Goodbye to Sierra
Laura and I had to make the decision this past week to put down our oldest cat, Sierra, who had been with us since ’98. She had cancer that treatments just weren’t affecting and we could tell she was just not the same cat she had been just a few months ago. Anyone who’s been through this kind of decision knows how difficult a choice it is.
Sierra was a bit stand-offish when it came to people – particularly at get-togethers we’d have Sierra would spend more time in our bedroom away from the strangers, only venturing out when she thought it was time to be fed. She was a sweet cat, though, and would often jump in Laura’s lap at night while we were watching TV and force Laura to pay attention to her. She was Laura’s cat, much as Sam had been mine.
Sierra had been on chemo and other medications to increase her appetite the past couple weeks, though it still didn’t keep her from growing skinny, almost frail. She didn’t eat much of her food when I put it down for her, and then I would need to pick up her bowl to keep her food from being scarfed down by Finncat. He probably thinks he’s being punished now that he no longer gets that extra food with Sierra being gone. But I noticed when I got out the bag of Cheetos, Sierra was right in my lap, even aggressive as she begged for those crunchy orange puffs. I was glad to oblige.
Sierra had always been a devil at the vet, so Laura left the office early Friday afternoon with one of her techs who had always been able to control Sierra when we had to draw blood on her. We took Sierra out to our porch – there was a steady breeze running through the trees and the sun had finally come out after a week of steady rain. The catheter was placed in with little trouble, and I held Sierra as Laura injected the anesthesia that put her to sleep. The last injection was then made and we said goodbye to our sweet cat.
Finn and Fiona remain to make our house a home, as Twain would have said, but we miss you, Sierra.
The Lower Frequencies 
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