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February 4, 2007 at 15:14:26
Slim the Cat is on his last legs -- help help help! by Jane Stillwater Page 1 of 1 page(s) |
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For the last 15 years, Slim-the-Cat and I have rubbed along just fine. For my part, I've put out food for him twice a day. On his part, he has refused to let me cuddle him and has avoided tracking cat hair and fleas into my house. It was a relationship made in Heaven!
Then Slim got cancer. Then he got attacked by a raccoon. Weighing only around four pounds and looking like Skeletor, I figured it was time to put him to sleep. So I fed him a whole Tylenol with codeine cleverly concealed in some fabulous raw tuna and he ate the whole thing. Nothing. The freaking cat didn't even stagger. That dose would have knocked me out like a light for a week. Hummm. This cat really wants to live.
So then I fed Slim some steak and while he was occupied with that lure, I snuck up behind him, scooped him up, put him in a box and closed the lid. "Slim, I got you now!" No I didn't. Using super-strength that he got from who-knows-where and using his skinny pathetic cancer-ridden raccoon-scratched-up paws, he clawed his way out.
I figured that if anyone wanted to hang onto life that badly, who was I to play God. So I gave Slim-the-Cat a reprieve and a chance to die peacefully in his little postage-stamp-sized backyard domain.
That was four months ago.
Caution: Do not read this next part unless you have a really strong stomach.
Since that time, Slim's ears have rotted off and his nose has rotted off and half of his tail has rotted off and he is all infected and filled with cancer and pus. This is a Hall-of Horrors-looking cat. But underneath all this grossness, he is still the same, sweet Slim-the-Cat. But enough is enough. "Slim, no matter HOW badly you want to hold on to life, you really need to be put out of your misery."
So here is my question: How do I go about doing it? What should I do? And HOW do I get the courage to do this to my old friend? And please please please, while you are down on your knees praying for our brave troops in Iraq and that somehow America will someday have sane people who are legally elected living in the White House, also please pray really hard for Slim-the-Cat.
PS: I just got the following e-mail from "Greg" with the following INTERESTING suggestions (slightly censored, BTW):
"I am horrified by this blog entry," wrote Greg. "Are you really STUPID enough to attempt an at-home, DIY euthanasia? Your poor cat never would've been attacked at all had you been a responsible pet owner & kept him INSIDE where ALL house cats belong. This blog is a sick f*cking reminder that some idiots are TOO F*CKING STOOPID to own so much as a guppy.
"TAKE HIM TO A VET TO BE HUMANELY EUTHANIZED,YOU SICK, SADISTIC MORON," Greg continued. "I have half a notion to report you for animal cruelty, as this would qualify, beyond a doubt. You make me want to puke & never stop. Whata waste of skin you are."
Then Greg added, "PS -- acetaminafin causes MASSIVE feline liver & kidney failure, YOU DUMB CUNT."
And here's my sorta lame answer: "Guess what, Greg? Slim WILL NOT come into the house. He won't even let me pick him up. This has been going on now for FIFTEEN YEARS. The cat is a FERAL. Can you say 'FERAL'? That would be like putting that guy who wrote "Walden Pond" in Alcatraz for 15 years. Humph. AND if you are so concerned about Slim, PLEASE stop by and take him to the vet yourself. If you can catch him! Plus I can't afford the $500+ it would take. Vets cost an arm and a leg. But I DO appreciate your input.
Slim-the-Cat's dilemma is a messy situation. It's not as bad as what is going on in Iraq, but still posing a whole bunch painful alternatives. In Iraq, however, there is only one viable alternative -- to bring our brave troops home where they are actually needed to help defend America from all the enemies that have been blythely created by George W. Bush, including terrorism, corporate fascism, global warming and economic distress.
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| 5 comments |
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About your cat.
You might try the tea (bulk), or or ground up capsules from the same site listed below... if you want to help the cat recover. Many people have helped their animals besides helping themselves with the products. I have been drinking the tea for 15 years. I am now giving it to my guinea pig for her tumors and one went away and the other is getting smaller. (hard to get her to drink much so very slow process.. I finally cooked it into her food.) Other wise, the cat will just go off one day and not come back.. they do that to go die somewhere away from where they live. God Bless Lisa Long http://sirjasonwinters.com http://sirjasonwinters.com/sandy.htm from the site: One more that might actually surprise you. Three months ago I took home a stray cat who was starving and clearly dying, turned out to have feline leukemia. I decided to make his last days comfortable. My daughter said, "Why not try the tea?" Didn't know what it would do in a cat's system, but what did we have to lose? So I made homemade cat food with the tea. "Parker" has gone from all bones, hair falling out, third eyelid showing, every lymph node grotesquely swollen, unable to stand up, in fact...to apparently perfect, robust health. Every day he shows me how much he is improving by how many stair steps he can clear (you would swear he knew what he was doing). Today, three months later, he cleared six steps in one leap and climbed a tree. I'm planning to have him tested again for leukemia soon. If he is negative, you will be the first to know! by Lisa Long (4 articles, 4 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 48 comments) on Monday, Feb 5, 2007 at 5:57:19 PM  (0+)
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LET THE CAT DECIDE WHETHER TO LIVE!
If the cat DOESN'T WANT to die, you shouldn't paternalistically make the decision for him! HONOR HIS DECISION! I really think your desire to kill the cat is more because of YOUR suffering at having to look at him than what the cat wants. You ADMIT that the cat wants to live. If you were suffering and had a terminal disease, even if the disease had made the sight of you repulsive, you would still want the right to decide youself when, and even whether to die. You would not want some doctor or nurse paternalistically making the decision for you. The Australian philosopher, Peter Singer has pointed out that while animals do not have the right to vote, since they do not even comprehend the concept of voting, their desire to live and avoid pain is the same as and as valid as that desire in humans. And don't go using the cat's desire to avoid pain as a rationalization for killing him. As you admit, he still wants to live despite the pain. And I suggest you follow the advice of the previous commentator and try the tea. It can't hurt and might even make the cat better. In any case, I hope you read my comment and that it succeeds in persuading you before you carry out your morally wrong decision to murder the cat in spite of your admission that he wants to live. Robert Halfhill by rhalfhill (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 325 comments) on Monday, Feb 5, 2007 at 8:55:57 PM (0+)
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Feed your cat yogurt
If the cat is still trying to hang on, and you think it's not spreading bubonic plague, then feed the fella some yogurt. Yogurt appears to be real easy on the digestive system and they seem to like it. by Alessandro Machi (13 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 174 comments) on Tuesday, Feb 6, 2007 at 3:38:06 AM (0+)
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I am NOT a sick, sadistic moron!
Thank you for all your helpful suggestions, readers. I'm trying all the different things you suggested and Slim and I are battling back! And I just got the following e-mail from "Greg" with the following INTERESTING suggestions (slightly censored, BTW): From Greg: I am horrified by this blog entry. Are you really STUPID enough to attempt an at-home, DIY euthanasia? Your poor cat never would've been attacked at all had you been a responsible pet owner & kept him INSIDE where ALL house cats belong. This column is a sick f*cking reminder that some idiots are TOO F*CKING STOOPID to own so much as a guppy. TAKE HIM TO A VET TO BE HUMANELY EUTHANIZED,YOU SICK, SADISTIC MORON. I have half a notion to report you for animal cruelty, as this would qualify, beyond a doubt. You make me want to puke & never stop. ...and what is more, you are eager to trumpet your cruel stupidity to the world... whata waste of skin you are. PS -- acetaminafin causes MASSIVE feline liver & kidney failure, YOU DUMB c-word. **** Here's my answer: Guess what, Greg? Slim WILL NOT come into the house. He won't even let me pick him up. This has been going on now for FIFTEEN YEARS. The cat is a FERAL. Can you say "FERAL"? That would be like putting that guy who wrote "Walden Pond" in Alcatraz for 15 years. Humph. AND if you are so concerned about Slim, PLEASE stop by and take him to the vet yourself. If you can catch him! Plus I can't afford the $500+ it would take. Vets cost an arm and a leg. But I DO appreciate your input. Slim-the-Cat's dilemna is a messy situation -- not as bad as what is going on in Iraq, but still posing a whole bunch painful alternatives. In Iraq, however, there is only one viable alternative -- to bring our brave troops home where they are actually needed to help defend America from George W. Bush. by Jane Stillwater (507 articles, 0 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 77 comments [3 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Feb 6, 2007 at 12:33:32 PM (0+)
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Reply: Slim the cat
Having owned or been owned by many cats over the years makes one qualified to reply. Do NOT experiment on this sick kitty with any of the remedies suggested. No tea; and yogurt is made with milk and all cats are lactose intolerant. Just try to give him good quality cat food and fresh water, then let nature take its course. He'll probably go off, die and you'll never know how or where. Feral cats are not easy to deal with but you've done a wonderful job of feeding and loving him from a distance. Pay no attention to the trolls who think they know everything. by uluro (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 72 comments) on Thursday, Feb 8, 2007 at 5:55:24 AM (0+)
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