Goodbye Butch

Today we have to put our cat, Butch, to rest.

He has been steadily loosing weight for a few weeks, his eyes are cloudy, he has been listless, recently he has been drooling a lot and after finding blood in the drool last week, we noticed a large lump under his jaw.  After a visit to the vet we discover that he has a Salivary Mucocele.  The doctor said he would need surgery, but after a family meeting we all agreed that it wasn't in his best interest to put him through that. There is no need to prolong his suffering and put him through all the trauma of the surgery when we all -- including our vet -- know that he doesn't have much longer with us.

Butch has been a part of our family for 16 years!  He and Kitty are older than the kids on my brother's soccer team!!  These cats have lived in 3 countries, 4 states and 15 homes.  They have traveled from the East coast to the West coast and back, all in an RV with 4 people and a bird.  They have flown overseas 3 times.  They have stayed with family while we lived in a country where they could not join us.  They have reluctantly welcomed several other animals into their home, but have always been our family members.  Kitty and Butch are brother and sister from the same litter, and they have never spent more than a few hours apart from each other their entire lives.  Doesn't that blow you mind a bit????  They take care of each other.  They communicate with each other.  They fight.  They are family!  It breaks my heart to think what it will be like for Kitty girl after today.  To no longer have that communication and companionship... after 16 years of knowing nothing different.  She will be taken care of, for sure.  Daddy is determined to give her extra loving and attention so she won't be lonely.  I'm so worried about her flying back to TX with us... she will be all alone in the cargo area.  :(  My poor babies.

So, today at 3:30 p.m. my mom and brother are taking Butch to be put to rest. We are going to have him cremated, bring him home to Texas and bury his ashes with a new plant in the corner of our yard where he would always go hang out.   He loved it out there.

We love you, Butchy, and we will miss you very much.