Heartbroken…

For those of you who don’t already know, Little Man crossed the bridge on Monday. I knew it was coming, but nothing could have really prepared me. He had gotten to the point where he’d have a good day or 2 and then a couple bad days. This last bad day, he still came to greet me in the kitchen. I could tell he was nauseated. He didn’t want to eat. Overnight, he had trouble with the litter box. I had to clean him up. Then, he gave me a look and I just “knew”. I opened the door to the porch and he went outside one last time to lay in the sun. He came in a short while later to nap. That afternoon, he followed me to the kitchen and I offered him salmon with gravy. He ate a little. We petted and loved on him. I picked him up in a fleece blanket and my husband drove us to the vet. We were the last appointment, so it was quiet and private. I held him the entire time. He meowed weakly a few times in the car, but purred the rest of the time. It was peaceful. We got back home as the sun was setting in a beautiful sky. The next day, I planted 3 climbing vines (clemantis) and 3 climbing roses (in the color “salmon”… his favorite treat in his last days) along the fence in the backyard where he liked to watch the birds.  Before his tripawd days, he was my great cabinet climber.  lol  The new plants honor him purrfectly.

His housemates are extra loving towards me right now. His care took a lot of time in these last days, so there’s a big void. I miss him terribly, but I know he’s not sick anymore and he’s at peace.  

I think the hardest part of all of this has been knowing that vaccine associated sarcoma (VAS) is a cancer that is born from the love of the owners who cared enough about their pet to make sure they had the recommended vaccines in hopes of keeping them healthy. I’ve learned so much.  Little Man was able to help spread awareness and advocate for better vaccine practices.  I’ll definitely be carrying on his message.

Thank you all for everything!

Michelle & Angel Little Man