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

[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....

[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.

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.




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.

Priceless!