LIFE AFTER WEEPY TWO WEEKS LATER - STILL CAN'T GET YOU OUT OF MY MIND

Weepy in his 'catbird'  seat, as recently as a month ago...

Weepy was the first pet or first of any species, other than 20 year old April I've lived with for any length of time. Perhaps that's why it's been so difficult to face life without the big guy , whether it be having him next to me on the desk in his 'supervisorial' catbird seat, or on my lap while sitting in the TV recliner, or with Weepy on my legs in bed. I  still get pangs of sadness everytime I think of Weepy and his presence, like right now.


Weepy was the most organized cat. He had his little daily routine unlike most other cats I've had.


He would start off the day waking up on the bed and we'd play a bit with the snake charmer, depending on our moods... then he would it was breakfast time and he'd let me know by going to his bowl for food in the bedroom - yes I had a small auxilliary bowl of kibbles in the back bedroom for them. . If it wasn't full  he would stand by it, patiently waiting for me to fill it. Even if it did have some kibbles he liked when the bottom of the bowl was covered with kibbles. Then he would venture out of the bedroom down the hall to the big water bowl. 
Then, He would normally come into the work area and jump up on the extension of my desk, which became his 'catbird seat,' usually on top of a pile of papers in the 'US Mail box' I use in my mail advertising business.


After sleeping awhile he would get down onto the lower carpeted table where he knew I would  comb him and give him a few treats. Then he would perhaps do some 'chores, going to the patio window, which I would often open for him (screened) for him to smell the outside and see all the nature animals in the back yard - we have deer, squirrels , wild turkeys and lots of birds.


Then, he would often do his slow 'macho'walk over to the round bed in front of the TV, which I had put out for him a few years b ack; ever since it's become one of his favorite places.


In the mid -afternoon he would often go to the back bedroom where he liked the dark, especially
under the covers. Yes , Weepy would pick up the blackets and  scoot way under the covers. Don't know how he breathed but he did.


Then, Weepy was back out and down the hall and to the kitchen, often accompanied by April, for dinner. He wasn't a big wet food eater and tended to eat when he was in the area of the kibbles in the back room.
He'd like to see what was being served for dinner, ie April, anyway. 


After dinner, if and when I went to watch TV -and I tried to watch a little every night, sometimes more to bond with Weepy than to watch one of the ' 57 channels with nothing on' - Weepy would come over and jump up  on my legs as soon as I could sit down. But , first, he would wait for me to put the newspaper on my legs first. For some reason, he liked lying on newspapers...
We'd watch TV for sometimes an hour or more. Sometimes Weepy would get up first and go to the other recliner, which had become his exclusive chair. There he's usually clean himself awhile and relax. Often , if I was still watching TV, he'd come bac k for a second or even third round on my legs. He hated if I were
the first one to get up . I would usually give him some treats when I did. I hated to disturb our 'bonding' sessions but sometimes nature would call or I'd have to go do something...

The back  bathroom doesn't look like this anymore, but much of the food is still left,
for April or Zack, though neither is as good an eater of these healthy foods as Weepy.

Eleven pm and Weepy would wait for me to get ready for bed. He was very patient as some nights I wasn't ready until midnigght or later. But, he was right there on the bed as soon as I got in. And he'd usually stay all night, whereas April would leave and sleep most of the night in her hallway bed. Weepy was the most loyal.


So, life without my buddy and all his little routines can be lonely. It's just hard to not have him here after 16 years. I'll get used to it, I supposed, but I still haven't - and can't  yet- sit in the big recliner and watch TV, knowing he won't be there with me. April and the new cat aren't lap cats ,either, and  even if they were it wouldn't be the same...



One   piece of good news that Weepy left us is that April LIKES the new kidney diet we bought for Weepy , especially, the last month, after discovering it on the internet.  Weepy didn't really like this 'NEO Hi-tor' diet but April sure does. And, thankfully, since April won't eat the vet's kidney diet that Weepy DID like...

Weepy Took Care Of Himself in the End, Making the Transition Easier for Us

Weepy Took Care Of Himself in the End, Making the Transition Easier for Us

Weepy in his favorite spot on bed, sleeping with April. I would join him later

                                         

               I've been thinking alot about Weepy and his last days and how he / we really had things in control. In fact, things were going so well, I thought, that Weepy might be around awhile, though I knew the doctor's dark prognosis. We'll never know for sure whether it was a sudden embolism or if the kidneys, or heart, suddenly gave out (kidney values had suddenly gone up)...



 In any case, Weepy seemed content, considering, and not unlike the past year. He would come out in the living room  and sit on my lap, go back and eat his food and take care of his personal needs.   The only difference is that when Weepy got suddenly ill the first time, late September, he retreated to the dark closet in the bedroom. That would become his 'base' for his remaining days. He would sleep there most nights and I brought his favorite  bed from the living room so he seemed pretty content. I would bring his favorite foods - not always sure what they were until we tried out from the many varieties I brought in.  I had moved one      of the 'toilets into the back bedroom, not far from the closet. Also, I brought in another water bowl  and located it just outside the closet.



So, it was easier for Weepy to take care of all his needs within a small area , and, at the same time I could be nearby to see how he was doing.   Some nights when I saw him coming out of the closet to his water or toilet I would ask him if he wanted to come up on the bed. He really, truly , communicated with me: he would sit right by the bed if he wanted me to lift him up on it and go to his old , favorite spot on the bed.  Several nights it was like old times with him sleeping the night next to me and April (even April didn't always stay on the bed, opting for her own bed down the hall). 



 During the days, Weepy would still wander out from the back closet - I had given him his food and medicine early in the morning - and come out into the living room and to see my by my desk where I was working  . I would either help him up on his 'catbird perch' or invite him over to the chair where he would jump up on and sit on my lap - even during the day, which we never used to do. I would do whatever I could for Weepy now... every moment with him showing interest was precious. And it was just about like old times again. 



 Tbe silver lining...I had worried about Weepy losing a lot of weight and not eating / wasting away - but none of that happened. Only the last night before I brought him in to the vet for the final time did he not   show much interest in eating, but even then he did eat a little.   



 4 am the next (Friday) morning, August 2, Weepy was not in his bed but listless on the carpet next to the bed. I knew something was wrong and called the vet (open 24 hours, now, fortunately) and brought him right in. I certainly didn't mind taking him in at the early hour. The sooner the better if there's anything they could do for him, and , if not it was nice that there wasn't a lot of activity or a long wait at th is early time. Plus no traffic getting there..   I got the bad news and waited until final tests were taken to confirm the poor prognosis. Then , I waited for them to bring in Weepy and I spend  some time with Weepy, alone, saying my final goodbyes. ...



 Weepy has been with me more than 16 years so it's very tough, as compared to my first four cats who hadn't been with me long.  The  pangs of 'hurt' come early and often and a week and a half later I still can't sit in my TV chair. I keep Weepy's bed in the back closet as a reminder.  


I am fortunate to still have April and now Zack, who only came into my life a little over a year ago after
nearly passing after  left  at  'forclosesure' home. They don't remove the pain of loss but they do help for sure.

Weepy in his 'catbird' supervisorial seat only weeks ago while I worked next to him. Works not the same anymore