A gift, a special linkup and a message - thanks to my cat

 I can't thank you enough for your heartfelt wishes and prayers you've offered my way the past few days.

Not only are you expressing your thoughts online, Cindy and LeeAnn, two local readers gave me some beautiful flowers. I was so surprised! How can this colour NOT make you smile through tears?!?

 And also this rockin' awesome giftcard to Starbucks! Oh my dear grande cinnamon dolce latte, I shall be there soon! My son likes the Jones rootbeer so we're planning a date. And we will toast our little Beethoven and the gals while we enjoy. Thanks so much, girls! Very touching.

 And someone was watching the entire photoshoot of the gifts.

This is my little girl Teddy, short for Teddy Bear. She's loaded with special quirks and one of them is overseeing EXACTLY what I'm up to all day long. She's been my little protector lately, helping to calm the storm.

 Here I am banging out work in my downstairs office Thursday. She generally hangs around on the window sill in front of the monitor, so it's an extra special treat when she cuddles up against the keyboard. Stressed about work deadlines? A little pet and purrrr moment wipes that out quite nicely.

Talk about a dentist's dream!

Ahhh, she's my special little girl. And she's getting extra cuddles these last few days.

I miss my boy so much but am keeping busy. Busy is better than overthinking something you can't have back, ya know?

What every cat owner should know

My pets are the indoor variety so they didn't travel to the vet on a regular basis due to that.

Some cats don't show deterioration when something is wrong. Beethoven was one of them. While he lost weight, I summed it up to old age. The day he lost his balance, I raced him in. And that's when the bad numbers hit the fan and I was told in no uncertain terms how dangerous it was to attempt to nurse him back to health. Ask your vet what can happen when they're at the ending stages of kidney failure. It's not pretty.

Kidney failure is very common in cats simply because they use their kidneys HARD. They can get the failure from lots of things, but the most common for healthy cats is simply old age. That was Beethoven.

What my vet wants to say

Every cat over the age of 13 needs to be checked out.

Don't mess with this. While you can't remove the disease once they have it, you can slow it down. Had I known of Beethoven's illness, I MAY have gotten him to live 2 more years. His level of stage 4 was pretty dramatic.

It's just so shocking to think things are fine and then have him gone in a blink of an eye. I had no idea. No idea.

I was very blessed to have this perfect pet that didn't even 'put me out' when he was at his very worst. His deterioration the last two days was mind boggling. It was if I was given a heads up so I could say my goodbyes. It was an absolute privilege to care for him the way I did the last two days.  The last day he slept on my bed, I knew it had to be the last regardless. I'm so glad I gave him one last shot. I'll never forget it. Or him.

If pets do go to Heaven and I'm given a choice on a special pet to hold and to love for eternity, this big guy's on my list. So look for us when you join us too, ok? I'd like to show you how special he is. :)

You can catch all the updates on Beethoven HERE.

 

A special pet themed SNS
next weekend

We're always taking photos of our homes for show and tell and sometimes our animals get caught in the mix as an afterthought. I'd like to give you some homework.

I'd like to host a themed linkup next weekend for SNS on getting those precious shots with your pets.

One day they will be gone and that's all you be left with. And I guarantee you, those shots will be priceless. Ask me how I know.

I delayed getting some excellent shots of Beethoven when he was sick because I anticipated on bringing him home again. But I was wrong.  He didn't come home again and I feel sad about not taking that extra step.

Don't let the same happen to you. Do a photoshoot of your special furry friends in your home alongside your favorite decor. Capture the essence of your decorating along side your buddy and you will have a portrait that will mean the WORLD to you once your pets are gone.

This one's for Beethoven. And for yourself.

See you next weekend with PETS IN YOUR HOME as the 3rd themed linkup. Thank-you Ann, for this wonderful idea. It's a GREAT one.

If you're new here and don't know what SNS is, click HERE for last weekend's installment)

SNS 81 this weekend

SNS 81's draft disappeared due to Blogger maintenance. If it isn't back by 6pm pacific, there will be no SNS this weekend. I'll check back at that time to see if things are back on track. If not, use the time to get those pets involved. You'll never regret it!

The vintage hardware theme will simply be moved to the weekend after the pet theme so save those drafts!

Next week - we're back in full DIY swing again! Lots of fun happening so get ready to play along! :)