Earlier this week my husband and I made the hard decision to end Buster’s battle with advanced kidney disease. He had lost so much weight and was barely eating.
Our vet’s office was amazingly kind and thoughtful during the process. I was able to text them to arrange the appointment because I knew I wouldn’t be able to speak on the phone without breaking down. I went in to the office Thursday for the paperwork and payment so we wouldn’t have to deal with it yesterday. Our long time vet and a tech came to our home and compassionately took care of his last moments on earth.
I am trying to think about the good memories instead of these last few months of illness and decline. Sharing his story is the first step.
A Life Well Lived
We adopted Buster in July 2003. We were looking for a second cat and my husband found him at the Oceanside Humane Society. He was a six week old ball of fluff that purred like crazy when Steve petted him.
The policy was to have the cats neutered before getting to bring them home but when they took him for the procedure, he had kennel cough so no surgery and we got to take him home for 4th of July.
Buster the Boss
He had a large personality and quickly became king of the house (and the kitty throne) once he became larger than Tigger, our older cat at the time.
When we brought home a puppy 12 years ago, he let Charger know who was in charge and even though that puppy grew to more than 50 pounds that pecking order never changed.
Until the end we had to put Buster in another room when feeding Charger or he’d help himself to the dog food while Charger would patiently sit and wait until Buster was done.
Everyone’s a Friend
He was like a dog in terms of friendliness. Anyone who came to our home was greeted in hopes of pets. He’d jump right into their laps if they sat down on the couch.
Like a lot of cats, Buster loved suitcases, boxes and bags. You put an open one down and he was in it. Despite his affection for suitcases, he did not like to travel in the car though.
Buster moved with us in 2004 to Kansas and then back in 2006. It was not fun hearing him tell us about his displeasure in the hotel rooms each night.
Oh yes, this cat was a talker. He gave us earfuls whenever we returned from vacations but quickly accepted our apologies and loving petting.
Living on in Memories
We’ve lost three other cats before Buster but never had one as long. Just as we still remember and talk about Murphy, Aggie and Tigger we will do so for Buster. We feel blessed to have had so much time with him yet sad it had to end.
I hope there is a heaven because I look forward to sitting with Buster in my lap in front of his favorite heater sharing our love. Until then, good-bye Buster. You were loved!
Leave a Reply