Anne and I took Felix to his vet on Monday for a blood panel. We hoped the results would let us know what our next step was.
Of course, the blood work came back yesterday that his red cell count is extremely low (17 or 19 or something like that) and his kidney values are very high. But his vet said that he’s not suffering unless he’s vomiting or some other stuff that I’ll spare you all. She told us that our options were to put Felix to sleep, or give him Epogen injections three times a week, sub-q fluids twice a day, liquid vitamins and an aluminum hydroxyde suspension each morning, and hope that all that helps him feel better.
It sounds like an awful lot, doesn’t it? Anne and I talked about it, and tried to figure out what was best. We are absolutely dedicated to doing what is best for Felix, and we’re not going to prolong his life simply because we don’t want to say goodbye . . . but if we can help him feel better, and have good quality of life then we want to do whatever we can afford to do. We asked his vet how she thought he’d respond to all this stuff, and she told us that she didn’t know. Apparently, it varies an awful lot from kitty to kitty. She told us what I’ve heard from hundreds of WWdN readers: “Your cat will let you know if he’s ready to go, or if he wants to stick around and try to feel better.”
The thing is, I’ve really felt like Felix has been telling us that he doesn’t feel well, and he’s really over it. He doesn’t want to be cuddled or scratched, or loved, and when I come near him he complains at me and slowly walks away.
Our choice should be pretty clear, right?
I wish it was.
We spent most of yesterday agonizing about it, and we eventually decided to let Felix tell us what we should do. The only question was . . . how?
About two weeks ago, Sketch had a couple of days where he seemed to really go downhill. His breathing was up to almost 50, and he had that freaked out look in his eyes that he had the weekend that we found out he had CHF. I made several frantic phone calls to his vet and his kitty cardiologist, and they advised me to give him extra medication to clear his lungs. After several hours, he was down to the low 40s, but was clearly still struggling. I worried that the medicine just wasn’t enough, and I hated seeing him in so much discomfort, so I sat down next to him on the floor in my bedroom and said, “I know that you’re feeling pretty lousy right now, and if you’re tired of medications and trips to the vet and feeling this way, I understand. I love you, and you’ve brought a lot to my life, but if you’re really suffering, I don’t want to force you to stay alive. But if you want to fight, we can help you feel better, and your doctors have told me what to do.” I scratched his little head and told him that he could let me know what he wanted me to do.
Okay, I realize how insane this sounds. Normally, I’m a pretty cold and rational person, and I would scoff at the idea of talking to my cat like he’s a person. I know, I know. It’s lame, right? But I don’t think it’s much different than praying, or asking the universe for help, or keeping someone in your thoughts, or anything like that. It’s just . . . it’s just putting a little bit of hope (or faith, or whatever) into Something Else. I’d never let it take the place of things like medication, trips to the doctor, or good solid science . . . but we humans have all these constructs in our minds, and sometimes we do some pretty silly things to stay comfortable. At times like this, I don’t care if I’m anthropomorphizing my pets. If I can assign some human qualities to their body language or behavior and feel a little closer to them, so be it.
I finished talking to Sketch, kissed the top of his head, and left him alone. I hoped the medicines would work, and I hoped that he’d “tell” me that he was feeling better. I walked out to the kitchen, called his vet, and had The Talk with her. She told me what my options were, and when I hung up the phone I just sat in there and stared at a blank AbiWord document for what seemed like hours.
It was actually closer to thirty minutes or so when I walked out into my living room, and saw Sketch. He was sitting up, eyes bright, in the middle of the floor.
“How you feeling, fatty?” I said.
He meowed at me. It was bright and clear. No gurgling. I crouched down, and he walked over to me, purring loudly. He rubbed his face against my hands, and walked little circles around me for a minute or so. Finally, he lay down on his side next to me and closed his eyes. He continued to purr.
I pet him for a bit, and he fell asleep. I counted his breaths: he was in the low 30s and he seemed to be doing fine. Clearly, the medication was working. Why it chose that particular moment to work rather than hours earlier when the vet said it should have is beyond me, and I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that I’d just had “The Talk” with my cat . . . and now I’m starting to realize how stupid I sound so I’ll just stop this right now. The bottom line is: whether it’s a coincidence or not, I asked Sketch to let me know what he wanted me to do, and I felt like he was telling me that he had some fight left in him. He continues to improve, and he’s been sleeping on my chest or on his back between me and Anne every night since then.
In fact, when I got home from What’s My Line tonight, Sketch hopped off my bed, walked with me into my office, and is currently on his back at my feet. I can hear him purring over the soft hum of my CPU’s fan.
Again, I’m really struggling with the . . . uh . . . metaphysical(?) aspect of this whole thing, but to get back to my point:
I walked out onto my patio this afternoon, and found Felix sleeping in this blanket I got from Think Geek that we call “The Geek Blanket.” It’s all fleecy and soft and snuggly, and all my animals love to sleep in it. (We put it on the patio near the spot Felix’s been spending most of his time, and stuck one of his catnip mice in it, because we thought it would help him feel more comfortable.) I was on the phone with my manager, telling him how Felix was doing.
“So we’re going to see what Felix wants us to do,” I said. “I know it sounds stupid, but I’m going to talk with him, and take the advice of our vet: Felix will tell us what he wants us to do.”
While I was talking about him, Felix looked up at me, walked over to where I was on the patio, and did the same thing Sketch did: the walk, the meowing, the nuzzling, the whole thing. I hung up the phone, and had “The Talk” with him. Yes, I know how stupid this sounds, and believe me it sounds insane to me to write it down . . . but it’s what I did. While I talked to him, he was more affectionate and vocal than he’d been in days.
I hung up the phone and called the vet. I told her that we’d try the vitamins and shots. When I hung up with her, Anne called.
“I thought about it, and I want to at least try to help Felix for a week. If he’s not feeling better, and if he’s got no quality of life, we’ll say goodbye to him and put him to sleep . . . but I couldn’t live with myself if we just gave up on him.”
I told her about him walking around me, just like Sketch. I told her how stupid it feels to talk about this like I had some kind of mystical conversation with my cats, but the bottom line is that we both really know what’s going on, and we know the odds are against us. But Felix’s vet says that he’s not in pain, and there’s a chance that he may respond positively to this treatment. It’s not too expensive, and we’ll see what happens in the next three to five days.
I’m exhausted, and I don’t know if this makes much sense. I started writing it before I left for ACME tonight, and I just don’t have the energy to edit or rewrite it. But people are e-mailing about Felix and Sketch, and I figure that if I’m going to share my concerns, at least I should share their progress.
Thanks for your comments and e-mails, and for keeping us in your thoughts.
Discover more from WIL WHEATON dot NET
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
You don’t sound lame or nonsensical at all, Wil. We just wen through this with our kitty a few weeks ago and reading your post brings it all back. We went through the same thing – try one last ditch effort at treatment or let Sunny go. Were we trying to treat him for him or for us? We decided to try the last ditch effort for a few days and see if it did anything. Because if it could have pulled him through, and we didn’t try it, I’d always wonder. As it turned out, it looked hopeful at first and he seemed better and then he took a turn for the worse. And he seemed so sick and unhappy we opted to put him to sleep. The last hour we spent with him assured us it was the right thing since he was obviously suffering by that point.
It’s never easy – but it’s good to know you did everything you could within reason to save him. And I’m sure he doesn’t want to leave you any more than you want him to leave. You will all be in my thoughts and I hope both Sketch and Felix will have a lot more quality time with you guys.
I think I’ll go pet my kitty now. And we’ll both send our good kitty mojo your way.
It IS NOT stupid to talk to your cats. 🙂
Sometimes when you need to talk to someone, and there are no humans around, your pets always seem to know how to help. They always seem to know that you need to talk, and they will appear to listen, even though you KNOW they can’t understand you. If you love them, and treat them as well as you know how, they do the same for you. This is not anthropomorphizing the animals, that’s just the behavior of all social animals (except some humans). Your family (animals included) form a social unit, and the cats know when you pay attention to them, and WILL let you know, one way or another, exactly what they need from you.
Now, it does seem to work with ‘puters too, for no real sensible reason, but that’s just how it is with us biologicals. 🙂
Sending some kitty mojo your way.
Ooops, sorry about the duplicate. I got an error…
it is not stupid at all to talk to you animals. maybe you’re talking to them, to god, or to yourself, it doesn’t matter. cats are intelligent animals, and it’s not outside the realm of possibility that you can communicate with them, in some way.
Wil, the unusual thing is that we deny these connections exist.
Enlightenment is the illumination of connections that were previously dark to you, they were always there.
My cat is into $1500 of treatment and he was a stray to us until 2 months ago, now he is ours. He seems to prefer us and the new lifetstyle, so we continue to work with him.
We spent $12,000 on our dog and she told us when it was too much.
It is a connection thing only, follow that to the right outcome.
Nice job on CSI BTW
Never regret the efforts you make on behalf of your pets. Nine years ago the hubby and I went through a similar ordeal with our dog; she was our first pet and truly a part of our family. She contracted cancer when she was just nine years old; we spent a bundle of money (that we couldn’t really spare) on surgery, chemotherapy, and blood transfusions, with no guarantee of any long-term success. There were times during the process when I questioned the wisdom of our decision to put our poor baby through weeks of treatments. My husband said one thing that made it all ok for me, though: There will always be more money; there will never be another Tasha. He was right, of course; there would be other dogs, and we would rebound from the finances, but as long as we could safely and comfortably (for her) prolong her life, it was worth every penny.
As others have said, your kitties will let you know when it’s time. But knowing you have done what you could in the meantime is worth any efforts.
Wil, you’re not crazy or stupid. Like everyone else has said, animals respond to our tone and inflection, as well as our body language. I also suspect they understand a lot more of the actual words than they let on.
I had a cat named “Putter” (named for his unique putt-putt pull) who spoke. He could say yes, no, now, and Mommy. When I spoke to him, he responded to tell me what he needed or wanted. I adored that cat so much. I suspect our closeness was because his cat-momma abandoned him as a kitten and I took him in and bottle-fed him and cuddled him until he was big enough to eat on his own.
He went feral a few years ago after we moved up to the mountains and every so often, I look out at the hills and hope he’s happy.
We’ve had cats in my family going back as long as I can remember and they’ve all held special places in our hearts. My mom’s kitties (Gizmo and Rags) were litter mates and often roamed all over the neighborhood. The last time Gizzy came home was because he was sick and in renal failure. He curled up with my mom and went to sleep, never to wake up. My mom was still heartbroken over Gizzy’s death when Rags appeared from nowhere and curled up with her, purring.
Our pets may not be blood, they aren’t even our species, but they are family just the same. They “get” us on a level that defies science and logic. And if you listen, you can “get” them too.
Mojo for you and the family, including Sketch and Felix.
~Gem~
Wil, It’s not strange to talk to your cats. Not at all. You would be surprised just how much cats understand. I know, we talk to our cats too. Cats do communicate back to us as well. If you pay attention, you can tell. I agree that both Sketch and Felix were telling you that they want to live. I agree with Anne, give it a week or so, and see how it goes. Your cats will tell you when it’s time. Hugs to you and Anne, and Felix and Sketch too. You are all in our thoughts and prayers!
It’s not crazy to talk to your pets, and I know exactly what you’re going through. 1 of our guinea pigs stopped eating and needed to be force fed for a month, which is apparently unheard of – most owners have the Talk with the vet, and that’s it. However, after a month, with no real improvement besides weight gain, my wife and I had our Talk, and then went and petted him, and then called the vet to schedule the Appointment.
Got back to the run, and he got up, walked over to the food that we had put around, and ate every bit of it, and didn’t stop for 3 days, where he returned to normal habits.
They know, man…
Sending lots of mojo for you and the furkids!
p.s. My Shadow Kitty is another one who practically speaks English. They understand what you are telling them, trust me on that.
Bah. I tried to comment and got an error. The gist of it was: I’m still keeping Felix and Anne and the rest of your family in my thoughts. I went through a similar situation with my beloved dog, and she’s better now. Good luck.
Hi Wil, my first time posting.
I think it’s brave to surrender your logic to faith in Something Else. You will be rewarded (even if just comforted) for stepping outside your “cold rational” inclinations. And its obvious that both Sketch and Felix appreciated the loving attention. I’m praying for you and your household, and I encourage you to focus on being grateful for the time you have been given with them…this attitude will become increasingly important as mortality looms larger.
P.S. good job on CSI. Tom
No particular need to surrender your logic just yet — cats and dogs have been selectively bred for several thousand years to successfully coexist with human beings. It is pretty unlikely that in this time, considering the physical ways they have adapted, they would not also develop some level of comprehension of our feeble attempts to communicate. I’m certain they don’t understand our words, but don’t underestimate what they do get. They’re working with the tools they have, and it’s worked for a long time now.
It’s not stupid or insane at all to talk to your pets this way. We actually switched vets because the one nearest to us didn’t care at all about the animal or us. Our new vet talks to the animals and understands how much they mean to us. It’s difficult to explain how they will let you know, but you’ll know. Each animal has a personality, and I believe a soul, and if you think back you’ll know how they speak to you. Just like a baby, they let you know if they are hungry or cold or want to be held.
Enjoy every day with your kitties and hold onto them, talk to them about the good times you had together and tell them how much you love them. They do understand and it’s not crazy. When it’s time to let go, you’ll know.
Hang in there… and it is not silly at all. Not to go pushin’ things, but in reading with what you are going through, some dots got connected… There is a film at the Laemmle One Colorado in Pasadena called “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill”. Rated “G”, appropriate for the whole family, and has a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
It is a documentary about a just-barely-not homeless man in San Francisco who takes care of a wild flock of parrots. But the whole film deals with this concept of anthropomorphizing and the answers he comes up with. They have a website at http://www.wildparrotsfilm.com and you can download the trailer. The joyful catharsis is unlike any I’ve experienced. And this issue of animal consciousness and understanding is handed so beautifully… I can’t describe it, but your world will be better. Go see the trailer. Go see the movie. You’re not crazy for acknowledging the truth that your cats are answering your questions.
Wil/Anne,
I hope your little ones feel better and pull through all of this. My wife and I have two cats and two dogs and while our situation is not exactly the same, I thought I would share a story of my own.
We found out this past December that our youngest cat, Amos, has a heart disease that can either kill or cut his life span in half. Amos would sleep in strange places and appeared to be cold more often than usual. The specialist said it might have been low circulation because of the heart disease.
We also saw how the other animals reacted to Amos and their body language was a good indicator that there was a problem as well. He has been to a specialist three times now, each time having expensive tests run, as well as having his little side shaved in order to conduct the tests.
The point is that animals WILL let you know what they want and how you can help them. I am glad to say that Amos should be okay but will have to be on medication for the rest of his life. We feed him 1/4 of a pill in the morning and 1/4 at night.
I hope this story ends well for you and your family and for your little ones who unknowingly bring joy to us every single day they are with us.
Amos and I are pulling for you Felix!
I don’t know if this story will help, but I submit it just in case.
My husband had kidney disease a year ago. It hit him just about a year after we had to put down our twenty year old cat Blackstone because of his own case of kidney disease.
We did just about everything you have done for our cat. He was a game fellow and patient with the hydrations, shots, etc. Toward the end he couldn’t groom himself at all, so he also put up with baths, never a favorite with him.
When he had to be carried to the litter box, we decided to act. It was awful but necessary and Blackstone cooperated with the vet as if he knew what was happening.
When my husband was at his sickest, he said, “Now that I’ve had kidney disease myself, I realize we waited way too long to help Blackstone. If I knew then what I know now about how this feels, I would have acted sooner.”
Jim recovered completely, but he was pretty damned sick for awhile, and he could only reflect on how bad the cat must have felt too.
Just a data point. Our thoughts are with you all, fur people and regular people both.
It totally makes sense to talk to your pets like that. They understand more than given credit for and soak up our feelings like a sponge. I’ve had that talk with 2 pets now…and we knew when they were just done with it all. We spent several hundred dollars a month for a year keeping the cat alive because she was not ready to go, and I cooked meals for the dog for 6 weeks because he wasn’t ready, and he couldn’t stomach anything other than hamburger & rice. With both of them, I wondered how I would KNOW…when it was time I just knew (well, with the cat one huge clue was the vet trying not to cry, but we suspectd on the way in that she wasn’t coming home…)
Fight for your kitties until they tell you to stop. The fact that you’re willing to sit there and have conversations with them is a pretty good indicator that you’ll pay attention when they talk back with actually saying anything…
I really feel you on this issue. When my dog, Schatze was sick, I think I talked to her for two days straight. I was so scared and confused about what was happening to her, but even though she was sick, she could tell I was sad and tried to comfort me.
Your kitty seems to be feeling your love and if he’s acting happy, by all means,listen to him =)
I’d just like to add that there is an RSS feed on LJ that’s been updating your site there: http://www.livejournal.com/users/wilwheaton/ It’s been getting comments.
Nothing you said sounds stupid at all… don’t worry about that. I hate to use this example as an illustration, but I feel that life on Earth is more Borg-like than most people realize… meaning everything is connected to a central “hive” (be it God, Cosmic, or whatever other name you might want to use) Animals have a closer connection to that central nervous system than we do & although they do not have a Human Voice means of communication, they can still communicate and understand. We just need to open our minds to their style of communication, which it sounds like you are doing.
Dear Wil,
My cats and I wanted to let you know that our mojo has been sent. We hope that you and your friends are able to use it.
I’m not a vet, so I have no great physical advice for you or your cats. But I think that as long as you do whatever you do knowing that you did all that you could do and always had the best interest of the kitty in mind, then whatever happens, you’ll always know that you did everything you could, and all in the best interest of the kitty.
In the meantime, take lots of video/pictures and exchange lots of stories and maybe paint a picture for him or do something else artistic (that maybe only you and Anne and the boys and other non-human family members know about) that you think would be special for him.
(In other words, sharing stuff with us posse-people on WWDN is great, but you should actively be keeping things for just you and your family, you know? Recall the deer in Stand By Me.)
Best of wishes with everything for you, Anne, the boys, and all the critters.
IanMcKellen
happy st patricks day.. and I hope the best for your furkid Felix. I know that when you love your cats you’ll do whatever it takes within your means to keep the animal out of pain and as healthy as can be. Thanks from one cat lover to another for giving your friend another chance.. He’ll tell you for certain when he’s ready to go.. if he really is.
Wishing you and your family the best.
Not in the least little bit insane, Wil. You should be thankful that your furbabies made the time to answer you. Some cats ignore their people, ya know.
You and yours are still very much with us, sweetie.
I’ve been going through, (and doing), the same thing and my heart goes out to all of you.
Okay, I realize how insane this sounds. Normally, I’m a pretty cold and rational person, and I would scoff at the idea of talking to my cat like he’s a person. I know, I know. It’s lame, right? But I don’t think it’s much different than praying, or asking the universe for help, or keeping someone in your thoughts, or anything like that. It’s just . . . it’s just putting a little bit of hope (or faith, or whatever) into Something Else. I’d never let it take the place of things like medication, trips to the doctor, or good solid science . . . but we humans have all these constructs in our minds, and sometimes we do some pretty silly things to stay comfortable. At times like this, I don’t care if I’m anthropomorphizing my pets. If I can assign some human qualities to their body language or behavior and feel a little closer to them, so be it.
Yeah, I suppose it sounds crazy, but here’s the thing – I wouldn’t care if I was anthropomorphizing the cat either, given the same circumstances. I firmly believe that the people or animals we love “get” that we love them, whether or not they can understand the words. If nothing else, that’s enough reason (more than enough reason, I’d say) to have had The Talk with Felix.
And of course it’s also true that saying those words is just as often for the person SAYING them as much as it is for the person (or pet, in this case) the words are being said TO.
What’s so crazy about talking to our pets? Especially to get their input on what’s happening to them. Pets have feelings and opinions just like people do. They let us know when they like us or are angry with us; they let us know when they like the food we give them, or not; they let us know where “their” spot in the house is; they let us know that they understand when we’re feeling bad. I had a dog that would come and stay by my side whenever I felt sick. One day, soon after we brought my now four-year-old son home from the hospital, we couldn’t find Fletch (the dog) anywhere in the house. We looked in Mac’s (my son’s) room, and Fletch was lying down in front of his crib, like he was guarding and protecting his new little brother. We’ve since had to put Fletch down, and that is one of my favorite memories of him. My point is, pets are people, too. There’s nothing wrong with, or crazy about, finding out what they want to do regarding their own health.
Sending lots of mojo for the whole Wheaton clan, two-legged and four-legged members alike.
Ya know, I’m not so sure it’s crazy. I’m not some cosmic I can talk to animals type, but I’ve seen animals communicate quite effectively.
I remember one time about 12 years ago when I was living with a neat freak chick. I’d opened the glass doors on the stereo cabinet put on a tape or something and walked back to the couch to relax.
A little bit later the cat comes in and rubs his neck briefly on the side of the open glass door on the stereo cabinet, looks at me, rubs again, and looks back at me. I was like wtf? He did it again. I said, “Did I slack and leave the door open?” He repeated his rub/look move. I got up and closed the door and he gleefully trotted over to the gas furnace on the wall. More rub/look moves. I got the message much sooner this time. “A bit cold, huh?” and kicked on the thermostat. There was the woof! of the gas lighting and the furnace kicked on. He fluttered down like a leaf falling from a tree in front of the heater, curled up and relaxed with an undeniable expression of happiness.
Everyone has seen the I want to go out routine at the door or the I’m hungry routine by the food bowl, but I’ve never been told to neaten up and kick on some heat before then.
I doubt your cats understood a word you said. But I’m sure they got the tone. And their more energetic response a short time later gave you the answer you needed. It was too soon to give up.
May good fortune shine upon their health.
I think thats the sweetest thing Ive read in a long time. Theres nothing wrong with talking to your pets and letting them know you love them. They give all of us unconditional love and are great at listening without being…… too judgmental, so why not give the love back? If anything, Im sure your attention is giving him more comfort than you realize. Im still sending my positive thoughts. I hope things all work out for the best.
-Tara
Wil:
I wanted to leave a comment here along with everyone else. I wanted you to know that me and my kitty are pulling for you and your kitties. I am sending support for all of you in your family. I hope he pulls through okay.
Beth
I’ve only been reading your blog for about a week now, but I’m sitting here bawling my eyes out over your situation… I’ve been through the same thing and just thinking about it… About two years ago, we decided to get a second cat, so we adopted one. She got sick within four months and after spending about $1500 on her, she died while we were deciding if we should take her back to the vet that night…I think she knew we were having too hard a time making the decision ourselves. A few months later, we decided to try again, adopting from a shelter again. Six months later she was at the vet, we were spending another $1000, and we thought back to Sweetie, and we decided to let her go without further pain. I can honestly say those were the two of the hardest days of my life. A year later, we tried again, adopting two sisters…who are as healthy as ever. So, you have CatMojo x 5 (current three plus two in Kitty Heaven) coming your way…
I’m sorry about Skethc, I’ve been there before and I completely understand the not wanting to let go but at the same time not wanting to hurt them. You’ll know when the right time comes, till then, have fun!
My boyfriend and I talk to our cats and sometimes the cats will talk back. So what you’re doing is pretty normal.
Anyway, sending out some continuing warm and fuzzy and fighting and loving mojo for Felix and his supporters.
From
Crissie and Panda the cat.
I haven’t read what everyone else has said, but I have a feeling I’m just going to be repeating….
I’ve been a registered veterinary technician for 11 yrs now, and it’s true, well-loved pets always tell you when they are ready. I recently had to euthanize my cat I had had for over 10 yrs. We (the cat and I) spent the entire weekend talking, remembering, snuggling. She was ready, and I was comforted by it. Yes, it was still one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but *knowing* that she was ready and ok with it helped an amazing amount. When I did put her down that Monday she was at peace, and so was I
((Wil)) ((Felix)) ((Anne))
You guys are doing the right thing.
Wish I could say something else to make it better.
I am quite sure that he can tell that you care about him, though, and isn’t that what it’s all about?
Pet him extra once for me. 🙂
Jenga
wil,
Stop apologizing.. stop saying you know how odd it sounds..stop worrying about what anyone else thinks.
You know… you feel.. you sense.. that they understand and can communicate in whatever way they can find with you. That is an amazing thing.. and to heck with the people that would not understand or be critical, because this is not about them.. this is about your family… your cats… and the lives of all involved. I think it is wonderful that you feel that connection.. and are using it to do whats right for them.
My thoughts are with your family right now.. I hope it works out the way it is meant too and you have all the time with both of your cats that you should.
Neph
Wil & Anne,
From one pet owner and animal lover to another, you have NOTHING to be ashamed of. I think most of us who have a heart, have had THE TALK with our lil buddies. Our lil buddies know who loves them and they can sense how you feel… they can sense when your mad, sad, excited, happy or concerned about them. I believe Felix and Sketch knew you were upset and came to check on you to say, “Hey Wil, I’m hanging in there.” Hope all is well and best wishes to everyone in the Wheaton family.
Rob
Hey Wil, Too funny that almost every single person who wrote here told you that it is not insane at all to talk to your pets and that they do it too. I have serious whole conversations (one sided of course) with my dog all the time (clearly I spend far too much time by myself) and I know he understands every word I’m saying. When he looks at me with those deep brown eyes I can feel his understanding. Okay, who sounds crazy now?? LOL Anyway, your story about Sketch letting you know that he was going to be okay and now Felix acting the same is very heartwarming and thanks so much for sharing. Sending lots of get well wishes and hugs to Felix and my thoughts and prayers will be with you and your family. And once again, Riley sends his wishes too.
Beverly
Wil,
Sorry to hear about your cats. I know what your going thru is though but listening to your cats is the right thing to do. I personaly dont think it sounds crazy. Just that your more open minded then some.
Oh well, thats my two cents.
Later,
Erik
i understand what you all are going through. i had 10 cats in my life time all but maybe 2 were litter mates. i one year had 6 cats die almost a month apart. it never gets easier lemme tell ya, but i can tell you that as hard as it is im glad they arent in pain any more. BTW talkin to yer cat isnt dumb wil, i think every one does it to thier pets.
Oh, Wil…I know what you’re going through. But you’re NOT nuts. I did the same thing with my 14 year-old bobtailed tabby, Noodle (a.k.a. “Nub”). We had “the talk,” but I knew it wasn’t his time yet. I did the pacing the floor, “when will I KNOW?” deal for several weeks, and then one day, I came home and he was sitting at the bottom of the staircase (he could barely make it from A to B at that point, and to this day I have no CLUE how he walked all the way downstairs). I knew he was telling me he was ready, but first, he wanted to go outside for awhile and nibble on some grass. We both knew it’d be his last time. I made a bed on the floor and slept next to him all night. I thought we’d get in early, but the vet was in surgery and we couldn’t get an appointment till noon. I called in to work, huddled up next to my boy, and we spent our last few hours together. At one point, I noticed he was looking up at the window, so I opened the blinds, and it was raining. Go figure. He kept focusing on the window, so I opened it and he picked his sweet little head up and sniffed the air so happily. So I moved some boxes around and made him a new bed by the window. He was so weak, but delighted to sniff the fresh air and look around at the raindrops and the birdies. At one point I was weeping so hard I left him alone, so he could have some “time to himself.” I know it sounds crazy, but I KNEW that’s what he wanted (and not me sobbing at his side). I took a picture of him at that moment, a silhouette of him sitting on the windowsill. That’s what I like to remember. Him being happy. A few hours later, he was gone. On his terms. Bottom line, you’ll know. Even if it’s not so clear, you’ll feel it. And it’ll be the right thing to do at the right time. I can also guarantee that Nub will be right there waiting for Felix and Sketch with open paddies! New buds for his posse. And how cool is that? 🙂
Sending you my best wishes…
Wil, you don’t sound stupid at all. That’s my opinion, and I read your latest post to Pamela, and that’s her opinion, too. She says that cats definitely understand more than you’d think. Star and Maui understand a lot of what she says, for instance. They’ll even come visit Pamela when she’s not feeling well, making sure she’s okay and helping comfort her. And I know Maui gets concerned when I stay in bed too late; he comes in and meows at me, as if to remind me, “Time to get up!”Star just came over and sat on my lap. I think she wants to send more kittymojo to Felix and Sketch. She is literally nuzzling my hand as I type. So consider more kittymojo on its way. (Good girl, Star!)
Wil, talking to your pets is not silly. The capacity to feel and share love in the multitude of ways that we do is the most wonderful, crazy thing about being human. Just because your cats can’t speak back to you in English is no reason to not share as much love as you can with them in the kind of language that you know.
Best wishes for you all!
lisa
As has been said numerous times before this, my “day late” comment, you’re not crazy, or lame, or insane, or whatever.
Animals do speak to their loved ones, Wil. It’s just that in order to hear them, you have to listen with your heart, not your ears. You and Anne are good listeners. Keep the faith. Our fur-brats hear and understand every word we say…they just don’t give a shit about most of it and the rest they don’t pay attention to.
Unless it involves food, going outside, or toys.
At least, that’s how it is in *my* house.
Better Late Than Never,
The Goddess of Justice and Vengeance
***HUGS***
I understand exactly what you guys are going through, and yes they do understand us, I have seen it multiple times. I hope they all feel better soon.
Take care,
Odile
Wil,
I’ve been reading your site for a while now, finally compelled to add a comment.
You got 3 cats, 2 dogs, and 2 humans pulling for Felix from this house.
Just thought I would offer up a couple of tunes for the cat folks out there, (RIAA safe).
http://www.alaska.net/~babyrne/catsongs.zip
Meryn Cadell, Robin Flower & Libby McLaren
One is for when the cats are being good, and the other is for Xmas when you’re missing one. Both wonderful tunes.
So happy to read on later post that Felix is doing better.
Hey Felix! Here’s hoping you feel much much much better! The living world is not ready to give up on you yet. 😀
Wil… I don’t even know your cat and even *I’m* talking to him. Wait, no… sending him a “typed” message. You are not insane.
Hey Wil,
Just wanted to say I am a fellow cat person and I totally understand. My 3 cats are like my kids. If something happened to one of them I would do whatever I could to help them and I would be waiting for them to give me guidance just as you did. So it’s not silly. I just wanted to say that Felix & Sketch and the rest of the Wheaton family are in my thoughts and prayers.
I’m so sorry about your kitties Wil. I can tell that you really love them. I just wanted to say its absolutely NOT silly to talk to your animals. Its how we express ourselves to them. Kitty soul touching human soul and vice versa. Obviously, from how your kitties respond to you, it’s true. Dont be ashamed, revel in your connection with your animals! And enjoy every moment with them….even those cheesy moments when you tell them how much you love them. They know what you’re saying.