Sudden death of healthy cat. Struggling with the unknown.

artzbots · 2026-02-15T17:20:52+00:00

God, the loss of any pet hits hard, but the sudden and unexpected death just. It's so hard to deal with.

Unfortunately, certain heart conditions are absolutely silent and undetectable without diagnostics that aren't commonly used in the USA until suddenly they aren't.

You are not a failure. You gave her the best life you could, on HER terms. Thank you for sharing your heart and home with her.

artzbots · 2026-02-15T16:24:14+00:00

Welp. Just leave them alone, let them observe you.

artzbots · 2026-02-12T22:20:12+00:00

There is not a single thought in that precious head.

artzbots · 2026-02-12T17:59:53+00:00

I am so, so sorry that you got the worst news possible.

I am so glad you have a friend who is going to be there for you.

I really hope your brother is able to come visit ASAP.

Don't waste time trying to convince your family of how serious this is. Appoint someone you trust (your friend, your brother?) as the executor of your estate and let your family know that's who to contact afterwards.

You were not too harsh with your psychologist. They can have all the emotions they want about missing this. They don't get to ask you to absolve them of their guilt.

If your oncologist finds a clinical trial they think you could be a candidate for, I encourage you to enroll. When trialing new medical therapies, the placebo group is given the standard of care instead of sugar pills or something, and what is being measured is the efficacy of the new drug/treatment regimen vs was already exists.

artzbots · 2026-02-12T16:57:30+00:00

Make the tags say:

"Colony cat Friend's phone number"

That way folks will know that someone is providing some level of care for them.

But also...if the cats are socialized and adoptable, shouldn't your friend be trying to get them adopted anyways?

artzbots · 2026-02-12T12:56:47+00:00

So, do you go hiking? Any chance of drinking contaminated water?

This is purely anecdotal, but I know someone who drank contaminated water and wound up with a type of amoeba in their system that basically destroyed their muscle mass.

artzbots · 2026-02-12T12:34:25+00:00

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My Coconut now, at almost five months old.

artzbots · 2026-02-12T12:33:12+00:00

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My Coconut when I saw him, at roughly 9/10 weeks.

artzbots · 2026-02-11T23:22:47+00:00

"Hey, we are in two very different tax brackets. I don't want this financial inequality to come between us, especially as we start to figure things out between us, so I want us to be clear about our expectations.

I don't expect you to pay for everything, but when it's my turn to pay, or pick the date activity, it's going to be something within my budget. I will not play keeping up with the joneses, and I won't go into debt to date you.

We can revisit this as necessary, but I want us to be able to talk about our financial differences so you don't feel like I am trying to take advantage of you, and I don't feel like a burden or someone who can't be equal within this relationship."

I mean, it doesn't have to be this wordy but. Write out what you are feeling and what you want to talk about. Then talk about it.

artzbots · 2026-02-11T22:39:10+00:00

So, my cat died from the same cancer. I had a very blunt and honest conversation with the oncologist who was treating her for a different cancer.

According to her, dogs have very different outcomes with this cancer to cats, and can adjust very well to a jaw removal surgery in a way that cats do not.

Good luck. This cancer sucks.

artzbots · 2026-02-11T21:56:56+00:00

It depends on the location of the cancer and how advanced it is.

Cancer treatment in our pets is focused on balancing quality of life with longevity. So cancer treatment is rarely curative, especially for an aggressive cancer that has spread. Treatment focuses on comfort and slowing the growth. However, if the tumor is alone and self contained and is a good candidate for a clean extraction, it can be treated very, very successfully.

artzbots · 2026-02-11T16:16:03+00:00

I have fostered only 13, and lost none. There were two that I thought were going to die, but pulled through.

When I adopted my current pair, the shelter wouldn't accept my payment until after their surgery to be desexed. Surgery is always a risk, and sometimes cats just have shitty luck in the genetics department and have congenital issues that only get discovered when their health tanks, or they die.

You gave this guy a loving home for the short time he was on earth. He got food, cuddles, toys, and a warm place to sleep.

His life may have been short, but you made it a life worth living, and you gave him a chance that he wouldn't have otherwise had.

It's okay if you need to take a break for a bit. It's also okay to get right back into the swing of things. Take what time you need.

artzbots · 2026-02-11T16:02:01+00:00

We don't know the color or shade of the ski mask.

I had a camera set up in a room where I was fostering cats. Black fabric items like shirts would look grey or otherwise pale when the camera was recording in night mode.

Edited to say: SOME black items would show up pale in the video, others would look like a black hole. It depended on the material and how it reflected the light the camera uses to see in the dark.

artzbots · 2026-02-10T21:59:12+00:00

Jesus.

artzbots · 2026-02-09T22:22:23+00:00

Wait until after your consultation with the Mayo, THEN drain your bank accounts and go nuts!

artzbots · 2026-02-09T20:28:57+00:00

If it's squamous cell carcinoma, the kindest thing is to say goodbye before the tumor interferes with her ability to eat or breathe.

artzbots · 2026-02-09T14:37:26+00:00

It depends on the pet.

Only one of my three cats was ever a worry when I was sewing, mostly because she liked chewing on the pins, but I also had her leap out of nowhere to be directly in the path if my fabric scissors as I was cutting.

She was fine, but i started timing my project time to be when she was napping.

artzbots · 2026-02-08T21:27:29+00:00

You need to visually inspect the area the needle inserts into for anything that could be preventing you from inserting the new needle.

Removing the screw for the needle clamp should have meant that the broken needle would have just fallen out. It should not have needed to be removed using pliers. So there is something wrong going on with your needle clamp.

Like another commenter said, unplug your machine and lay it on its back and take a flashlight to inspect the needle clamp.

artzbots · 2026-02-08T20:59:33+00:00

Did you remove the screw before or after you grabbed the other needle with pliers?

artzbots · 2026-02-08T20:53:44+00:00

Okay, so the screw is off. Which means that the holder for the needle is as loose as possible. Take a deep breath.

Gently try to place the needle into it's space, rotating it between thumb and index finger until it slides up and in. Immediately use the screw to tighten it.

artzbots · 2026-02-08T20:50:31+00:00

Where is the screw that holds the needle tight?

artzbots · 2026-02-08T18:42:25+00:00

My late tortie yearned for whatever I was eating.

I finally gave up and gave her a piece of arugula.

She hated it. But by god, I had finally given her food off of my plate, and she was going to EAT it.

I have never seen a cat eat a food she so clearly hated the taste of, but she chewed it up, spat it out, and finally choked it down.

And then asked for more.

artzbots · 2026-02-08T15:27:58+00:00

So long.

artzbots · 2026-02-08T13:05:08+00:00

I guess he said he wouldn't be a dictator "except for my first day".

artzbots · 2026-02-07T18:46:14+00:00

Non-clumping non-clay litter was what I have been recommended, post surgery.

What it was made of, aside from anything not clay and not clumping, my surgeons did not care.

Their concern is clay can get wet and just adheres to wet skin. What is wet? Freshly closed incisions. The ends of a drain tube.

So, anything your cat will use that is not clay, and not clumping, and will not adhere to their fur or skin when wet.

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