My Beloved Cat Batman

I am still trying to cope with the loss of my oh so loving and loved cat Batman (I am pretty sure it is going to take a long time). I think I am in shock and/or denial, but the reality of him not being with us hits me every time I walk into the house and I don't hear him crying for me or laying on the kitchen counter or on the window sill.  I have written about my two cats Batman and Princess before and how I found them abandoned on the side of the street 14 1/2 years ago. They have always been my everything, even when I married Tim and even after I had Trent.  They have always meant so much to me and I just love them so much.

So, it came as quite a shock on Wednesday night when Trent and I were reading on the couch around 6:45 and I heard Batman crying this awful cry, which usually means he is about to throw up. Even Trent knows that when he hears that awful cry that Batman is likely to throw up a hairball...so gross I know, but that was my life always cleaning up after Batman.  His cry did sound a bit more distressed than usual, so I went into the dining room and he was lying on the floor panting and I went to pick him up and noticed that his hind legs were paralyzed.  I started freaking out.  The panting and crying was awful and on top of that the loss of his hind legs was overwhelming and I think I started hyperventilating and everything just started going blank.  I was yelling to Trent not to come into the dining room because I didn't want him to see Batman like that then I started telling him to call Tim.  Trent then started freaking out because he didn't want Batman to die. During those first few minutes I didn't know what to do.  Then I took some deep breaths, had Trent come into the dining room and sit with me and Batman and I called Tim.  For some reason, Tim was not on his phone and didn't see/hear the phone ring...which was just making me freak out a bit more. He finally got home about 10 minutes later and we started to discuss our options. We decided not to take Batman to the 24 hr vet because I knew (I didn't want to accept it) that there probably wasn't much they could do for him...he was 14 1/2 years old and I wasn't going to put him through test after test and I definitely wasn't going to have him go through a surgery.  I also wasn't ready to say goodbye to him that night.  I thought maybe in the morning he would miraculously be all better.  As Princess watched over her brother I went to bed and then woke up every 2 hours to check on him.  At one point, I found him laying in the litter box and another time he was just laying under the dining room table and he looked like he did any other night. In the morning, his condition hadn't changed.  He was no longer panting or crying he was just laying still. Tim and Trent said their tearful goodbyes and I took him to our local vet.  

The vet was pretty certain that it was a blood clot in his heart, the clot then breaks up and travels to the hind legs and cuts off the circulation and it is downhill from there.  It's irreversible.  To confirm her diagnosis she did some x-rays and it showed that it was a clot and that his heart and kidneys were a bit enlarged and his lungs had some fluid, so his body was beginning to shut down.  The vet said that if I wanted I could take him home and he could pass there, but I didn't want Trent to see that.  I was given some time to say my goodbyes and like also he just cuddled up to me and let me talk to him.  When it was time I held my beloved Batman to the end and he passed away peacefully.  I could not have asked for a better experience of letting Batman go. Of course, I was a crying mess, but the staff at the clinic was so compassionate and that made it a tiny bit easier letting him go.  I never wanted him to suffer and I don't think he did.  He knew his Mommy was by his side till the end.    

It was all just so unexpected...in just over 12 hours from when he got the clot he was gone. I just can't believe it.  I go back and forth from thinking is it better that he went fast or would I have wanted it dragged out...I think that it happening quickly was good and there wasn't too much suffering.  Princess isn't sure what to do.  That night she watched over Batman and now I look at her and I swear she has sad eyes.  The vet said that maybe she will become more social...we will see.  
I am going to make a photo album of the cats through the years and had a fun scanning a lot of old pictures and reminiscing about living in Connecticut and the small studio we lived in when we moved back to California. Good times for sure.

When Batman was a kitten there was a lot of crying.  He never had any problem telling me exactly what he wanted.

 It took these two awhile to figure out how not to get fifthly while eating.

 They loved tackling and chasing eachother around the house.  I heard them rough housing at night just a few months ago.  Nutballs!

 Batman hiding under my bed.

 Princess too.

 They loved being next to eachother, whether it was right next to eachother or on top.

 Pretty Princess.

 

 Batman loved to stretch out.

 My loves.

 The cats becoming adjusted to life in Connecticut...Batman, of course, on top of me.

 This ball of paper provided hours of entertainment for them.

 A favorite spot of theirs on top of the tv.

 Batman getting to know Tim.

 Batman in the laundry basket.

 Princess always hiding.

 Batman wasn't afraid of water and he loved going into the shower.

 Princess loves to be as high as possible.  Batman right next to the tv laying on some clothes.

This time Batman was higher than Princess.

 Batman helping me iron...not!

 It didn't matter what it was they had to lay on it or in it.

 He doesn't really fit in the basket, but that doesn't matter to him.

 Batman in the bucket right before I was going to fill it up with Pine Sol to clean the floor.

Taking a cat nap.

 Batman enjoying his time meeting the trick or treaters in Connecticut. 

 Batman loved when the Christmas tree was up and he could bat at the ornaments.

The fish tank was another fun past time for Batman.  He would bat at the glass when the fish would swim by him.

 
That can't be comfortable!

Classic Batman long and floppsy...Classic Princess balled up and stiff.

 Where's Batman?

Batman playing the guitar with Tim.

Batman in the pot...seriously he would lay anywhere.

This can't be comfortable, but it must be because he is sound asleep.

As usual, in the most bizarre place.

My two cuties.

Batman checking out what Tim got one year for his birthday.

Batman was glad the gift was out of the box so he could lay in it.

I will miss Batman so much, but I take comfort in all my memories of him and how loving he was.  He was always there to snuggle up to me, which I loved. Every time I walk into the kitchen I will see my Batman laying on the window sill waiting for me.

Vader the Goldfish

We went to a Little Mermaid themed birthday party on Saturday.  In fitting in with the theme, the party favor was a goldfish.  The goldfish came in a cute container with colorful rocks and even a little baggy of food.  Trent could not have been happier to have a goldfish.  We have had a few goldfish before when Trent was little, but he doesn't remember, so to him this was his first goldfish. Trent named the goldfish Vader and was looking forward to waking up each morning and feeding Vader.  Hearing all of Trent's plans for Vader, Tim and I prepared him for the likely event that Vader may not make it through the night.  When we told Trent this he didn't seem to fully understand that Vader may pass during the night.  He couldn't believe that goldfishes have short life spans.  After discussing places to put Vader, we decided on the counter in the bathroom.  Tim and I didn't think this was a great place because it can get cold in there overnight, but we thought Vader would do fine.  Trent said goodnight to Vader and told him he would feed him in the morning.  Trent was becoming obsessed with how much to feed Vader and why did he only need a few pebbles of food and the questions just kept coming.  We finally got Trent to bed and I hoped that Trent would be able to feed Vader in the morning.

No such luck!  When I got up at 7 the next morning, Vader had passed away.  I thought he would have at least made it a few days.  I quickly disposed of Vader and prepared myself to tell Trent.  The downside of putting Vader in the bathroom was I was going to have to tell Trent as soon as he woke up because the first thing he does when he wakes up is go to the bathroom.  So, when I heard Trent up I quickly got to him before he made it to the bathroom and told him that Vader had passed away and is now in fish heaven.  There were some tears and then Trent said that when he goes to heaven he is going to look for Vader and can't wait to swim deep down in the oceans of heaven to find him. That boy has such a good heart.  Trent and I also discussed getting another fish and I told him maybe we should wait until it's warmer out (I was fully prepared to get another fish that day) and Trent agreed we would wait.  He first said we would wait until Summer and then later that day said how about getting a fish in Spring.  I told him that would be fine.  And so the life of having goldfish begins.

R.I.P. Vader

Freddy

We moved into our house in July of 2003. By October, we were feeling settled in and were thinking about getting a dog. Tim had some ideas of what kind of dog he wanted, I didn’t. I grew up with dogs and loved dogs, but if we didn’t get one that would be ok with me. I had my cats and they were enough for me to take care of.

Things quickly changed that Saturday in October when I went to Project Linus and a woman named Laura was passing out flyers of a dog she had rescued from a shelter. She had recently rescued a male pit bull who she said was very friendly, but her other dog wasn’t getting along with. She had to find this handsome brindle colored pit bull a home. I took the flyer and thought this dog was so cute with his tongue hanging out. When I got home that day I showed Tim the flyer and said we needed give this cute dog a home. He hesitated a bit because the dog was a pit bull, even though he did look like he was mixed with another breed, he was still a pit bull and they have bad reputations. Tim finally came up with a plan to have the dog for a few days to see how he would work out with us. Laura was so happy and brought Freddy over in the next few days and we had him for a week. In that week, Freddy was a perfect dog. I don’t think he chewed or barked the entire time. Tim and I liked Freddy and thought he would be a great dog for us. We called Laura and told her the good news and she was thrilled that we had decided to keep Freddy. Laura had already taken care of all of Freddy’s shots and had him chipped, so Freddy didn’t cost us a penny. Tim and I were excited to give Freddy a home.

In the days to come Freddy began to feel comfortable in his new home, so he decided he could chew things that he shouldn’t. He chewed the sprinklers, hoses, chairs, basically anything that he could get his mouth on he chewed. Freddy also learned that he could climb up and over the fence that is covered by a bush between our neighbors. He would climb in the bush, over the fence and make his way to our front porch. He never went far or roamed the neighborhood, he would just go sit on the front porch. There were a few times when our neighbor across the street would put Freddy back in our yard. After quite a few times of Freddy escaping we decided to put an invisible electric fence around the perimeter of our yard. We knew when Freddy escaped that he wasn’t looking to get in fights with other dogs or hurt anyone, but as responsible dog owners Tim and I thought it best to go the route of the invisible electric fence. Believe me I have gotten looks from people when we tell them about the fence, some think it’s inhumane, I don't think it is and it gives us piece of mind. Tim and his Dad installed the fence and then we had to train Freddy about his boundaries. That was the hardest part for me. To train the dog you put flags around the perimeter just inside the line and you have to drag the dog near the flags so he hears the warning beeps and then gets shock. I couldn’t watch Freddy get shocked. I think it only took one or two times of Freddy getting shocked that he learned where he could and could not go. The invisible electric fence has worked great for us, Freddy knows his boundaries and is a happy dog.

The following month after getting Freddy, I went to Project Linus and was happy to report to Laura that we loved Freddy, minus his chewing. She asked what we had named Freddy and I looked at her blankly and said we kept the name Freddy. She said I thought you would have changed his name, that was the name I gave him. I told her nope we didn’t change his name. I did think Freddy was a funny name for a dog, but it does fit him.

We didn’t know Freddy’s exact age when we got him, but he was probably around 9 months old. So, Freddy is now around 7 years old. He continues to chew things he is not supposed to and barks at anyone and anything. He loves to bark at the dogs on either side of our house. The barking can be annoying at times, but I know he just wants to play with them. Since we like to get a good nights sleep (without Freddy barking at the raccoons, squirrels, or possums) and so do our neighbors for the past year or so, Freddy has slept in the house chained to the dryer. We have to have him chained because I couldn’t imagine all the things he would chew during the night. There have been a few times where he was able to get the quilts down from the nearby couch and he chewed them. Ugh!! We can’t get too mad at him because he is just so darn cute.

These past years with Freddy have been an adventure. I would say Freddy isn't the most graceful dog and figures out a way to injure himself in the most bizarre ways. While playing with Cooper (Tim's parents golden retriever) Freddy managed to get a blade of grass lodged in his eyeball. We had to take him to the 24 hour vet, who then had to put him under to remove the blade of grass. Another time Freddy was in the garage with Tim and knocked over a glass jar, which broke and then he sniffed it and cut his nose really deep. That was another trip to the 24 hour vet. We may not have paid a penny to get Freddy, but we sure have paid a lot in vet bills.

Freddy has been a great companion to Tim and Trent on their hiking and camping trips. He is always making sure everyone is ok and keeps tabs on where everyone is at. He is such a good doggy.

All in all, I think we made a great choice in giving Freddy a home, we love him so much. Others might think having a pit bull is a bad idea, but I disagree. Pit bulls get their bad reputation from owners who train them to be mean. It's all about how you care for and treat your dog. I am sad when I take Freddy for a walk and people pull their hands in or cross the street as to avoid Freddy. Please, all Freddy is going to do is lick your hand or sniff you. Give Freddy a chance and he will melt your heart like he did mine.

How could you not want to give Freddy a home after seeing this picture.

Freddy loves to dig and then lay in the hole.

Freddy ready to go hiking.

Freddy and his boys.