On Friday, we had to put our 16 year old cat, Franklin, down. The previous few days, he was really lethargic and not eating and on Friday, we tried to get him to eat and drink, but he didn’t want any part of that. Nina took him to the vet and the news was bad; kidney failure, diabetes, and an infection. Poor Franklin was in a lot of pain.
Yes, I cried because he has been with us for 9 years; Nina and I adopted him from the Animal Defense League (we were his third owners). He was soft, loud, and very cuddly with us. Before Niko and when would I leave for work, Franklin kept Nina company and they became really close.
Trying to explain death of an animal to a 4 year was really hard for me since I was home with Niko while Nina was with Franklin at the vet. I told Niko that Franklin is old and that old things sometimes can’t be fixed and Franklin can’t be fixed and he won’t be coming home. It is very sad for all three of us, but we will be OK. One of the questions he asked and I avoided it, was what happens to Franklin’s body? I just diverted and talked about something else.
It will be weird not hearing him meow throughout the day. I am sorry, I am going to look at Franklin pictures right now and remember all the fun times we had. I am back and better now. He was my morning breakfast buddy and my school study partner since I started working from home and school.
I remember the first day with Franklin very well as I stayed with him in our bathroom while Nina went to the store to get cat supplies; yeah, we had nothing. Franklin and I had a very pleasant conversation about the house rules and as soon as Nina came back with a litter box, Franklin went and peed! Thank goodness, he was litter trained!
The first night we had at home with Niko; a week after he was born, I was sitting in a rocking chair, rocking Niko to sleep with my left hand and in my right hand, I had Franklin.
I definitely think Niko will remember Franklin as he really has a great memory. Yesterday a book arrived that he remembered Nina reading to him while he was nursing.
I will be the one who cleans and disposes all of the cat supplies. Most of the supplies were given to my brother on Saturday. Opened cat litter and cat food went in the trash and the unopened cat litter and cat food was donated to the vet where we took Franklin.
I am not the type of person who will tell social media my cat died and to have everybody reply I am sorry. This will be the only place I write about it.
