isn't an exaggeration either). It was the start of a friendship I will always remember.
Chet a couple days before he passed, snuggling on his blanket.
Other than his affection to my wife and I, Chet exemplified the typical aloofness of cats, not taking well to strangers or even our kids. He had a reputation with the veterinary clinic as being especially "spirited," and he came by that reputation honestly. However, in spite of all of that, he was a kind and loving cat, especially to me. He followed me around the house and would spend time in my lap every chance he got. No matter if I was watching TV, playing video games, or trying to paint some models, he had to find a way to sit in my lap. He had a habit of sleeping with his rear end nestled in my armpit, paws wrapped around my arm as if hugging it, and his head tucked in my hand. Just about every morning when I took a shower, he would sit on my folded towel and beg for sink water after I got out. He loved to headbutt me and 'make biscuits' on fluffy blankets. I was never closer to an animal than I was to Chet; I can honestly say that he was my best buddy.
How we spent most of our time together.
Chet hours before before his final journey.
Being a particularly large cat, weighing close to 18 pounds, we decided over the summer to put him on a stricter diet to help him shed some weight. It seemed to be working well because he had started to lose weight and began returning to a more appropriate weight. However, last month he decided to eat some fake Easter grass out of a gift bag my wife brought home. He had a habit of eating random things he found on the ground, and after I saw him vomit the grass out, I didn't think much of it. Within the week, I noticed that he was eating a lot less and eventually just about stopped eating altogether. Concerned that he might have a piece of fake grass bound in his stomach or intestines, I took him the the vet for an x-ray. The veterinarian said she saw some "clumping" in his intestines, but nothing too concerning. She recommended isolating him to ensure that he was eating and using the litter box. After a couple of miserable days stuck in one of our bathrooms, Chet had eaten some food with the help of an appetite stimulant and used the litter box (but not pooped, which was concerning to me). We let him out and he returned to his normal self. As the month wore on, I again noticed he wasn't eating and that his weight loss was increasing. This time, however, I decided to get a second opinion from another veterinarian. After they performed an exam, ran blood work, and received a copy of the previous clinic's x-rays, the veterinarian was able to determine that Chet had a large mass in his abdomen. The tumor was pressing against his intestines and was clearly visible in the previous clinic's x-rays (I know this, because they showed it to me) and our new veterinarian confirmed its existence with an ultrasound (which was complimentary and much appreciated). The blood work indicated that Chet was suffering from lymphoma. Our options were not good nor easy: subject Chet to more trips to the vet, more tests, and possibly surgery and cancer treatments or humane euthanasia. We elected for the latter. As any pet owner can tell you, it is not an easy choice to make no matter how ill your pet is and this was no different. We chose Wednesday, January 14 as the date in order for me to finish my upcoming shift at work and to give us more time with him. After seeing his condition deteriorate over the weekend and finding someone to cover part of my shift at work, we decided to move his appointment to Monday afternoon.
Like all cats, Chet loved getting in boxes and bins!
Chet at the tender age of 4, shortly after we bought our first home.
In the days and hours leading up to his trip over the Rainbow Bridge, we made sure he got to spend his remaining time with us comfortable and content. He got to spend his last days snuggling on his favorite blanket, eating his favorite treat (ham), enjoying the effects of catnip (which he loved), and receiving endless love from his family. I wasn't ready for him to leave me and I know I will feel this pain for a long time to come. Our home and my heart are a little more empty now and I miss him dearly.
