Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Out With The Bad.....

Part of animal rescue is accepting the good with the bad.  But today was a downright shitty day.  Waking up to authorizing the euthanasia of our darling "Tater Tot" brought my day to a standstill:

Tater was great at our adoption event!  Happy, playful and energetic.  By Monday night, he was obviously sick.  By this morning, he was dying.  We did a viral test to put the foster parent's minds at ease and it was negative.  Now we'll just have to guess as to why our little "dumpster kitten" died. 

But with rescue, "standstill" isn't always possible.  I drove out to meet another foster Mom and picked up our big ol' (former) Tom cat named "Manny".  Apparently, a family at Petsmart fell in love with him and is willing to give him a FOREVER HOME.  The Animal Services originally wanted to include this guy as part of their barn cat program citing that he wasn't adoptable.  Boy, were they wrong!    We called him Mr. Big Cheeks .  It was a happy moment for me and for the foster Mom that took a chance on him. 

Maybe it's the terrible weather today, but I've been unable to shake losing our Tater Tot.  Even watching a happy family take Manny home today wasn't enough.  I wish there had been a more definitive reason for him becoming so ill.  The problem with experienced rescuers, is that we ALL think we're smarter than veterinarians sometimes and we second guess ourselves. 

My oldest son is coming out tonight to pick up "his two cats":  Parker and Butters.  They've only ever lived with me, and I'm feeling nostalgic about letting them go with him.  Will my son remember "Snack Time" at 9 pm?  Will he scoop the litterbox?   He adores these two cats and is 24 years old.  I still feel uneasy and hope that those feelings will pass.  Whenever my son visits us, Parker and Butters RUN to him.  They adore him and it was the agreement when we adopted them:  When my son moved out - he would take Parker and Butters. 

Tomorrow will be a better day.  (I wish I had a nickel for every time I ended a blog post with THAT statement!)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Beth, I am SO sorry to hear about darling Tater Tot.
Sometimes we just never know what happened. I have had this happen to me a few times with what I thought were healthy kitties. With our Damien, at 8 PM the little guy came to chat with me ( I thought ) and by bedtime at 10 PM..he was not there for his bedtime snack. I found him lying under my Hubby's desk..just lying there like he was sleeping. It broke my heart..I loved that little guy so ! We never knew..was it a heart attack...what happened ..not a sign of anything wrong. At least he didn't suffer a long illness and then die..and I think you and the foster parents need to console yourselves with that. Tater Tot was given all the care and love that he deserved.
As for Parker and Butters ..we all know that kitties will always demand what is rightfully theirs..lol..your Son will be reminded if he doesn't come forth with meals at meal time and treats at treat time, lol...Kitties always amaze me how they can train us. They ARE very good at looking after themselves ..I don't really think you need worry..I suspect .it is the" Letting go" that is the hard part for "mommy" ....My condolences to all concerned on the loss of Tater Tot...
Gail

Renee said...

I think Manny finding a forever home is wonderful. Don't let such an amazing event get lost in the sadness of Tater Tot's passing. Manny now has years ahead of him as a loved member of a family - yay! We'll miss sweet little Tater terribly, but today was a happy day, too.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Beth..tried to keep my comment short, but DO want to add how delighted I am about Manny.... so happy to hear about him being adopted..Thank you for another life saved ..Keep up the wonderful work ! Gail

Rhonda said...

Re your son taking the two kitties: now you have space for two more foster cats!

Anonymous said...

Sending virtual hugs! So sorry about the kitten, so happy he had a safe loving home if only for a short time.

Wanted to let you know Zoey, my little white kitten is fitting in perfectly. Zoey has been renamed Tiger Lily.

She was almost named crack of dawn, crack for short because she is most awake and wanting to play when the birds start to sing. Lily is a doll she comes every day for a snuggle and often sleeps leaning against my legs when I am in the recliner. She is snuggling now as I type this. She has a loud purr and a squeaky meow when hungry.
When she met Harpurr (my old flamepoint Siamese) they went nose to nose for a few seconds and then she gave him a head butt and he pinned her for a bath. No hissing or chasing.

With her build, small bones, long skinny body, huge ears she is likely part siamese. Her eyes are just like tiger eyes, I have never seen any eyes that shade of yellow before just like marigolds.

She is a comfort to me as Harpurr is fading. He continues to loose weight, it is so sad to see him waste away.

Hundreds of dollars in diagnostics and vet fees and there is nothing more to be done.

Thinking about you and Maggie -

Harpurr and Lily's Mom

Connie - Tails from the Foster Kittens said...

I don't think rescue people think they know MORE then vets, but they more often then not have much more experience in the areas that they deal with all the time.

I am sorry Tater's loss is hitting you so hard. I hope you can remember through the grief what wonders you were able to give him.

Congrats to Manny and all involved in his adoption story.

Random Felines said...

We are so sorry about Tater Tot. Sometimes there is just nothing we can do - and we have had similar issues with kittens and mom's heart breaks a little every time.

We know that Parker and Butters are in good hands - your son has you as an example. :)

Caroline said...

Sorry to read about Tater Tot, even though his life was short you and all involved filled it with love. He is still luckier than most. Congrats on Manny finding a forever home.
I think it is good that Butters and Parker are leaving home as it will mean more room for foster tabbies and less poop to scoop. You've taught your son well he has learned by example and the kitties will keep him in line if he forgets!