Josh

Josh - February 2012

Last Friday I found Josh laying on the floor of my bedroom.  His mouth was open and he was breathing, well, like Darth Vader.  Every breath seemed to be a chore to him.  I was already home from work due to a lovely case of shingles.  I immediately called his doctor's office and my mom and I rushed him in.

Josh was sick.  Critically ill.

The night before he was quiet and he had a small cough.  I noticed that he had skipped breakfast Friday morning which was not like him.  Typically Josh eats first and then I have to refill the bowl for Alice and Stella.

We did x-rays.  His chest cavity was filled with fluid.  We did blood work.  His liver was shutting down and his enzymes were all wrong.  We tried to remove the fluid but it wasn't working well.  He became completely stressed out and his breathing worsened.  He was on oxygen and he was suffering pretty bad. The fluid began collecting in his abdomen.

The vet believes it was Feline Infectious Peritonitis.  Untreatable, always fatal.

In the end, we decided to end his pain and fear.  I hugged his little face and told him how much we loved him.  How awesome he was.  What a good buddy he was.  How much happiness he brought to us.  I whispered in his ear to wait for me at the Bridge.  Once there he would find Mulligan and Hannah and Freda and Klyde and Brandy and Tigity.  All my buddies, all loved and missed.  I kissed him between his ears and for just a moment I heard his pur.

I find I still look for him on my bed every night.  Or expect him to come running through the yard at dinner.  Clancy spent a few nights searching for his nap-time buddy and decided that a creamer box from the recycling bin was a solid choice for a replacement.  He carried that empty container around for three days and finally abandoned it Tuesday.  

Seth cried his eyes out.  Saturday morning when we buried Josh, Seth helped out.  Autumn was still on her senior trip, Aaron, JP, Danielle, Lauren and Danielle's friend Brei were all there too.  Seth was worried we would forget where in the yard he was so my sisters bought him a rock with a solar light in it.  At bedtime he can see the light from his window and he says goodnight to Josh and blows him a kiss.

Josh passed away on April 27, 2012.  Mulligan left us on April 25, 2009.  Two amazing dudes, both lost before their second birthdays.  Both missed so very much.