Some Sad News…

I haven’t been blogging as much the last year, and it is something I really wanted to get back to this year.  Between covid and some family health issues, the last year has been a struggle for me.  The last few weeks have been the worst.

It is with a broken heart that I must inform you all that Oliver has gained his angel wings.  A little over a month ago we noticed he just seemed off, and took him to the vet.  After numerous tests,  scans, and vet visits,  it was determined he was hypercalcemic and had bone cancer.  After a week or so of steroids and medication, he perked up and was almost back to his usual self.   The medication wasn’t a cure, it was palliative care we knew it could be days or weeks before it would be time to assess his quality of life.  Last weekend he started to decline and by Wednesday he was declining rapidly.  We knew we didn’t want to wait until morning so we went to the emergency vet.  I called ahead to find out what the Covid protocols were and they said we would able to go inside for the procedure. Our usual vet had previously sent his information over to them so there was no need for them to do their own exam and tests.

Everyone we encountered at the emergency vet was absolutely wonderful and compassionate.  They let us spend as much time with him as we needed, and when we were ready (but who is ever really ready for it), we pressed the call button and the vet came in.   We will get his ashes in a few more days, as well as a paw print.

Our usual vet was very kind during this whole process.  When she first diagnosed Oliver she had sent his results over to the specialists at the Emergency Vet for a second opinion.  Our local emergency vet has all kinds of specialists from oncologists, cardiologists,  ophthalmologists , etc.   She knew I couldn’t afford to see the specialists at the emergency vet – plus with Covid, I would have to drop him off at the emergency vet in the morning, and pick him up at night – or possibly the next day, depending on how busy they were.  They were able to recommend some further testing and some medications without me having to bring him in. She knew I wanted to spend as much time with Oliver as possible given the diagnosis.  She performed the extra tests and scans in her own office which saved me a TON of money.

 

The house seems so empty without him.  Harleys lost without his brother, and we are feeling lost as well.  The 3 of us are just trying to help each other deal with the grief.

When I first started this blog around 2007, we had just Harley and Jewel. In January 2012 we brought Oliver, a stray we were taking care of inside.  Then there were 3 kitties filling our home with love.  In February 2018 we lost Jewel to Kidney Disease.  Now we have lost Oliver to Cancer and we only have one cat.  We thought about getting another cat from a rescue group in a few months when we are further along in our grief, but Harley HATES changes to his routine, and at age 15 we don’t want to cause any undue stress to him.

So for now we will just give him extra kisses and cuddles and try to stick to the same routine he is used to us having.

Here are some pictures of Oliver “bubs” “white paws”