Wife Called in a Major Panic/Breakdown...

[Commodore 64]

Answered the phone, she was incoherent and crying/sobbing. My heart stopped. I thought some horrible accident had happened to one of our daughters. For 5 seconds I thought the worst. Then I managed to decipher that she had just run over and killed one of our cats.

What crazy sequence of events, and I'm really upset about the cat she's been with us since I met the wife, but in context, with what I thought may have happened...it softens the blow...somehow. I don't know, I'm kinda of just having a random brain dump here. Lilah was a cool cat.

But holy crap, is my wife torn up. Thank goodness it happened when the kids were at school, I don't know which would have been more traumatic for them, seeing their mom completely lose it, or seeing Lilah convulsing and flopping like a fish, dying.

[duhvoodooman]

Well, glad to hear it wasn't a family member sick, hurt or killed! But I can understand why your wife is so upset--grief over the sudden death of the cat and guilt that she was at the wheel. I'm sure she's running all those "If only I had...." scenarios through her mind. You've got your work cut out for you at home tonight, Comm!

[Eric]

Wow, sorry to hear that. I can't imagine losing Zak or Myles. Hope the resultant discussion goes as well as possible.

[deeaa]

Yep I have always had cats...It can hurt to lose a pet, but still...could be MUCH worse.

[sumitomo]

Sorry to hear about that man,I just had to put down a dog I had for along time,funny thing is my daughter just got a cat about a week before and now,well the cat has really become a part of our family,I know I would feel the tears of sadness if that happened to her.Sorry for your loss my friend.Sumi:D

[Commodore 64]

Yeah we had to put down our other pet that we'd had since we met, a golden retriever, Sam (Samson and Delilah, get it?), in November. So they are together again. :(

Wife took the girls down to a local pet store where they specialize in stray/unwanted kittens. They picked out a tortoiseshell, that we can pick up tomorrow (48 hours after last flea bath). That will help...some.

[Tig]

I fully understand... My wife decided to put down her 18 year old dog Saturday. He was 7 when we met. He was a scruffy, blind (recently) dog that no one but her ever really bonded with, but it was time. He was having neuro problems and you could tell he was in pain. She was a wreck the rest of the weekend, but we all know it was the most humane thing to do.

I hope your family heals up quickly with the new kitteh. We take in adoptions and strays, too. Home is always active when you run a zoo!

[Bloozcat]

The little rascals worm their way into our hearts....

Whenever we've had a cat that had to be put down (2 now), I'm always the one that has to do the dirty work. But, as my wife says, they are my cats. Not that my wife doesn't love them too, but I'm the one who spends the most time with them.

I'm just glad it wasn't one of your kids or your wife who was hurt....:AOK

[mainestratman]

Lots of positive thoughts for you and your family. I was devastated when I had to put my last dog down... took me more than a year before I was emotionally ready to adopt another.

[oldguy]

Glad it wasn't one of the human family members who got hurt, but I still know losing a pet member of the family can be horrible. I ran over our pet dog years ago, and it was tough to get over. We had another that got ran over a few months later, by a neighbor. The one we have now wears a "shock" collar and knows better than to wander out into the street. He stays in our yard. It may sting him a little when he's been bad, but it's better than my wife and I crying over finding him in the ditch dead.
It's harder with cats, they get used to going where they please.
Sorry for your loss, it'll take time to get over.

[tjcurtin1]

Sorry to hear it - I had the same misfortune with a beloved cat of ours - took me weeks to get over feeling horrible about it.... Good thoughts your way.

[Algonquin]

Deepest compassion to you and your wife over this terrible incident... pets fill a void in our lives that we never knew existed.
Hopefully you will both will manage through this tough time...

All the best,
David

[otaypanky]

That's so very sad ~
Your wife must feel awful. So sorry to hear ~

[syo]

So very sorry to hear it. My heart goes out to you and especially your wife. I have twice tried to help cats who were mortally injured by another car. The experiences are burned in my memory. But to be in your wife's situation is really a tough one. I hope she can find some peace about this soon.

I wish the best to you both.

[Jimi75]

Sorry to hear that happening to the beloved cat!

The first five seconds of the situation with your thoughts regarding your kid is my personal horror scenario. I pray that this day will never come where I receive a call at work that something happened to my kids!

[Commodore 64]

Last night we dealt with it OK. Took the girls out to McDonalds for dinner (Their favorite, sue me). Bought $57 worth of cat toys for the new kitten, which will be picked up today. Wifey kept it together until about 2AM, woke up sobbing, reliving the event. That went on for a couple hours, but I think it was cathartic. Must be a horrible mental image though.

Tried to convince her that a new guitar (for me) was the perfect solution for her emotional distress. At least it got her to laugh.

[mainestratman]

You get the Balls of the Year award for that.

Glad things are slowly settling back down.

[Tig]

Last night we dealt with it OK. Took the girls out to McDonalds for dinner (Their favorite, sue me). Bought $57 worth of cat toys for the new kitten, which will be picked up today. Wifey kept it together until about 2AM, woke up sobbing, reliving the event. That went on for a couple hours, but I think it was cathartic. Must be a horrible mental image though.

Tried to convince her that a new guitar (for me) was the perfect solution for her emotional distress. At least it got her to laugh.
:applause

My wife has a habit of reliving events over and over. She tears up when she realizes the old dog isn't here. I haven't tried the new guitar suggestion yet! That's the kind of humor we have with each other, so it might get a laugh or smile out of her. :agree




She liked my reference to George Carlin's "Life is a series of dogs" routine:
"I love all my dogs. I love every dog I ever had. I remember em all. And I love every one of them. Still love all my dogs, and I've had me a lot of goddam dogs. In my lifetime, I have had me a bunch of different dogs. Because you do keep getting a new dog don't you? You just keep getting one dog right after another. That's the whole secret of life. Life...is a series of dogs. It's true! You just keep getting a new dog, don't you? That's what's good about them. They don't live too long. And you can go get a new goddam dog. Sometimes, you can get a dog that looks exactly like the dog you used to have. Right? You shop around a little bit, and you find a dog identical to your former dog. And that's real handy cause you don't have to change the pictures on your mirror or anything. Right? You just bring the dead one into the pet shop. Throw him up on the counter and say, "Give me another one of them. That was real good." And they'll give you a carbon copy of your ex-goddam dog."

[otaypanky]

Tried to convince her that a new guitar (for me) was the perfect solution for her emotional distress. At least it got her to laugh.

:applause Priceless!

[piebaldpython]

I hope your wife is feeling better these days.

My daughter and I have kidded aloud to my wife.....that WHEN her beloved, psychotic 7.3 lb toy poodle dies.....that she will be a mess for a long time. No friggin' doubt about it either, and she knows it.

So, I can't imagine the guilt that your wife must feel....because if my wife accidentally caused her dog to die......I'd be real darn worried about her around sharp object......Seriously.

[Brian Krashpad]

You get the Balls of the Year award for that.

Glad things are slowly settling back down.

+1.

Prayers and mojo.

[Commodore 64]

Thanks for all the support. Things are much better. The kitten is helping a lot.

[duhvoodooman]

The kitten is helping a lot.
For a change, I'm not posting this about gear, but the concept still applies:

:worthless

So let's see that cute little kitten.... :poke

[Commodore 64]

http://www.lucky-cricket.com/files/Rose.jpg

[Tig]

What an adorable little mess of a kitteh! I can't remember ever seeing marking like that.. Really cool and unique.

[duhvoodooman]

Heh heh--what a cutie! :AOK

[Commodore 64]

I know everyone loves happy endings...This is not one of those times.

Our 6-year old Husky, who has heretofore been perfect with our cats, flipped his lid. Killed the kitten last night. Kitten had snuck outside (our screen door didn't latch), and Ned killed her. We spent the night trying to find the kitten in the house. Found her dead outside at 4AM.

Ned was also acting very strange and aggressive towards our other dog this morning, since the killing. Ned also happened to be the best dog I've ever owned, great with kids, great personality. Ned is also now dead. :(

First Dio, then Rosie (kitten), and now Ned. What a ****ing week.

[duhvoodooman]

Wow, that sucks in a major way. Sorry to hear of your misfortune & my condolences.

[Eric]

I know everyone loves happy endings...This is not one of those times.

Our 6-year old Husky, who has heretofore been perfect with our cats, flipped his lid. Killed the kitten last night. Kitten had snuck outside (our screen door didn't latch), and Ned killed her. We spent the night trying to find the kitten in the house. Found her dead outside at 4AM.

Ned was also acting very strange and aggressive towards our other dog this morning, since the killing. Ned also happened to be the best dog I've ever owned, great with kids, great personality. Ned is also now dead. :(

First Dio, then Rosie (kitten), and now Ned. What a ****ing week.
Wow. Really sorry to hear that. Did you have to put down the dog or did something else happen that I missed?

[piebaldpython]

Oh man...what a shame and what a mess! So sorry to hear about it. Take care of yourself brother and don't beat yourself up over it either. Prayers and mojo.

[Commodore 64]

We put him down. :( We rescued him, as a stray, and he was the nicest, coolest dog I've ever had. He never would stand for other animals in our yard though. He was definitely a family dog, he wasn't an outside only dog or anything like that...When our golden retriever died, Ned seemed to get a little more Alpha type. He even started sneaking upstairs to pee on the dust ruffle on my wife's side of the bed.

He would always stare at the kitten. Like eerily just fixate and stare, but we've had the kitten for over a month...figured if he was gonna do something, he would have. And other than fixate and stare, he never growled or acted aggressive.

Digging a hole at 4AM this morning, I thought the wife was going to impale Ned with the shovel.

[oldguy]

Sorry to hear this, very sorry.

[Tig]

I'm sure that was a difficult decision to go through. The situation must have been one of those "no choice" type.
As the others said, try not to beat yourselves up over this.

[Eric]

We put him down. :( We rescued him, as a stray, and he was the nicest, coolest dog I've ever had. He never would stand for other animals in our yard though. He was definitely a family dog, he wasn't an outside only dog or anything like that...When our golden retriever died, Ned seemed to get a little more Alpha type. He even started sneaking upstairs to pee on the dust ruffle on my wife's side of the bed.

He would always stare at the kitten. Like eerily just fixate and stare, but we've had the kitten for over a month...figured if he was gonna do something, he would have. And other than fixate and stare, he never growled or acted aggressive.

Digging a hole at 4AM this morning, I thought the wife was going to impale Ned with the shovel.
It's very weird how territorial pets can be. I recently got married and my wife's cat (Cat1) was in my house for all of 18 hours, but it was 'his' domain when the cat I was catsitting (Cat2) re-joined, so now Cat1 constantly attacks Cat2 as part of an instinctual turf defense. It's weird, and it unfortunately makes me view Cat1 with a large amount of vitriol.

Again, sorry for the unfortunate turn of events.

[Commodore 64]

Thanks for the sympathy.

Days like this make the good ones even better. Hopefully I'll have pics of a new kitten for you tonight. :)

[Commodore 64]

The replacements:

http://lucky-cricket.com/files/kittens.jpg

http://lucky-cricket.com/files/kittens1.jpg

http://lucky-cricket.com/files/kittens2.jpg

http://lucky-cricket.com/files/kittens3.jpg

[sunvalleylaw]

The replacements:

[


Cute! I wish I was not allergic to cats. But those guys are way cuter than The Replacements I usually think of.

[Tig]

Very cute kittehs! Looks like the family is pleased.
Hopefully now, the drama will get lost on it's way to your house for a long time.

[piebaldpython]

OMG.....they are cute kittens. Best of luck with them.

[Commodore 64]

Those kittens are very cute. A bit less people oriented being feral rescues. We actually found a home for them because we rescued a third kitten who is very much like Rosie was. We decide that 5 cats was a little excessive, when someone at my wife's knitting group said she wanted 2 kittens!

So, to end this saga with a somewhat happy note, here is Phoebe and my wife Holly.

http://lucky-cricket.com/files/holly_Phoebe.jpg

[deeaa]

It's always very hard to have to put down your pet. I remember when I was five or so, my granddad's dog who was his only companion for a decade as grandma had died long ago - they were completely inseparable, granddad and the dog - anyway, then the dog growled at and bit (just a little nip) at my cousin who was maybe 10 months or so old...granddad never said a word, he just took the dog behind the cowhouse and shot it right there. You can't risk it when a dog bites even a little, but it must have been very hard for him to do it, I could tell it pained him enormously. But he never spoke of it, and nobody touched the subject, ever. But he didn't get a new dog for many years although he'd always had had one or two - used to be a hunter/forestkeeper and needed that sidekick hunting elk and bears and whatnot.

I have to probably put down my 18-year old cat...she's been with me thru such a lot, used to be able to sleep nowhere but only my hair and even shared my breakfast plate when she was small...but now she's old and pees too much in wrong places and seems kinda frail and pained now and then...with small kids in the house life must be too hard for her, so I probably need to put her to sleep soon. Not easy, even as I write this she's right here rubbing her cheeks against the laptop and my hand :-(

[Bloozcat]

Those are some really cute kittens...

I know how you feel deeaa. I had to put down my cat of 15-1/2 years last January and it was a sad day. She too became frail and was peeing all over the house.

We're right in the middle of a major make over in the house including tile throughout to replace the carpet on which the cat had her numerous "accidents". Once the work is completed in about another month or so, we'll start thinking about another kitten.

[Tig]

Life is a series of pet and carpet replacements.

[deeaa]

Life is a series of pet and carpet replacements.

Hehehe...except up here we don't use carpets, excep t maybe very rarely. Also nobody wears shoes inside, that I found weird that in the u.s. people just walk in in their shoes. Unheard of here. If the president walked in to visit, I would ask her to take off her shoes before coming in. But I bet she'd do it without asking.

[Tig]

Hehehe...except up here we don't use carpets, excep t maybe very rarely. Also nobody wears shoes inside, that I found weird that in the u.s. people just walk in in their shoes. Unheard of here. If the president walked in to visit, I would ask her to take off her shoes before coming in. But I bet she'd do it without asking.

We're a little slow here in the US! :wave:

In the city, we spend most of the time walking on man made surfaces. In the country and at farms, well, removing shoes and boots at the entry is more common, and for a reason! (no explanation required)

[Bloozcat]

Hehehe...except up here we don't use carpets, excep t maybe very rarely. Also nobody wears shoes inside, that I found weird that in the u.s. people just walk in in their shoes. Unheard of here. If the president walked in to visit, I would ask her to take off her shoes before coming in. But I bet she'd do it without asking.

No shoes is pretty normal around here...at least during leisure time and if you're not my wife...;)

It's more of a weather thing here, though. It's just cooler. So, it's inside and out with no shoes around the house. There isn't a tradition of taking off one's shoes when entering the house. And to think, my wife is of 100% Dutch extraction too. But since several generations have passed since the last of the Dutch immigrants in her family came over, they're all fully Americanized. No wooden shoes lined up at the door...:nope

Our house is going to be completely tile when it's finally finished, with area rugs in each room. I've about had it with the wall-to-wall carpet thing. High traffic areas always end up looking awful in a short period of time. And pets take a big toll as well.

[deeaa]

I hate floormats etc...just hardwood, parquet or tiling is best. Wife likes rugs...but it's always like this. Wash carpet. Within a week there's someone been sick on it. Cat hair by the shovel. Baby peed on it, cat puked as well. Wife spilled some red wine, me some beer or jaeger. Kid brings in muddy toy cars and dumps them there. Any luck, cat drags a huge dingleberry accross it too, trying to get it off its ***.

Once it's been quikly thus properly soiled...then nothing ever drops on em any more, till you wash the damn thing..it starts again. I swear clean rugs are MAGNETS for all kinds of dirt.

[Bloozcat]

I hate floormats etc...just hardwood, parquet or tiling is best. Wife likes rugs...but it's always like this. Wash carpet. Within a week there's someone been sick on it. Cat hair by the shovel. Baby peed on it, cat puked as well. Wife spilled some red wine, me some beer or jaeger. Kid brings in muddy toy cars and dumps them there. Any luck, cat drags a huge dingleberry accross it too, trying to get it off its ***.

Once it's been quikly thus properly soiled...then nothing ever drops on em any more, till you wash the damn thing..it starts again. I swear clean rugs are MAGNETS for all kinds of dirt.

Ahhh...to live with just a wife, no peeing babies, no muddy kids or grand kids, no little nieces or nephews, no neighbors kids. Just adults and at most, one well trained cat. :dance

[deeaa]

Every now and zen my missus packs the kids and goes to granny for a week, or a long weekend. Bless her for that...I can't tell you how much I enjoy being alone, I do nothing but make music all day and watch horror and sci-fi all night drinking beer. And most times host a party for band members or some old buddies.

Gotta remember to buy her a flower some day. I think I last did in '07 or so...