Death in the Family

The only bad thing about owning a dog or cat is that you'll outlive them.  A few years ago Main Lady and I were having dinner with another couple who lived out in Gibsonburg.  This was in the summer, and in the middle of dinner we saw a little cat prowling around the front porch.  Our host explained that the cat originated from the hillbillies next door, and that he'd like to adopt her but he was deathly allergic to cats.  Main Lady promptly went outside to feed her, after which the cat climbed the front door screen to get a better look at the people inside, hoping for more food.  Our host was tolerant, and explained that the little cat came out to see him every evening when he came home from work, and that the hillbillies next door didn't want her.  In point of fact, he'd stopped them from trying to kill her on several occasions.  So we adopted her.  Main Lady named her Ivy, for her propensity to climb everything in sight.

Ivy

Ivy was an excellent cat, and taught both dogs how to play with her.  Main Lady's old dog, Snella (a Swedish term of endearment) would push Ivy around on the linoleum floor with her nose and the two would sometimes chase each other around the house.  We got Excellent Rachmaninoff after Snella passed, and Ivy was very patient with the puppy, letting him pull her around the linoleum floor by her tail or ears.  Ivy would wait until Rachmaninoff was watching her, then she'd run around the living room which induced him to chase her.

About a month ago the veterinarian discovered that Ivy had a large tumor in her abdomen.  The vet tried drug treatments, but the drugs didn't work well enough to shrink the tumor.  Then Ivy stopped eating regularly and lost weight, and late last week she finally stopped eating altogether.  On Friday, May 14 2010 Main Lady made Ivy's final appointment with the veterinarian.  I went along to help support her and we had Ivy euthanized.

Ivy - May 14, 2010

Sometimes life just sucks.