I lost another cat today. Nicky died of natural causes this morning. He was about a hundred years old. I was his third home and I've had him about 8 years and he was old when I got him. I knew he was sick so I was going to take him to the vet after I got back from going to the doctor myself this morning, but when I got back he was in the process of dying. I wanted to take him and get him put to sleep so he wouldn't have to struggle, but the local vets were closed and by the time I would have gotten him to the Jackson area, he would have been gone anyway.

I'm sharing this because the internal debate as a pet owner with an ill pet has always been, "Do I put him to sleep or do I let nature take its course?" Well, this week, I've had to put one I loved dearly to sleep and I watched and petted and tried to comfort one while he died naturally. It made me realize that putting them to sleep is the more humane thing to do. Bobby was loving and purring and getting his head scratched and his tummy petted by me, the vet, and the vet tech up until the moment he died. He could feel that he was loved and he just went to sleep and it was over. The procedure literally took about two minutes. Nicky struggled, probably all night last night and this morning while I was at the doctor's office. His breath was labored. He was laying in his own urine because he lost control or his bladder. He gasped for breath until it was over. I would have rushed him to the vet to get him an injection to get it over with if they had been open. If anything positive has come of this, I know I will never have to struggle with deciding if euthanasia is the way to go again. The WHEN IS IT THE RIGHT TIME is what I'll struggle with.

It's a tough Christmas for me. Hug your pets tightly, my friends. And remember you're all they have, so be good to them. They're only with us for a short time.