FAREWELL TRIANGLE



One of the kitties from New Orleans that we've been taking care of while their owners are waiting until it's safe for them to return had to be put to sleep today. I didn't know Triangle a long time, but in the few weeks that she's been living on our screened-in back porch, I found her to be an extraordinarily sweet and loving cat.

When Debbie brought her to us, Triangle already wasn't eating much, but everybody figured that she was simply saddened by having been taken away from her home in the Big Easy, and being forced to share space with several other cats. Last Friday while I was cleaning out the three litter boxes we now keep out there, I noticed that she seemed even more lethargic than usual. I brought her inside to give her a break from dealing with her feline roommates, hoping that I could get her to eat something--she was really skinny and her coat had lost it's shine; I also wanted to play with her, give her some love and attention, because we all were under the impression that she was depressed. I carried Triangle into the kitchen to get her some delicious canned food, but when I dropped her a short distance to the floor expecting her to land on her feet, I was surprised by the fact that she just kind of plopped down on her hip.

That was a very bad sign. Upon further examination, she seemed dehydrated, and seemed to weigh as much as a kitten. Becky decided that she would take her to the vet on Monday, today. That's where she found out that Triangle's kidneys were failing. Because she was sixteen years old, that meant there was essentially no hope. Becky called up the kitty's owner and explained the situation. Tearfully, Debbie gave the go-ahead to put her down.

Triangle is now buried in our back yard. I put some dried roses that we had saved on her grave just a little while ago.

I'm really sad about this, but Becky's just torn up. I was at school while all this was going on today: Becky had to do everything by herself, including the burial. All the while, she couldn't help but think about her own cats, Paz and Phil, who are healthy, but only a couple of years younger than Triangle was. We know they don't have much longer to live themselves, but it's easy not to think about. Triangle's death just rubs our faces in their mortality.

I have to admit that Triangle's death has also brought back vivid painful memories for me of when I put my two longtime feline companions, Alec and Giskard, to sleep a couple of years ago. I wish I had something inspirational to say, but I don't. All I can think about is how this just sucks.

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