Goodbye to Cricket Miss Cakes

First I want to thank everyone in this forum for your help and kind words as we navigated this awful illness.
Especially @Wendy&Neko and @JeffJ. I don't know how I would've gone through this without the knowledgable advice I found here to keep her more comfortable and healthy as long as I could.
This forum is invaluable, especially until vets become more experienced with FD and acro.


Here is Cricket's passing story, followed by her living story:

Cricket passed away on Aug 30th around 8:10 pm
Her health had been strongly deteriorating over the previous 2 weeks. She hadn't stood up in days and had been eating and drinking only by syringe the last few days.
The day she died, we had snuggled in the morning, she actually wouldn't take food and barely water.

When I got back from work that eve- at 7pm, we cuddled for about 5 min on my chair, she fully melted into me, it was really precious.
But as I started attempting water and thought about testing, I noticed her ears had a blue tint to them. I knew she would be going soon as that meant she wasn't circulating enough oxygen.

Her breathing was slower than normal all week, but not emergency slow. In that moment, she snored, but didn't seem at all labored.
Regardless of her lack of mobility, she did not show any signs of actual pain.
The cbd oil seemed to give her a couple of days of relaxation too.

We spent about 30-40 min together like that. I sang her her song and told her about all the people that were thinking of her and that loved her. And I let her know I'd be ok.

I set her down so I could pee/change, and had put her near an open window, thinking it would be nice for her to get air. Within a few minutes, she started having a little labored breathing. There was a loud scrub jay outside, so I wondered if it was too much, so I put her in a lower spot on the couch.
The breathing was labored on the exhale.

She stopped, so I went to grab a snack before settling in on the couch with her and before I could, her labored breathing started again. I sat with her and pretty soon it turned to agonal breathing- which is difficult, but only lasted less than 30 seconds.
She let out her last breath with me looking into her eyes and my hands on her.

I cried all night long with her, then held a wake for her the next day. Friends came all day to pay respects, share stories, bring food and flowers. I had another visitor on the second day and then spent time alone with her. But it was time to say goodbye. It was too warm that weekend to do a traditional 3 day wake for her.
I took her to a crematorium that eve, 47 hrs after she passed. They were kind. (I was actually hoping to donate her body to research--thinking that vet students being able to see an acro kitty and look at her tumor would be helpful, but there weren't any schools in Portland)

I have her ashes on an altar with photos right now.
I'm heartbroken and grieving hard.

Life:
Cricket was with me for 12 years and one month, most of which we lived alone together. She came to me at about months old via an ex who found her at a garage sale--she had been abandoned by the neighbor.

I fell in love with that face and those colors and her ridiculously loving personality immediately. My ex and her friends named her Cricket already because her purr sounded like crickets chirping--it stuck and eventually we added the formal title of Miss Cakes to her name.

She lived with me in 8 homes and always adjusted easily to moving.
She was indoor/outdoor and a great adventurer and mouser-- always climbing up on roofs and partially up trees. Even at that, she never went too far away from the house and would come when I called her.

She loved the apt we lived in for 7 years because it was on a heavy pedestrian/low car street and she loved to come up to almost everyone that walked by and bring them a little bit of joy. She was a talker and a flopper!

She also just talked alot- more than any cat I've ever known. She'd announce herself when entering in her cat door, or any room really. She'd meow at the door when I came home.

And what a snuggler! Her favorite thing was to crawl in bed with me in the morning, just before I had to get up, and spoon. She also loved to just be with me and would generally follow me everywhere.
Her favorite scritches were when I would put my hand between her front legs and scratch her chest (NOT BELLY!)

Aside from the acro- which was about 1 1/2 yrs of problems (signs a yr before, but I didn't know what it was) she was a very healthy cat. Her main problems were a few bites and a couple of tail accidents causing her to wind up with 2 kinks in her super long, fluffy and expressive tail.
I loved that tail soooo much!
Even when she was super ill and couldn't speak or get up to great me at the door anymore, she flicked the end of her tail when I called her name.

Cricket was really the best cat I could have ever expected in my life. I loved her as a companion, a partner, a friend. She helped me through some really tough times and I will be forever grateful that we had over a decade together.

I'm glad I get to share some of that joy with you all.

 

Teresa, thank you so much for sharing the story of your life with Cricket. It brought tears to my eyes. Such a lovely bond between you two.

A piece of our acros stays in our hearts forever.

 

Thank you Wendy <3

 

Teresa - that is such a great story about Cricket's life and your time together with her. She was a great cat. Our Acro kittehs take even more care than diabetic kittehs. I think we form even deeper bonds with them. I'm glad you were able to spend good time with her through the years, and to be with her when she passed.

May her gentle spirit fly free. Cricket was loved.

 

Hello Teresa. Thank you for sharing Cricket's story; it was beautiful. I've been wondering how you were doing. Please remember to take care of yourself during this time. Cricket knew you loved her, and it was the greatest gift that you were with her as she left. I'm glad that you're able to focus on the good times you had together - and they were many. Hugs, and take care. (I just had to add that Rocket is a chatty kitty too - I loved what you said about Cricket "announcing herself" when she entered a room! So sweet.)

 

Thank you Jeff, it was really special to be with her in that moment. I could tell she didn't want to be alone

 

Thank you Karen, and all the love to Rocket and all the chatty kitties

 

That was such a touching tribute. Thank you for that. Cricket was a very lucky kitty, as were you lucky to have her as your companion.

 

What a beautiful life Cricket had with you. So sorry for your loss.

 

I am so sorry for your loss Teresa. What a sweet story, Cricket was so lucky to have you and you were blessed to have her. My prayers and thoughts are with you during this time of grieving and healing.

Fly free sweet Cricket

 

Thank you